‘Zatanna’: Emerald Fennell Confirms Her Dark DC Superhero Film Is Dead

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December 21, 2023

Remember when Guillermo Del Toro was going to do a Justice League Dark movie? Or when JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot was going to run an entire Dark Universe corner of the DCEU? It was a big deal that kept getting teased for years, with projects proposed that were talked about but never actually happened. One of those was a Zatanna film from Saltburn and Promising Young Woman director Emerald Fennell, and she confirms something that we pretty much already knew: it ain’t ever happening.

Fennell was a guest on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, and revealed that her Zatanna film, which she had been hired to write, is dead as a doornail…

“No, no, it’s not happening. I loved it [though],” she said.

Fennell also revealed that she had been working on Zatanna, about a powerful witch superhero in the occult corner of the DC Universe, prior to her breakout film Promising Young Woman. That’s interesting because the news of her hiring came out after she became a household name.

“This was all before ‘Promising Young Woman,’ actually,” Fennell said. “This was something I was working on before [that film]. It was when J.J. Abrams had just arrived at Warner Bros. and was going to reboot the [DC’s] Dark Universe, and they were going to make this kind of dark villain universe or sort of hero/villain universe.”

But Fennell adds that she enjoyed working with Abrams on the Dark Universe stuff, which included multiple shows, such as a Green Lantern series, a Constantine project, that went absolutely nowhere.

“I thought he was the coolest, and his team at Robot was so cool and interesting and because I love genre of all kinds… I was definitely interested,” she explained. “I was like, ‘I don’t know a huge about the whole superhero genre; it’s not a genre I naturally gravitate towards, so I’d love to know how does one make [a superhero film] like that, for someone like me who doesn’t know so much and wouldn’t necessarily buy a ticket for that first time around. So it was that kinda thing, and Zatanna was a really, really cool character.”

It’s been a recurring theme at Warner Bros. that no regime lasts long enough to get anything done, and Fennell and Abrams had to face that problem. It continues to be an issue; multiple regimes have come and gone during the production of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, for example.

Fennell added, “But just like everything…I did write it, but it was complicated; you know, the regimes changed; it’s the classic studio stuff. J.J. is incredible, his team is incredible, and I wrote in the end a script that was reasonably demented—in a good way, I think. But in the end, the whole universe was… you know, it got changed. And that’s fine; I love writing… it was really fun to do in the end. Whether it would have been remotely makeable… that’s the thing, I was only ever slated to write it.”

Review: ‘Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom’
Despite Jason Momoa's Best Efforts The DCEU Ends Without Making A Big Splash

By
Travis Hopson
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Whatever one thinks about the crumbling Snyderverse and the end of the DCEU, there were definite highlights. One of them was 2018’s Aquaman, the highest-grossing DC Universe movie, beating films with Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.Jason Momoa’s brawny, bullish, take on the fish-talking supe was a breath of fresh air and pitch-perfect casting. It was summer popcorn entertainment at the start of winter, and director James Wan played it perfectly. In a way, it makes sense that the DCEU comes to a close with a sequel to its highest-earning movie. If only that sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, wasn’t sunk by reshoots, rewrites, cuts, problematic actors, and more.

In a way, it feels sorta pointless to review Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. It wasn’t designed to be the final part of anything, just the next chapter in what should’ve been a long-running, successful franchise. But after a year in which DC movies have been getting dragged critically and financially, a fresh reboot is being launched by James Gunn. That means no more Aquaman, at least not played by Momoa. And so this film feels like a road going to nowhere. Warner Bros. belatedly added an “Aquman’s Epic Last Stand” tag to its recent promos to give the impression this was always the path, but watching the movie tells you differently. It feels rushed and incomplete, with only Momoa’s enthusiasm and big personality rising in an ocean of mediocrity.

Interestingly, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom ignored any connection the underwater hero had to the Justice League. There’s no mention of any other heroes, and he’s presented still as a mystery to the surface world. But then Arthur Curry has a lot on his plate. After dethroning and imprisoning his brother Orm (Patrick Wilson), he became king of Atlantis, a job that he hates for all of the bureaucratic nonsense. More importantly, he became a father to the baby boy he shares with his wife Mera (Amber Heard). The opening act of the film plays like a family comedy where the dad is left behind to care for baby all by himself; changing diapers, getting pissed on, lacking in any sleep. Not that Arthur is alone; he’s got Mera and his dad (Temuera Morrison) helping out, but parenting is hard even for superheroes.

Picking up on the B-plot of the previous film, Aquaman’s archnemesis David Kane aka Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) returns to take one more stab at getting some revenge. This time he’s found the powerful Black Trident that grants him increased powers and increased bloodlust. Vowing to destroy everything Aquaman holds dear, he strikes at the heart of Atlantis and the hero’s family.

That’s pretty much the entirety of the plot cooked up by returning screenwriter David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, working solo this time. In a way, it’s refreshing to have such simplicity in Black Manta’s villainy. He hates Aquaman and wants to destroy him. It’s kinda old school, actually. There’s some other nonsense about rising ocean temperatures but it doesn’t amount to much when Black Manta’s hatred is the real driving force. Aquaman’s only hope for survival is freeing his brother Orm and teaming up with him, creating a Thor/Loki dynamic of sibling rivalry and shaky trust issues.

Speaking of shaky, the production issues seem to have stretched to the visual department, where muddy CGI makes the underwater sequences more murky than they need to be. Unfortunately, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom looks too much like some of the worst DCEU films out there in the special effects department. I don’t like comparisons between Marvel and DC, but the latter has only occasionally found a way to make the images pop like you’re truly seeing a comic book come to life. Marvel has had that skill locked down from the beginning.

Utilizing his well-rounded background in horror and popcorn blockbusters, James Wan delivers action and fright in equal measure. Wan’s shelved The Trench spinoff seems to have inspired some underwater horror sequences where tentacled monsters lurk. Manta’s destructive attack on Atlantis is impressive, including a rapid-fire chase through the slipstream making for a wild roller coaster experience.

However, every time the film seems like it’s finding its footing, something takes you back out of the moment. Strange editing choices suggest a lot of scenes were deleted at the last moment, interrupting the film’s momentum. A lot of these edits were clearly targeted at Amber Heard’s Mera, whose role is drastically reduced to little more than reaction shots, expository dialogue, and one scene meant to write her out for a long stretch. With rumors that Heard and Momoa had problems with chemistry, it’s no surprise they are barely together on screen at all.

What the film has going for it is Momoa. There’s a reason why he’s proven to be the best casting choice in all of the DCEU. With a growl, a smile, and a laugh that booms like the crashing of waves, Momoa is having the time of his life as Aquaman and that feeling can be infectious. If rumors are true that he’ll leave this role and instead play Lobo, a character he has long wanted to be, then we’re all in for a treat. But for now, Momoa’s Aquaman is still a blast to watch and the main reason why spending a couple of hours with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom won’t leave you drowning with regret. It’s just disappointing that Momoa’s final time as King of the Seas didn’t make a bigger splash.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom opens in theaters on December 22nd.

Amazon Sets 2024 Dates For ‘Roadhouse’ Remake, ‘Red One’, ‘My Spy: The Eternal City’, And More

By

Travis Hopson

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December 21, 2023

2024 is shaping up to be the biggest year yet for Amazon Studios, with several huge, star-studded films coming up that will find their way to Prime Video. And now we know when many of those projects will arrive, whether its direct to streaming or preceded by a theatrical release.

The first is Roadhouse, Doug Liman’s remake of the Patrick Swayze action classic. Jake Gyllenhaal stars in the lead role of an ex-MMA fighter who takes a dangerous gig as a bouncer. The film is set to hit Prime Video on March 31st. Conor McGregor, Daniela Melchior, Billy Magnussen, Jessica Williams, and Joaquim De Almeida co-star.

Here’s the new synopsis: In this adrenaline-fueled reimagining of the ’80s cult classic, ex-UFC fighter Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaal) takes a job as a bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse, only to discover that this paradise is not all it seems.

Streaming to Prime Video on May 2nd is The Idea of You. This is the “Anne Hathaway falls in love at Coachella” movie, directed by Michael Showalter (The Big Sick) and co-starring Nicholas Galitzine as a Harry Styles-esque boyband member.

Here’s the synopsis: Based on the acclaimed, contemporary love story of the same name, The Idea of You centers on Solène (Anne Hathaway), a 40-year-old single mom who begins an unexpected romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the lead singer of August Moon, the hottest boy band on the planet. When Solène must step in to chaperone her teenage daughter’s trip to the Coachella Music Festival after her ex bails at the last minute, she has a chance encounter with Hayes, and there is an instant, undeniable spark. As they begin a whirlwind romance, it isn’t long before Hayes’ superstar status poses unavoidable challenges to their relationship, and Solène soon discovers that life in the glare of his spotlight might be more than she bargained for.

Next up is Christmas action-comedy Red One, and when you hear the stars you’ll know why it’s getting a theatrical release on November 15th. Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans lead the film which reunites Johnson with Jumanji director Jake Kasdan plus Hobbs & Shaw writer Chris Morgan. They’re doing a really good job of keeping plot details about this one under wrapping paper, too.

The Marvels director Nia DaCosta is already wrapping up on her next film, Hedda, a reimagining of Henrik Ibsen’s famed play Hedda Gabler. DaCosta will reunite with star Tessa Thompson, who she worked with previously on Little Woods and the aforementioned MCU film. Hedda will arrive in Q3 or Q4 of 2024.

Also arriving in the latter part of 2024 is sequel My Spy: The Eternal City, reuniting Dave Bautista and Chloe Coleman in the espionage comedy. Once again directed by Peter Segal, the film finds Bautista’s spy character JJ accompanying his young charge Sophie on her school trip to Italy. New additions to the franchise include Anna Faris, Ken Jeong, and Craig Robinson.

And following 2022’s The Greatest Beer Run Ever, director Peter Farrelly reunites with Zac Efron for Ricky Stanicky, which arrives on March 7th on Prime Video. Efron is joined by John Cena in the film about an imaginary character dreamed up by friends to blame for all of their shenanigans. When their partners decide they want to meet this Ricky Stanicky person, the friends hire a washed-up actor to play him.

A complete listing is below:

Ricky Stanicky

On Prime Video Thursday, March 7

Frida (Documentary)

On Prime Video Thursday, March 14

Road House

On Prime Video Thursday, March 21

Musica

On Prime Video Thursday, April 4

The Idea of You

On Prime Video Thursday, May 2

The Blue Angels (Documentary)

On Prime Video Thursday, June 27

A LOOK AHEAD TO Q3 & Q4…

Black, White and Blue

Divorce In The Black

Hedda

Holland, Michigan

House of Spoils

The Jealousy Man

My Spy: The Eternal City

Space Cadet

Review: ‘Migration’
Heart And Charm Only Carry Illumination's Formulaic Duck Family Comedy So High

By
Travis Hopson
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Illumination has already had a huge 2023. The Super Mario Bros. Movie, a collaboration with video game giant Nintendo, is behind only Barbie among the highest-grossing films of the year. That’s not a bad place to be. While the lucrative studio has several hit franchises; Despicable Me, Sing, The Secret Life of Pets, and of course, Minions, it’s always tough to launch something new and original in the highly competitive all-ages space. Migration, the story of a family of ducks on a mishap-laden journey to Jamaica for the winter, is slightly different from the Illumination norm both in the approach to animation and the story, which leans less on broad humor and more on family dynamics.

The result is that Migration is less funny than other Illumination films, lacking quite as much of the goofy humor we are so accustomed to. But it’s also something that parents might not groan at having to watch with their kids quite as much. I’ll just say at the screening I attended, kids were having an absolute blast with the fine feathered adventure, boasting big colors and high-flying sights, and adults seemed to like it, as well.

Credit for Migration‘s maturer material has to go to two places: screenwriter Mike White, known for penning the HBO series The White Lotus, and a slew of other adult-leaning films such as The Good Girl and Year of the Dog. But also director Benjamin Renner, the French filmmaker behind 2012’s beautiful Ernest & Celestine, whose experience with hand-drawn animation leads to a brand new style never utilized by Illumination before. This is a slightly more realistic ‘toon visually, fitting for a story that emphasizes natural environments and the changing of seasons.

The story is pretty formulaic and easy to figure out right from the start. The Mallards live a life of quiet comfort and familiarity in their pond. But with that familiarity also comes boredom. The Mallard patriarch, Mack (Kumail Nanjiani) is a helicopter dad perfectly okay with never venturing away from the comforts of home. His wife, Pam (Elizabeth Banks), loves her timid husband but years for more. So do their kids, teenager Dax (Casper Jennings) and duckling Gwen (Tresi Gazal), who get stirred up for adventure when they encounter a migrating flock of birds (with a cute daughter Dax takes a liking to) on their way to Jamaica to wait out the winter cold. When it becomes clear to Mack that his fear of the outside world could cost him his family, and that he might start to turn into his fat, ornery, equally-terrified Uncle Dan (Danny DeVito), he packs up the clan for the road trip of a lifetime. Er, sky trip?

For poor Mack, whose only concern is keeping his kids safe, the world is full of dangers at every turn. The film takes a turn to horror when they encounter a fearsome heron (Carol Kane), not quite as odd as Hayao Miyazaki’s in The Boy and the Heron, but scary nonetheless. Passing through New York City, the family runs afoul (a fowl?) of, what else, a gang of pigeons led by Chump (Awkwafina), who are reluctant to share the sandwich spoils left behind by messy humans. Speaking of which, people are always a threat and that includes a chef who keeps his prized parrot Delroy (Keegan-Michael Key) locked away, and has a fondness for cooking up duck a l’orange. The Mallards would make an exquisite meal, if he can catch them. White also introduces a preachy yogic leader (David Mitchell) at a free-range duck farm built like an amusement park.

Despite the obvious path of its story, Migration does a good job of developing the family’s relationships and finding humor in them, such as Gwen’s reliance on her big bro and teary-eyed manipulation of Uncle Dan, while also expanding their knowledge of the world around them. This is a “bird out of water” story for the most part, with Mack also learning to be brave enough to trust his kids to figure stuff out on their own. In a way, it’s good to know where everything is going because it doesn’t hinder the film’s trajectory. There’s no need to stop so lessons can be explained ad nauseam or in an insulting way. At the same time, Migration doesn’t pack many surprises, either, and so can only fly so far.

Migration opens in theaters on December 22nd.

George Clooney Says Talks Of A ‘Wolfs’ Sequel With Brad Pitt Are Already Happening

By

Travis Hopson

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December 20, 2023

Despite the bizarre title, Wolfs is one of the most anticipated movies of 2024. And for good reason, as it stacks a true powerhouse lineup with Brad Pitt and George Clooney starring, with Spider-Man filmmaker Jon Watts directing. And when you’ve got that amount of talent, thoughts have to turn towards the future and keeping such a group together. According to Clooney, those talks have already begun.

While speaking with Deadline about his directorial effort The Boys in the Boat, Clooney said that there are already talks about doing a Wolfs 2. Hopefully they’ll title it “Wolves”.

“We’re already talking about a sequel for this film I did with Brad and Jon Watts,” Clooney said. “It was a great shoot, and Jon is an extraordinarily talented guy who’s also really joyful. He loves what he does. We had a blast doing it, and we’ve seen it. It’s an off-the-charts great film, and it’s fun to work with Brad again. We had a really good time.”

Wolfs stars Pitt and Clooney as lone wolf fixers assigned to the same job. The film also stars Amy Ryan, Austin Abrams, and Poorna Jagannathan. Also aboard is Everything Everywhere All At Once cinematographer Larkin Seiple.

The project is set up at Apple and will get an Apple TV+ streaming release after a theatrical run by Sony Pictures. When you’ve got an Ocean’s 11 reunion with this amount of star power, the chances of drawing people into theaters for Wolfs are pretty good, and then who knows? A sequel could be next on the list.

Ryan Gosling Just Dropped An “I’m Just Ken” Christmas Remix Music Video And EP

By

Travis Hopson

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December 20, 2023

For a certain generation of young women, Margot Robbie is the version of Barbie they will always remember. And that makes sense; Barbie is the highest-grossing movie of the year and a cultural phenomenon. But we simply can’t forget Ken. Without Ryan Gosling as poor, lovestruck, confused Ken, Barbie wouldn’t be half as memorable as it is. And this holiday season, Gosling and composers Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt are bringing Ken fans a special treat.

Ken The EP has been released, featuring the unforgettable song “I’m Just Ken” which sums up Ken’s woes to a tee, along with a few remixes and a special Christmas edition which they have also dropped a new music video for. Is it silly? Of course it is, but it’s also a smart marketing strategy as Barbie makes a big awards season push. That fans of the movie, and Gosling in particular, will love it is just cinnamon on the egg nog.

You know how some people are obsessed with Christmas music and listen to it all year ’round? Well, get ready for those people to have the soothing sounds of Ryan Gosling blasting in their car, while they’re wrapping presents, and while you’re there trying to enjoy Christmas dinner.

You can get Ken the EP here now, and check out the music video below.

DC Readers: Attend A Free Early Screening Of ‘The Book Of Clarence’

By

Travis Hopson

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December 20, 2023

We’re happy to offer our DC readers the chance to attend a free early screening of The Book of Clarence, starring LaKeith Stanfield. The film is directed by Jeymes Samuel (The Harder They Fall) and co-stars Omar Sy, RJ Cyler, Benedict Cumberbatch, James McAvoy, Anna Diop, David Oyelowo, Alfre Woodard, Marianne Jean-Baptise, and Teyana Taylor.

SYNOPSIS: From visionary filmmaker Jeymes Samuel, The Book of Clarence is a bold new take on the timeless Hollywood era Biblical epic. Streetwise but struggling, Clarence (LaKeith Stanfield) is trying to find a better life for himself and his family, make himself worthy to the woman he loves, and prove that he’s not a nobody. Captivated by the power and glory of the rising Messiah and His apostles, he risks everything to carve his own path to a divine life, a journey through which he finds redemption and faith, power and knowledge. The Book of Clarence Official Soundtrackfeatures new music by Jeymes Samuel, JAY-Z, Lil Wayne, Kid Cudi and more.

The screening takes place on Thursday, January 4th at 7pm at Landmark E Street. If you’d like to attend, RSVP at the Sony Pictures site here. Please remember all screenings are first come first served and you’ll need to arrive early to ensure seating. Enjoy the show!

The Book of Clarence opens in theaters on January 12th 2024.

‘Nutcrackers’: Ben Stiller’s First Lead Role In Six Years Is For David Gordon Green’s New Film

By

Travis Hopson

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December 20, 2023

As Ben Stiller has turned his career more towards filmmaking, it’s been six years since his last lead acting roles. In 2017 he starred in both Brad’s Status and The Meyerowitz Stories, and that’s been it until now. Deadline reports Stiller has just found his next starring role in Nutcrackers, the upcoming film by Halloween director David Gordon Green.

Penned by Leland Douglas (Call of the Wild), the film will see Stiller star as “the work-obsessed Mike, who must reluctantly travel to rural Ohio to look after his four rambunctious nephews after their parents die in a car accident. What begins as a three-day trip to find foster care turns into weeks of farm-life mayhem – and the realization that he doesn’t need to find them a home, they’ve found one for him.”

Nutcrackers sounds like a return to the low-key films of Green’s early career, before he turned towards the mainstream and began taking on bigger comedies and horrors. Green most recently directed The Exorcist: Believer, with a sequel, The Exorcist: Deceiver coming in 2025.

Meanwhile, Stiller, who is also attached as a producer, has spent the last few years working behind the camera. He directed the acclaimed first season of Apple series Severance, winning two Emmy Awards on the way to a second season.

‘The Regime’ Teaser Trailer: Kate Winslet Leads An Entire Country In HBO Limited Series Coming In March

By

Travis Hopson

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December 20, 2023

While fans continue to hope Kate Winslet returns to her Emmy-winning role in a second season of Mare of Easttown, they do have something else from her to look forward. And to be honest, this one looks just as promising. The Regime is a new HBO limited series in which Winslet plays the leader of her own country. That sounds about right. Give Winslet all of the power!

The Regime finds Winslet as the Chancellor of a European country, fighting to maintain her base of power while the world around her crumbles. As if the idea of Winslet as a total boss isn’t enticing enough, the cast is incredible with Matthias Schoenaerts, Guillaume Gallienne, Andrea Riseborough, Martha Plimpton, and Hugh Grant co-starring. Damn.

There’s a lot of talent behind the scenes, as well. Acting as writer and showrunner is Will Tracy, known for his work on Succession and the culinary horror-comedy The Menu. Directing episodes are Stephen Frears (Philomena) and Jessica Hobbs (Emmy winner for The Crown).

The Regime hits HBO and Max on March 3rd.

Review: ‘Rebel Moon-Part One: A Child Of Fire’
Zack Snyder's Pale 'Star Wars' And 'Seven Samurai' Copycat Is Dead On Arrival

By
Travis Hopson
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Zack Snyder makes it hard for us who are his fans to defend him sometimes. He takes bold swings at original content with grand aspirations, let’s use the critically-panned Sucker Punch as an example, but when those misguided efforts misfire, they misfire with reckless abandon. Rebel Moon, an “original” sci-fi space opera originally pitched as a Star Wars film inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s classic Seven Samurai, sounds awesome on paper. All of Snyder’s films sound awesome on paper. But in actual execution, it is a convoluted, shallow imitation of Kurosawa and numerous other sci-fi epics that Snyder and co-writers Shay Hatten and Kurt Johnstad have consumed but missed the best aspects of.

Going into Rebel Moon-Part One: A Child of Fire, I was ready to declare this as Snyder’s magnum opus, and the first great movie franchise for Netflix. Coming out, I was stunned at how unusually terrible the film is. In just about every way it fails to inspire, fails to connect you with any of its characters, fails to make you give a damn about the battle between good and evil. Snyder thumbs his nose at Lucasfilm, who rejected his Star Wars pitch, right from the beginning. He throws you right into long-winded narration by a solemn Anthony Hopkins, who voices the peaceful droid Jimmy. Snyder dares you to hate his movie for this leaden intro, which isn’t that different from the start of A New Hope, complete with a pan down from the stars to the farming planet of Veidt. There’s a lot of other unfathomable stuff thrown out there, historical events we have no clue about, places and people named without any context. It’s all a slog, but the gist is that Motherworld, a clear stand-in for the Empire, is evil and they are taking over the galaxy at the expense of the weak. There’s a rebellion brewing against them, of course.

The problem with Snyder’s films, the good and the bad ones, is that he presumes the audience walks in already invested in everything. Then Snyder provides absolutely no reason for you to actually get invested. Even when the premise is as tried ‘n true as the classic “gathering of heroes” seen in Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven, it’s done in as cold and unfeeling a way as possible. Then again, perhaps that’s fitting for the wooden performance of star Sofia Boutella, who plays the mysterious ex-Motherworld soldier, Kora. She’s found a home in the peaceful farming community on Veidt. When the bad guys suddenly show up, their starship looming over the planet like a dark cloud, she’s the only one who knows what’s going to happen. Well, other than us. While it takes an excrutiating amount of time to get there, the cruel Atticus Noble unleashes the evil empire’s wrath on the people. Kora fights back and along with her pal Gunnar (Michael Huisman), sets out to recruit others to help the town defend itself from inevitable payback.

It’s pointles to go through the monotonous recruitment drive, filled with big name stars given absolutely nothing to do, playing vaguely “cool” characters with zero personality. Charlie Hunnam as a cheap Han Solo knockoff, an extremely bored Djimon Hounsou (a victim of too many bad blockbusters wasting his talent), Staz Nair, Doona Bae, Jena Malone (as a damn spidery thing! She deserves better!), poor poor Ray Fisher, Fra Free, and Cleopatra Coleman have roles that don’t amount to much. You won’t remember a damn thing that any of them does, even when they’re in the midst of sweeping visual flourishes during one of Snyder’s trademark slow-mo action sequences. All of the characters we’re introduced to feel like pale copies of what would’ve been prominent Star Wars figures, and perhaps that’s because they are. A lot of Rebel Moon feels like it was written to be a part of Lucasfilm’s galaxy far far away, but failing that, they simply changed the names and nothing else. That would explain why all of Kora’s recruits feel like different versions of fallen Jedi.

Snyder has a sweet spot, and he’s found it in fun, energetic, popcorn movies like Dawn of the Dead, 300, and Army of the Dead. The problem is when Snyder gets a big head about whatever project he’s working on. Snyder in serious mode is always a drag. Rebel Moon is stuffy, pretentious nonsense that shows zero self-awareness and the only thing that could make it worse is an even longer director’s cut…which we already know is coming in 2024.

I won’t go so far as to say my confidence in Snyder is shattered forever. I bet the next Army of the Dead will be killer. But I don’t want to see more Rebel Moon, and if this were a movie on the big screen with box office and critical demands there probably wouldn’t be one. But we know that’s not how Netflix works. It’s hard viewership data that counts, and Rebel Moon will get a lot of eyeballs on it, for better or worse. Maybe when Part Two: The Scargiver arrives next year it’ll change my mind about the cinematic universe Snyder is attempting to build. Stranger things have happened. They say that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, but sometimes it looks like a slap to the face.

Rebel Moon- Part One: A Child Of Fire hits Netflix on December 21st.