Rebel Moon: Part One - A Child of Fire

Merry Christmas! As I look at Rotten Tomatoes today, December 25th, 2023, "Rebel Moon: Part One" has as 23% fresh rating from critics. It also has a 66% fresh audience score. My opinion is my own and I take pride in sometimes disagreeing with the masses. However, I do like to see how my opinion stakes up to others. Movie critics have this in common, they all love movies. I personally don't care for superhero films and I haven't been a fan of any of the "Star Wars" films except the last one "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker." It baffles me that a good chunk of Marvel Universe has received high praise from the majority of critics and yet they have dumped on this film. Why is that? Maybe because Zach Snyder is associated with D.C.? Maybe. There seems to be a hate-on for this super stylized director ("300," ""Army of the Dead"). Snyder is the new master of the slow-motion action sequence. I would say the pioneer is John Woo, whose 1989 action masterpiece "The Killer" is the template for such visual work. As Brian De Palma is to Hitchcock, Zach Snyder is to Woo. So let's get to it, what's "Rebel Moon: Part One - A Child of Fire" all about? Snyder has given us a "Star Wars" rip-off version of "The Magnificent Seven"/"Seven Samurai" where Sofia Boutella plays Kora, a bad-ass warrior who’s hiding out amongst a farming community. Galactic baddies show up and threaten its existence, Kora goes on a quest to assemble a team of fighters to protect the humble villagers. Yes, Snyder has recycled from all kinds of films and TV here, including "The Matrix," "Doctor Who," "Star Wars," and many others. He seems to have grabbed the Nazi like villain from "Inglorious Bastards." Is this great cinema? No. Did I enjoy myself way more than I should have? Yes I did. Looking to turn off your brain and be entertained, then slow-mo dive onto your couch while pointing the remote at the TV and find the trash masterpiece streaming on Netflix.