Zack Snyder‘s upcoming sci-fi movie Rebel Moon looks… extremely similar to Star Wars. That’s not exactly surprising because the film began as a Star Wars spinoff idea he pitched to Lucasfilm in 2012.
A decade later, it’s a duo of original movies at Netflix. Although there’s some debate around the term “original” here, because Snyder isn’t shy about his influences. Like, the trailer literally includes lightsabers, a Chosen One prophecy, droids, and a ragtag group of rebels fighting a fascist space empire.
Interestingly though, these similarities didn’t just attract accusations of being a Star Wars copycat. Instead, Snyder’s famously passionate fanbase is saying it looks better than Star Wars.
Particularly Doona Bae’s off-brand lightsabers, which inspired comments like, “Snyder is going to remind a certain franchise how it’s done,” and “Zack Snyder somehow made lightsabers even cooler.”
@zerow0ntmiss It’s gonna have peak lightsaber battles!!! #StarWars #RebelMoon #ZackSnyder ♬ original sound – edited audios ϟ
@obiwannacracker Bro made is own Star Wars🤣 #zacksnyder #zacksnyders #zacksnydermovie #zacksnyderrebelmoon #rebelmoon #rebelmoonfilm #rebelmoonmovie #movietok #movietoker #comictok #starwars #starwarsfan #starwarstiktok #starwarstok #starwarsmeme #starwarsfyp ♬ Star Wars – The Imperial March Theme – Geek Music
Rebel Moon‘s lightsabers are reportedly made of molten metal, wielded by a cyborg. It looks like the film is going for a katana-inspired vibe. But they’re clearly lightsabers, and it’s kind of wild to see how many fans are saying they’re better than the original.
This is partly due to the loyalty of Snyder’s fanbase, who basically think he’s the misunderstood messiah of American cinema. He’s got a very distinctive style, and if you enjoy that style, you’ll probably love Rebel Moon. If not, there’s a good chance you’ll watch the trailer and think, “This looks like a blatant Star Wars ripoff with murky lighting and worse CGI.”
Of course, the other factor here is that fans are comparing Rebel Moon‘s lightsabers to the recent Disney+ Star Wars shows, whose lightsaber scenes are often underwhelming. It’s easy to say a two-second clip of Doona Bae looks cooler than the forgettable duels in Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Either way, you’ve got to admire the guts of shamelessly ripping off something so iconic.
