Rebel Moon — An Ode to The Roman Empire
One of Zack Snyder’s earliest works was “300”– a film based on Frank Miller and Lynn Varley’s graphic novel.
It’s still riding high on my list of all-time classic historical epics because it wasn’t just a film; it was culture and the Michigan State University would agree, because they adopted those “Spartans, what is your profession?” chants at sports events while calling themselves “Spartans.”
So, there’s no denying that “300” was the game-changer that shot Snyder into the stratosphere of fame. People started recognizing him as more than just a director because he had established a very clear and specific visual style, a colour palette, and an action sequence signature.
But as much as it made history seem like a wild fantasy, the movie was more of an epic fantasy than a textbook retelling of ancient Greek warrior tales from Sparta. The line between fantasy and reality got a bit fuzzy, and Snyder knew how to blend the two, creating a cinematic experience that left us questioning where history ended and fantasy began.
So it seemed only natural that the director’s first foray into space operas would be an ode to one of his most celebrated films — which is basically what Rebel Moon is; a Roman Space Opera.
The film stood out fairly quickly with Latin pronouncements echoing between characters, toga-clad elites lounging in opulent palaces, gladiatorial planets pulsating with violence, and even a primitive, yet potent, Senate holding the reins of power, kind of.
Then there’s Snyder’s penchant for allegory and symbolism, things we saw in his DC films, finding fascinating expression here. The story almost entirely hinged on some interwoven historical threads that started with how the King of the Imperium (possibly, presumably, most parts of the galaxy or known universe) was assassinated and Belisarius, a General, seized power — but not completely, as we saw in the last scene that the Senate still very much had some role to play in how the Imperium is governed.
When Julius Caesar was murdered in 44 BC by some very uneasy Senators — some of whom he called “friends” — who weren’t vibing with his power moves (another allegorical element in the movie), his nephew and adopted son Augustus swooped in and took charge, waving goodbye to the Roman Republic’s democratic roots.
The imperium wasn’t exactly a democracy before Belisarius appeared to have taken over, but it was a nod to the Caesar-Augustus transition. The movie caught onto this, making it clear that the only ones singing praises for ancient Romans in ancient times were, well, the Romans themselves. This is how it appeared in the movie with the Imperium. Hated by everyone, with their expansionist ideas and emphasis on the right of conquest, defining the essence of their empire which was the thematic element of Rebel Moon.
Snyder captures this tone through how the characters see Motherworld, the hardcore power hub in the Imperium — one of the most ruthless fictional governments I’ve ever seen. Practically every character in the film has felt the heat of their violence and power-hungry agenda, even those who ended up fighting for them.
