Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon: Navigating Negative Reviews and Audience Response

The Divide Between Critics and Audiences

Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire co-writer Kurt Johnstad has offered his thoughts on the movie’s negative reviews. Intended to be the start of his own expansive science fiction franchise, hopes were initially high for the project that had once begun life as a pitch for a more mature Star Wars movie.

Sofia Boutella's Kora aiming her gun and looking over her shoulder in Rebel Moon Part One A Child of Fire

Unfortunately, however, early reviews for Rebel Moon saw Snyder’s movie debut with an all-time career-low Rotten Tomatoes score of just 9%. While an influx of subsequent reviews would later see that percentage rise, it has only just recently overtaken the director's much-maligned 2011 fantasy action movie, Sucker Punch, at 23%.

Sofia Boutella in Rebel Moon pic

While speaking with Variety, Johnstad was quizzed about the critical response the movie was experiencing and asked to offer his thoughts on the nature of the critiques. Explaining that he doesn’t “read the reviews” and never has, Snyder’s writing partner suggests that in his experience “reviews have never equated to performance.”

Jimmy in Rebel Moon image

The Impact of Audience Ratings and Historical Precedents

Rebel Moon’s initial Rotten Tomatoes rating may have marked an all-time career low for Snyder, but it is not the first time his movies have seen a vast difference between the opinions of professional critics and wider audiences.

Sofia Boutella as Kora in Rebel Moon with a gun and an axe

With the audience rating for Rebel Moon’s first chapter currently sitting at 71%, it would seem there are still a significant number of viewers who have enjoyed the first installment in Snyder’s expansive sci-fi epic and are looking forward to seeing the release of Rebel Moon — Part 2: The Scargiver.

Jena Malone as Harmada in Rebel Moon

Moreover, critics have ultimately been proven wrong about several enormously popular sci-fi properties through the years, with classic movies like Blade Runner and The Thing also lambasted by critics at the time of their respective releases.

Lightsabers Rebel Moon

The Future of Rebel Moon: A Tale of Success or Controversy?

Though it is still far too early to see whether Rebel Moon will be able to weather critics’ less-than-enthusiastic response, Johnstad is probably correct in his assertion that poor reviews do not always directly equate to poor performance.

Rebel Moon Ed Skrein Admiral Noble Muscles

When the viewership numbers for Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire are finally released, it will be interesting to see what story they tell about the movie's success or lack thereof.

Kai Rebel Moon

It is even possible that the divisive nature of the movie’s response may work in Snyder’s favor, prompting more people curious about the movie’s true nature to watch it and decide on its merits for themselves.

Jimmy holding a staff in Rebel Moon