Sofia Boutella Admits That The Negative REBEL MOON: A CHILD OF FIRE Reviews "Really Affected" Her

Sofia Boutella Admits That The Negative REBEL MOON: A CHILD OF FIRE Reviews "Really Affected" Her

Rebel Moon Part 1: A Child of Fire, Zack Snyder's ambitious follow-up to Justice League, received decidedly negative reviews from critics, with most deeming it an "empty Star Wars knockoff."

By MarkJulian - Mar 06, 2024 12:03 PM EST
Filed Under: Netflix
Source: SFFGazette.com

Rebel Moon: A Child of Fire, the first part of a two-part film directed by Zack Snyder, had an incredible amount of buzz before it was released on Netflix. In turn, the streamer gave the pic a pretty substantial marketing push.

And on paper, it seems that decision worked as the movie was a statistical success, gaining 23.9 million views in the first three days of its release, making it the ninth-best Netflix film of 2023. A big accomplishment, considering that it was released near the end of the year.

However, critics were less than kind, with A Child of Fire garnering a 21% approval rating on the Rotten Tomatoes aggregate website. Review scores for the film averaged to 3.2 out of 5.

As the lead character, actress Sofia Boutella (Argylle, Atomic Blonde) was in the forefront of the movie's marketing blitz and in a recent interview with Vulture, she spoke up about how the overwhelming number of unfavorable reviews negatively affected her.

Said Boutella, "I always thought that I was fully armed to take on those punches, and then I read the critics that came down on Rebel Moon and it really affected me."

She went on to add, "And I'm just gonna be honest about it. I feel like I'm carrying it for everybody that cared so much about this project, and that's what affected me. Not the way I look. If anything, I've been pretty lucky and people like my work in it, but the movie was criticized. It really affected me for all of those who put so much heart, tears, and sweat in this project. It's hard to see something being demolished to that extent. I'm proud to have been part of it, and if there is no more Rebel Moon, it will be a very important part of my life that I will defend forever."

Both Rebel Moon Part 1: A Child of Fire and Rebel Moon Part 2: The Scargiver will have a director's cut that will be released in the Spring. Each will receive more than an hour's worth of additional content.

Perhaps this additional footage will address the criticism surrounding the film which is chiefly centered on the movie's basic and at some points, nonsensical story.

A Child of Fire was released by Netflix on December 22, 2023. The Scargiver will drop on April 19, 2024.

The Rebel Moon cast includes Boutella as Kora- the primary protagonist of the film, and Fra Fee (Hawkeye) as Regent Balisarius- the film's primary antagonist.

Also starring in the film are Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword), Michiel Huisman (World War Z, Game of Thrones), Djimon Hounsou (Shazam), Doona Bae (Jupiter Ascending, Cloud Atlas), Ray Fisher (Justice League), Cleopatra Coleman (The Last Man on Earth, Cobweb), Jena Malone (Sucker Punch, Neon Demon), Ed Skrein (Deadpool, Alita: Battle Angel), and Anthony Hopkins (Thor: Ragnarok, The Rite). 

About Rebel Moon: When a peaceful colony on the edge of a galaxy finds itself threatened by the armies of a tyrannical ruling force, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a mysterious stranger living among the villagers, becomes their best hope for survival. Tasked with finding trained fighters who will unite with her in making an impossible stand against the Mother World, Kora assembles a small band of warriors — outsiders, insurgents, peasants and orphans of war from different worlds who share a common need for redemption and revenge. As the shadow of an entire Realm bears down on the unlikeliest of moons, a battle over the fate of a galaxy is waged, and in the process, a new army of heroes is formed.

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DarthNihilus
DarthNihilus - 3/6/2024, 12:15 PM
Netflix was dumb to not release the full cut on day one..
RedFury
RedFury - 3/6/2024, 12:24 PM
@DarthNihilus - I fully agree. The full cut I'm sure will be much better than what we got. But I feel like the damage is already done.

It makes no sense to me to release something that is not a true representation of what was originally intended. They shot themselves in the foot letting Snyder make a 3hour cut and releasing the castrated version first.

Goes to show you how out of touch Execs are.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 3/6/2024, 1:06 PM
@DarthNihilus - I'm so fired up for that cut I might even join twitter and start a hashtag!
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 3/6/2024, 1:08 PM
Any suggestions for what I should call the hashtag in which us fans can demand they release Zack Snyder's director's cut of this film?
Blergh
Blergh - 3/6/2024, 1:08 PM
@RedFury - yes, they cut. The cut that’s better. The Snyder Cut.

Totally can’t judge a movie as bad if the “real” version can’t be seen
dmac3232
dmac3232 - 3/6/2024, 1:52 PM
@RedFury - If you consistently require additional cuts to clarify and "improve" your work, you're probably a pretty shitty director.
Taonrey
Taonrey - 3/6/2024, 1:53 PM
@RedFury - they tried to get that Snyder cut audience but the idiots at top didn’t understand why that was a thing.
Taonrey
Taonrey - 3/6/2024, 1:53 PM
@ObserverIO - they’re already releasing it later this year
Taonrey
Taonrey - 3/6/2024, 1:54 PM
@dmac3232 - exactly! People seem to forget Snyder is the blockbuster busines. If you can’t make a 2hr movie than you probably shouldn’t be allowed near movies that cost $100m+
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 3/6/2024, 2:05 PM
@Taonrey - They are? Yay! We won already. This is a true victory for fandom. And in record time too, I hadn't even started the hashtag yet. Niiiiice.
Arthorious
Arthorious - 3/6/2024, 2:19 PM
@dmac3232 - Snyder strikes again with his DLC cuts. I couldn’t even name his last movie where he didn’t need an extended/directors version
RedFury
RedFury - 3/6/2024, 2:40 PM
@Blergh - yeah it's a very strange thing we're seeing with this movie. Marketing a directors cut before the release of the theatrical cut sort of nullifies the whole point of a directors cut. It's like we just got an extended preview of the full thing.
RedFury
RedFury - 3/6/2024, 2:47 PM
@dmac3232 - I know right. I can understand a director putting out their version a few years later if the studio interfered on the first release. But to do it when you've got the studios blessing from the get go is just flat out weird.

I've liked a bunch of Snyders films, but the further along he gets in his career, the choices he makes get stranger and stranger.
Blergh
Blergh - 3/6/2024, 2:58 PM
@RedFury - they obviously did it to market to the Snyder Cut crowd because they saw how big the cult behind it got. After that they hired Snyder to make two films that could copy that trend.

I think the lacklustre performance of Army of the Dead pushed them to tie him down a bit harder for more views.
mastakilla39
mastakilla39 - 3/6/2024, 3:37 PM
@RedFury - Snyder and Netflix released an unfinished product. This was already widely criticized by multiple outlets like Variety, Deadline, THR, etc. I'm assuming its Netflix's new tactic to battle "churning", where people cancel, buy, or only use a trial for 1 specific thing then cancel right afterwards. If they want to see the next part or the full uncut version they will have to sign up again on 2 different occasions.

But Snyder releasing half ass movies are disappointing because its only going to hurt his reputation as a director. He's dicking around his fans for netflix money.
Apophis71
Apophis71 - 3/6/2024, 3:38 PM
@RedFury - I thought at first the intent was to release both versions at roughly the same time, which to me would make sense as in having the freedom of an R rating for the film you want to make but an option so as not to loose out on potential audience by having a trimmed version...

...even just a few weeks between would make sense but this big of a gap I just don't get as delierately decided I'd wait for the long version but already reaching the point now of why bother at all when it does drop.

Now I'm a case of waiting to hear what folk think of part two before even considering watching the R-rated cut of part one.
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 3/6/2024, 12:15 PM
You read the script. You knew it was shit.
MotherGooseUPus
MotherGooseUPus - 3/6/2024, 12:22 PM
@FireandBlood - exactly
EZBeast
EZBeast - 3/6/2024, 12:39 PM
@FireandBlood - maybe it was in super fine print lol
Goldboink
Goldboink - 3/6/2024, 12:55 PM
@FireandBlood -

eagc1995
eagc1995 - 3/6/2024, 1:24 PM
@FireandBlood - I mean the thing is there can be scripts that sound better on paper than they do when its fully realized in screen.

Also we know Netflix chopped down the film, with the the plan of doing a Snyder cut later, so the film Netflix released is not the complete film.
Taonrey
Taonrey - 3/6/2024, 1:56 PM
@eagc1995 - I mean she also knew who was directing it. A guy who’s know for movies that critics don’t like. She literally signed up for the Snyder experience
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 3/7/2024, 12:45 AM
@FireandBlood - It's not really her fault the movie sucked though. She shouldn't feel like that burden is hers to carry. But like you said, why sign on to something so bad? She obviously thought it would be a huge success for some reason.

Either way, the movie was terrible and ripped so much of its world off from Warhammer 40k that Snyder should be ashamed of himself for claiming its all his vision.
WakandaTech
WakandaTech - 3/6/2024, 12:19 PM
She figured this was going to be Original Star Wars level success

Then it became a total failure

mastakilla39
mastakilla39 - 3/6/2024, 3:43 PM
@WakandaTech - She was probably aiming for a Flash Gordon level of success lol. Cult following for a shit Star Wars knock off IMO.
MotherGooseUPus
MotherGooseUPus - 3/6/2024, 12:21 PM
Ummmmmm what did she expect, its a Snyder film
amesjazz
amesjazz - 3/6/2024, 12:24 PM
HUGE Snyder fan. Always will be but Rebel Moon was awful awful stuff. Made me sad haha
NGFB
NGFB - 3/6/2024, 12:39 PM
It needed to be longer to flesh it all out. The director's cut will hopefully make it better. Lord knows the Snyder version of Justice League was worlds better than that stupid Whedon version.
THEDARKKNIGHT1939
THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - 3/6/2024, 12:39 PM
The Mummy 2017 got worse reviews than Rebel Moon and I didn't see her comment on that one.
RegularPoochie
RegularPoochie - 3/6/2024, 1:51 PM
@THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - well why would she, that movie has nothing to do with this movie
THEDARKKNIGHT1939
THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - 3/6/2024, 1:55 PM
@RegularPoochie - I mean she didn't comment on it back when it came out.
RegularPoochie
RegularPoochie - 3/6/2024, 1:57 PM
@THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - I get that, but no one asked her. This was also more important to her.
THEDARKKNIGHT1939
THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - 3/6/2024, 2:33 PM
@RegularPoochie - They didn't ask her about Rebel Moon specifically here either though. The interview is about her entire action movie career, Atomic Blonde, The Mummy, Kingsman, etc. They just asked why does she think action movies get criticized more harshly than other genres and she's the one who brought up Rebel Moon. I guess Rebel Moon is more important to her like you say though.
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