Summary
- Rebel Moon’s shorter runtime goes against Zack Snyder’s usual style of long, slow-paced movies with extended cuts that enhance the viewing experience.
- The short runtime of Rebel Moon defies the benefits of streaming platforms like Netflix, which allow viewers to watch in multiple sittings without additional costs and would have benefited from a longer runtime.
- Zack Snyder’s plan for extended cuts in Rebel Moon suggests that the initial versions on Netflix may not have the narrative depth or align with his initial vision, potentially impacting audience reactions. However, the extended cuts may enhance the franchise’s lore and world-building without making the final cuts too plot-heavy.
Rebel Moon‘s runtime has been confirmed, and it is seemingly repeating a horrible Zack Snyder mistake. Although Rebel Moon marks the inception of a whole new sci-fi franchise, Zack Snyder had initially pitched it as a Star Wars film to Lucasfilm Ltd. before the production company became the Walt Disney Company’s subsidiary. As Snyder confirmed on Screen Rant’s Rebel Moon set visit, he had also pitched his ideas surrounding Rebel Moon as a video game and a movie to Warner Bros. Pictures on more than one occasion. Much later, it was also being developed as a television series before it finally found its place as a Netflix movie.
Rebel Moon‘s history and Zack Snyder’s consistent efforts to make it happen reveal how several dots must connect for a movie franchise to fully materialize. It also stands as a testament to Zack Snyder’s persistence and passion, given how he had to navigate a web of negotiations and overcome several production challenges to make the film happen. However, in all of these efforts to ensure that the movie does not disappoint audiences, it seems like a major issue with Rebel Moon‘s runtime has been overlooked.
Rebel Moon’s Short Runtime Goes Against Zack Snyder’s Usual Style
Zack Snyder’s movies, especially some of his recent works, are known not only for having long runtimes but also for extended cuts that further stretch their bloated runtimes. Not all movies work well with extended runtimes, and most director’s cuts do not even get as much attention as their theatrical counterparts. However, Zack Snyder’s additional cuts to his movies are well-known for enhancing a viewer’s watching experience. For instance, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice‘s theatrical cut had a runtime of 2 hours and 33 minutes. However, despite adding 31 minutes of new footage to the final version, the home release was touted as the superior version of the movie.
Watchmen‘s theatrical cut also has a long runtime of 2 hours and 43 minutes, but Snyder still presented 24 minutes worth of new footage in the home-release version. Zack Snyder’s Justice League was met with skepticism before its release. However, its apparent commercial success over the theatrical counterpart cemented that the director’s movies are usually better off being long and slow-paced. Considering the reputation of the original cuts of most of his films, it is hard not to wonder why Rebel Moon is going against his usual style and only settling for a runtime of 2 hours and 13 minutes.
Rebel Moon Having A Shorter Runtime Defies Netflix’s Benefits
Rebel Moon is Zack Snyder’s shortest film after 2011’s Sucker Punch, which is not a good sign given how Sucker Punch was critically panned and failed to leave its mark at the box office. Its short runtime makes little sense because it is directly coming out on Netflix and would have benefited from having a long runtime. One of the primary reasons why Justice League: The Snyder Cut was received so well by audiences is that it premiered on streaming. In theaters, many viewers, for obvious reasons, would have avoided watching a movie that lasts for four hours.
Streaming platforms give viewers the flexibility to watch in multiple sittings without breaking additional bank, which explains why audiences were willing to give Justice League a second chance on HBO Max. Since movie theaters also have to optimize movie screening schedules to earn maximum profits, films with long runtimes often struggle to find their place among other flicks with relatively shorter runtimes. By landing directly on Netflix, Rebel Moon was not being held back by these issues. Zack Snyder could have easily leveraged the benefits of streaming by not shying away from flaunting his usual long runtime style.
Rebel Moon Directors Cuts Plan Prove Zack Snyder’s Mistake
Zack Snyder has confirmed that Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire and its sequel Rebel Moon: Part One – The Scargiver will have alternate, extended cuts. Although he has made no official statements about when these cuts will be available on Netflix for viewers, Rebel Moon‘s producer, Deborah Snyder, said that each cut will be 45 to 60 minutes long. Since Snyder has already planned extended cuts for the movie series, the versions that will initially land on Netflix will likely not have the narrative depth that he wants and may not even align with his initial vision for the movies.
Another issue with the Rebel Moon extended cuts plan is that the “Snyder Cut” tag has become a hallmark of “better quality” after Justice League‘s streaming success. Owing to this, viewers will probably watch the initial version of the movie with the expectation that it is inferior to the extended cut that will be released later. This alone could impact how audiences will react to the film when it comes out on Netflix. However, considering how Rebel Moon‘s extended edition will add more narrative depth to its existing plot lines and character beats, it might benefit the franchise by adding more richness to its lore and expanding the world-building of its overarching storyline without making the final cuts too plot-heavy.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
