Review by C.J. Bunce
Fans of the world and characters of Zack Snyder’s multi-film, James Cameron-inspired sci-fi franchise Rebel Moon (reviewed here) can now dig deeper into Snyder’s original vision for the series. The first of two official art and making of books for the Zack Snyder-directed Netflix film Rebel Moon provides an exclusive in-depth look at Snyder’s worldbuilding vision and his team’s development of sci-fi technology elements. Rebel Moon: Wolf: Ex Nihilo: Cosmology & Technology is available now here at Amazon.
Take a look inside the book below, courtesy of publisher Titan Books.
Rebel Moon parts 1 and 2 are now streaming on Netflix. Check out our review of Part 1 here. If you’re family with Snyder’s film Army of the Dead, you may have seen the behind-the-scenes book for that film, reviewed here at borg. Diehard fans of Snyder in particular will want to compare these books, which show Snyder’s filmmaking style–both are good studies of the filmmaker and his work.
The first part of the this new book provides concept artwork and photographs of the rural community that is the focus of the first film in the series. It includes written languages developed for signage for the different peoples depicted. Rudimentary storyboard sketches dot the entire book, showing the roadmap for the story. But the best images are the double-page spreads showing the artistry of the worlds created for the film–big cityscapes, rural villages, spaceport haunts.
Even as much of the film depicts places that could exist anywhere on Earth, readers will also see James Cameron’s influence on Snyder, especially on Daggus, with the Asian-inspired tech noir noodle bar that screams Blade Runner.
Rebel Moon: Wolf: Ex Nihilo: Cosmology & Technology is more about the sets and locations than a study of costumes and props, which may be the focus of the next book in the series, although readers will get some nice close-up photographs of the royals’ costumes. Maybe 40 percent of the book is about the technology, primarily ships. The design inside these ships have a decidedly Russian Navy appearance. Again, the double-page spreads of these ships are the high points of this section.
The book ends with close-up photographs of the weaponry for all the factions–a great look at props not seen as clearly on the screen. These are all accompanied by the expected cast and crew interviews.
Prime viewing for fans of Zack Snyder, Rebel Moon Part One: A Child of Fire and Rebel Moon: The Scargiver are now streaming on Netflix. Rebel Moon: Wolf: Ex Nihilo: Cosmology & Technology is available now here at Amazon. The second volume, , is now available for pre-order here, coming in July.
