Movie review
April 19, 2024 · 121 min · PG-13
Woke Score
Lower is better
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver.
Woke representation / casting
The core warrior group features a female lead action hero (Sofia Boutella as Kora), Black former general in a leadership fighter role (Djimon Hounsou as Titus), East Asian female cyborg swordswoman (Bae Doona as Nemesis), and nonbinary rebel Milius (Elise Duffy, they/them). Some actors' cultural backgrounds influenced costume details. Creator comments have framed the diverse cast positively as representing hope and common ground. The confirmed nonbinary character adds visible identity element in the ensemble.
Woke political dialogue
In one flashback scene, the villain Balisarius labels Kora "an off-worlder. A cancer of ethnic impurities" to justify framing her for killing the princess during a coup. This uses contemporary-style ethnic/racial rhetoric from the antagonist. No other extended political speeches, lectures, or activist dialogue drive the story.
Identity-driven story themes
The narrative follows a classic underdog defense of a farming community against an invading empire, with focus on training, harvest as a weapon, personal redemption through sacrifice, and bonds formed in battle. Backstories cover trauma and betrayal by power. The nonbinary fighter appears without any dedicated identity arc or messaging.
Review
Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver follows Kora and a group of warriors returning to the farming moon Veldt. They help villagers quickly harvest grain to use as leverage and train them to fight off the Imperium forces and revived Admiral Noble in a large battle. The story centers on preparation, personal backstories of loss and betrayal, and defending home against a tyrannical empire. It features a visibly diverse team of fighters in key roles, including a nonbinary rebel, along with one flashback line where the villain calls the lead an "off-worlder" and "a cancer of ethnic impurities."
Western institutional / cultural critique
The Imperium/Motherworld appears as a ruthless expansionist force that seizes resources (grain) and uses ethnic purity talk among its leaders. This matches standard space opera anti-tyranny framing like Star Wars without modern activist overlays on patriarchy, whiteness, capitalism, or colonial guilt applied to current Western institutions.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. This is an original story, not an adaptation of established characters, canon, source material, or historical figures altered for identity or DEI reasons.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
There is little public or social media treatment of the film as pushing woke, DEI, representation-first, or left-wing political content. Some viewers explicitly call it a non-woke or preferable alternative to mainstream sci-fi. Occasional niche complaints about casting or the ethnic line appear but remain minor and low-volume.
Creator track record context
Zack Snyder leads the project and has expressed liberal support for inclusion and rights, but his body of work prioritizes genre action and visuals. Co-writers and producers have low cached scores (mostly single digits to low teens) with no patterns of activist or identity-driven projects.
Production
