Netflix Sci-Fi Action Epic Gets Director’s Preferred Version

Although the cut is expanded in Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon director’s cut, the basic storyline remains. The story begins on a far-flung Moon where Kora (Sofia Boutella) is pulled into a heroic fight to save her settlement from The Realm, the brutal military force of the ruling Mother World.

She builds a small rebel army made up of local citizens who have been wronged by The Realm and proceeds to lead them into battle against the massively powerful force of the Mother World.

Some of the most unlikely rebels get a chance at more screen time in the Rebel Moon director’s cut, with more action from Jimmy the Robot (Anthony Hopkins), a Realm-generated automation that changes sides to fight for the rebel army.

There’s also an expanded role for Kali, a being that powers the ships of The Realm, exists in multiple dimensions, and feeds on bones. Fans of the original will appreciate these fever-dream-like touches, even if they make the series longer.

Since the original cut was intended to appeal to a wider audience, keeping the gore and depravity to an acceptable minimum to keep its PG-13 rating, the Rebel Moon director’s cut aspires to no such moderation.

The extended scenes contain more explicit material than their more modest counterparts, bringing gore and violence into the story. Rather than changing the story arc, the extended cut adds a less restrained lens through which to view it.

In spite of the ambitious storyline, the series didn’t garner critical acclaim, with reviewers criticizing the film’s disjointed storytelling and lack of character development. Although the Rebel Moon director’s cut expanded several scenes, these issues remained unaddressed for many viewers.

Even though the changes made by Snyder in the expanded cut made the movie longer and gave some characters more screen time, the expanded cut didn’t receive improved feedback from critics.

Although critics didn’t give the extended cuts much credit, for fans of the series, the Rebel Moon director’s cut adds dimension to Snyder’s world. The longer cuts allow viewers to have an uninterrupted descent into Snyder’s bizarre world, amplifying the dreamlike quality of the experience.

Die-hard fans of the original Rebel Moon will enjoy the less restrained version of the film as well, with more swearing, s*x, and violence.

Unlike previous experiences producing two versions of a film, Snyder’s Rebel Moon director’s cut was a planned extension of the franchise, with the original PG-13 version to be released first, and Snyder’s preferred cut second.

This arrangement with the studios allowed for the desired additional footage to be shot on a schedule and budgeted for ahead of time and then rather than fighting the studios for each change, as was the case with Snyder’s director’s cut of The Justice League, he had the freedom to create his own vision.

Snyder’s planned PG-13 and subsequent R-rated releases explain why even though the expanded cuts of Rebel Moon Part 1 and Rebel Moon Part 2 align more with his vision, not much of the storyline changes.