OPINION: How 'Rebel Moon' Tries (And Fails) To Rip Off 'Rogue One'

Netflix just recently released the second entry in their newest franchise Rebel Moon, a space opera epic directed by Zack Snyder that’s reportedly been in development for nearly twenty years.

According to Snyder there was a period where he envisioned the film as being set in the Star Wars universe. However, when he pitched the idea to Disney, they turned it down. Some have said the reason is because the film is too dark and gritty, but I don’t know if I believe that. For one thing, Snyder released a PG-13 cut of Rebel Moon so he clearly had no problem making an edited down version of it. While he apparently pitched the story before Disney bought Lucasfilm, the Star Wars franchise would eventually see its own story about misfit heroes in space realized with Rogue One.

Rebel Moon, like Star Wars itself, is inspired by the films of Akira Kurosawa. Both it and Rogue One lean more specifically into Seven Samurai, a story about a group of fighters being brought together for a mission they may not all survive. While watching Rebel Moon, I couldn’t help but think about Rogue One. As much as Kurosawa’s influence is present in the film, you can clearly feel the heavy Star Wars influence too.

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When George Lucas made Star Wars, he was very clearly influenced by old sci-fi serials from his childhood like Flash Gordon. However, when you watch A New Hope it doesn’t feel like it’s just copying those other stories. Rebel Moon on the other hand never really feels like it’s own thing. There’s an entire sequence that’s literally just the exact same as Luke and Obi Wan going to the Mos Eisley Cantina and meeting Han. And there’s a character that’s clearly supposed to be a Jedi complete with lightsabers. It feels like he just took his Star Wars script and crossed out words like the “empire” and replaced them with others like the “Motherworld.”

Now, a major difference big difference between Rebel Moon and Rogue One is the team. Rogue One has been criticized before about not having a lot of character development for most of the cast. I don’t necessarily disagree with that claim, but what it does have over Rebel Moon is the fact that every member still feels like they serve a purpose. The group is brought together in a more organic way they mostly team up out of survival by escaping a planet that’s being attacked by the Empire. And even if they don’t all get big backstories, what we do get from them is still effective in my opinion.

Jyn Erso has a tragic past with her mother being killed and her father being taken to work for the Empire. She becomes inspired to destroy the Death Star after realizing he’s hidden a weak spot in it (as well as to avenge his later death). And Cassian Andor has been fighting for most of his life. Our first introduction to him is seeing him murder an injured and innocent man just to avoid being caught by Stormtroopers. Honestly, for as much as Rebel Moon was hyped for being gritty and dark, I felt like Andor alone made for a more morally grey character than most of the cast in that film.

Also, by the time you get to the end of the film everyone has their own missions. They all play their own part in a plan. Bodhi, played by Riz Amed, tries to communicate with the rebels. Chirrut and Baze, played by Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen, fight on the ground while Jyn, Andor and K2 infiltrate the base to steal the Death Star plans.

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In the first Rebel Moon, the climax of the first film is just a bunch of shooting with a group of characters that we know way less about. And the first half of the movie keeps hyping the character of Bloodaxe, played by Ray Fisher. But by the time he finally shows up onscreen he barely gets to do or say much of anything before he dies in battle.

Going back to K2 who’s voiced by Alan Tudyk his character adds an important element to Rogue One that I know a lot of people don’t like to hear…humor. Nowadays there’s a lot of criticism towards humor used in blockbuster films, and yes, studios can go overboard in an attempt to be funny. I’m not denying that. However, the solution doesn’t have to be that you should instead make films that are full of nothing but bleakness. Levity can be important and necessary to help ease tension in films and give the audience a bit of a break. For example, there are jokes in The Dark Knight. And I’m not talking about the ones the Joker tells.

K2’s sarcastic attitude and almost brotherly bond with Andor make his death one of the most impactful in the film. Honestly, the only character in Rebel Moon I felt emotionally invested in was their droid character Jimmy, but he was barely in the film. We do get his interesting backstory, and a just a hint of humor, but after the first act he’s just gone. Hopefully that changes as the franchise goes on.

Now, I should reiterate that I don’t hate Rebel Moon. I actually enjoy Snyder’s work and would even call myself a defender of some of his films like Man of Steel. While the universe doesn’t feel entirely unique, the biggest issue with his latest film(s) is that his characters are not compelling enough.

Granted, I’m sure his Director’s Cut will fix some of that. And I’m eager to see how the characters develop in future installments. I’d ultimately like for this to become a franchise that can move away from the shadow of Star Wars and form it’s own identity. I believe it can, but it requires a lot more originality.