Rebel Moon star Sofia Boutella has hit back at film critics who “demolished” the “insanely derivative” sci-fi film.
Directed by Zack Snyder, sci-fi film Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child Of Fire was branded a “disaster” in scathing first reviews. The first stars Boutella as fearsome warrior Kora, a stranger with a mysterious past who crash lands on a moon and begins a new life among a peaceful settlement of farmers. However, she soon becomes their only hope of survival after they find themselves entangled with a tyrannical leader.
The film also stars Charlie Hunnam, Michiel Huisman, Djimon Hounsou, Doona Bae, Ray Fisher, Cleopatra Coleman, Jena Malone, Ed Skrein, Fra Fee and Anthony Hopkins, who plays an android on a journey of self-discovery.
In a new interview with Vulture, Boutella opened up about how hard it was to endure the harsh reviews the film received up on its release on Netflix last year.
“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,” Boutella told the publication.
She continued: “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.”
Upon the release of the film, The Guardian branded the film a “disaster” and criticised the lack of character development, nondescipt greenscreened locations, and “stultifyingly generic plot”.
IGN was similarly scathing, writing: “Despite a great ensemble cast, Zack Snyder’s space opera is let down by a derivative patchwork script, mediocre action sequences and a superficial story that fails to live up to its expansive promise.”
In a one-star write-up, The Independent described Snyder’s sci-fi movie as an “incoherent shambles,” adding: “It’s a film populated by some of the Justice League Snyder Cut filmmaker’s worst impulses: a mess of imagery, some of it attempting to shock, congregated largely around the idea of what might look good in a trailer.”
In other news, Netflix released the first teaser trailer for Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver the upcoming conclusion to Rebel Moon.
The film is set to stream exclusively via the streaming platform on April 19 next year and will serve as the continuation and conclusion to Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child Of Fire.