Zack Snyder has “no rebuttal” to Rebel Moon backlash

Ahead of the release of Rebel Moon Part 2, director Zack Snyder has opened up about the backlash to the first installment of his Netflix sci-fi saga — and he’s got “no rebuttal.”

Zack Snyder has always been polarizing, whether that be his approach to adapting beloved source material or his distinctive visual style. And then there are his infamous director’s cuts, the most notable of all being his updated Justice League — a four-hour-long redo of the disastrous 2017 original. 

The divided reaction to his cut was emblematic of Snyder’s career — while some can’t stand him, others are diehard fans. But even by these standards, the reception to his latest work, Rebel Moon Part One: A Child of Fire, has been incredibly negative, earning him his lowest Rotten Tomatoes score to date. 

Amid the pending release of Part Two: The Scargiver (and the six-hour-long director’s cut of the entire Rebel Moon saga) Snyder has responded to the backlash. 

Zack Snyder has “no rebuttal” to Rebel Moon backlash

In a conversation with Empire, Snyder spoke about the negative reception to Rebel Moon’s first chapter after it landed on Netflix, saying he doesn’t have a rebuttal — and he’s unsure why it’s receiving so much hate. 

“I don’t really have a rebuttal to the reviews,” he told the outlet. “For whatever reason, the reaction to my movies is very polarizing, and it always has been. The movie, it doesn’t seem like there’s that much in it that would warrant such visceral responses.” 

The narrative of Part One: A Child of Fire follows Kora, a former Imperium soldier who leaves her life of war behind on a faraway farm on a distant moon. However, when the Motherworld threatens her village, she travels across the known galaxy to gather warriors to fight back.

It received 21% from the critics on Rotten Tomatoes — the worst-reviewed movie in Snyder’s filmography to date — and 58% from audiences. The critics consensus reads: “Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire proves Zack Snyder hasn’t lost his visual flair, but eye candy isn’t enough to offset a storyline made up of various sci-fi/fantasy tropes.”

Despite the backlash, Snyder is hopeful about the adult-targeted director’s cut, telling Empire that it contains “all the gore and the hard R-ness and the nudity and the violence and crazy sh*t.” 

“They’re insane,” he added. “It’ll be interesting to see what the [critics] say about the director’s cuts. That’s a different kettle of fish.”

Rebel Moon Part 1 is available to stream on Netflix now, while Part 2 drops on April 19 — you can find out more about the director’s cut here. In the meantime, check out all of the new movies hitting streaming this month.