Zack Snyder is possibly one of the most fascinating directors in pop culture today. He’s certainly one of the most divisive, whether for the content of his films or for his… let’s say “enthusiastic” fanbase.
Cries of “Release the Snyder Cut!” still echo through the halls of twitter, usually couched next to the worst cultural and political takes one can imagine in a steadily MAGAfying online space, even while Snyder himself professes liberal politics and endorses Democratic candidates.
Is Zack Snyder a woke Chad, a MAGA chud, the coolest dude, a giant dork…?
To see if I could come to a conclusion, I decided to find out what can we learn about Zack Snyder from the most Zack Snyder cuts of the most Zack Snyder movies that Zack Snyder has ever made.
(Ok, in truth I wasted 6 1/2 hours the other day watching the Rebel Moon parts 1&2 director’s cuts, a boring and tedious choice I’m trying to justify by writing this, but still…)
For those unfamiliar, Rebel Moon is Netflix giving Zack Snyder the green light to do whatever he wanted after the viral success of twitter discourse following…
Oh for fuck’s sake, look- to break down how Rebel Moon happened would require a novel’s worth of backstory including the development and dissolution of the entire DC comics movie universe.
In short- Hollywood bullshit met twitter bullshit and in the end Netflix told Zack “here’s money, do whatever.” And what he did was Star Wars, but not.
Initially released on Netflix in PG-13 cuts at a runtime of 4ish hours, with the promise of director’s cuts to come later (intending to capitalize on the “Snyder Cut” hype) this was the story of a group of rebels who band together to fight the galactic empire, and there are sort-of lightsabers. You may think I’m being dismissive, but this actually was originally pitched as a Star Wars property. Disney passed. So, this is Zack Snyder’s 50 Shades of Grey to George Lucas’s Twilight. And just like 50 Shades, what did the author decide was missing? Fucking.
The PG-13 cuts had endless exposition, and no shortage of CGI gore enhanced violence, so while no shortage of the additional 2 1/2 hours are more of the same, the only novelty in this new cut is sex and nudity. And if that is crucial to Zack Snyder’s true directorial vision, what is he trying to say with it?
Well, right off the bat the movie opens with a new prologue featuring space nazis stripping women bare and then branding them. The women are named as the priestesses of the planet the space nazis are invading, and they are decried as “pagan witches” and claimed for the empire. As this is happening, the main villain is introduced as he makes faces clearly showing his distaste for this display. This is the work of lower/lesser men.
Of course, he’s about to go on to psychologically torture and kill a family before this little intro finishes… so perhaps he’s not exactly a moral compass here.
It begs the question- what is this? Gratuitous nudity for its own sake couched in scenes of torturing women for sadistic pleasure on the part of the film maker? Hell, that’s essentially a movie genre of its own so it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
But this isn’t a scene that lingers on the nudity, it is shot from a distance, allowing bodies to be seen in full, but also seen in the full context of what’s happening- there is a book burning just past the scene, the city around them is in ruins. There are no lingering full frames of disembodied breasts in full focus, or moans that could pass as pleasure or pain. It’s ugly and full of screams and cries of torment.
Snyder is letting us know- space nazis are patriarchal misogynists who treat women like objects, and that’s bad. Right?
Let’s see what else he has to say…
For our first proper sex scene our lead Kora, a mysterious outsider adopted into a humble farming village, hooks up with the village’s top hunter. Her paternal figure earlier in the night had told her that the hunter dude (don’t expect me to know his name, it doesn’t matter) was interested and if they were to get married she’d be a full member of the community.
We don’t see much in the way of courtship, flirting, or foreplay as we cut right from dinner in the communal town hall after dude has returned from a hunt, to her panties being pulled down. She seems unimpressed by his moves, a rather disinterested look on her face as he fumbles with her dress, and his own pants. Their kisses are brief and she seems to be avoiding his mouth. She flips their positions so he is on his back and she’s on top and he tries and fails to undo her bra, so she pushes him back down and undoes it herself. She then rides him and only seems to enjoy herself the more that she’s in charge. We then cut to her awake while he sleeps, followed by Kora dipping out to go sleep in her own bed.
Now before I breakdown what this scene means, we’ve got to get to the second sex scene in the series. But first, a quick detour…
There are sex workers in the Rebel Mooniverse.
That’s it.
During our brief stop at the not-Mos Eisley Cantina (I cannot adequately describe just how derivative this movie is, it would sound hyperbolic), we see a sex worker discussing her next client with her boss. She doesn’t seem thrilled about it, but less in a forced under threat of violence way and more of a working under capitalism, need the money kind of way. (Which, depending on your own takes on political theory is itself still a threat of violence, but that’s for articles by people who don’t write about the sex in Rebel Moon for shits and giggles)
By the time we get to our second sex scene in the series (not counting our lead villain having a snake tentacle orgy. no seriously, he fellates one and everything. it’s a lot. choices were made…)
Anyway, by sex scene number two, the romantic tension between our lead Kora (who is a badass warrior and has been all along) and Gunnar, humble naive farm dude and resident Samwise to Kora’s Frodo, has been building for about 3 hours of runtime. And by that I mean they’ve been paired up for exposition dumps where she reveals her backstory in flashbacks that remember to cut to his reaction shots at the end.
So now that they’ve been going from plot point to plot point together long enough, it’s time for them to fuck!
She starts on her back again, but with him they’ve been flirting since the scene before, and they kiss passionately, taking their clothes off together smoothly.
He undoes her bra with a single snap instead of fumbling.
He goes down on her and she enjoys it.
He then fucks her from behind before eventually they move to a position called “The Wrapped Lotus” where they’re both sitting up facing each other and finally they finish eye to eye level with each other. They lay together talking afterward.
Ok, I promise, I’m really going to break these scenes down, but first a final quick detour…
There is one other scene of nudity in the movie that follows an implied sex scene. A member of the rebel party that has been gathered over the past few hours Magnificent Seven style (or Seven Samurai if ya nasty), is a young prince. He’s the last of his bloodline, and also an animal whisperer in the way that feels vaguely “magical Native American” coded, but like in space? I digress. Anyway, during the final community dinner before battle the next day (think the Zion rave in Matrix, but if it took place in the village from Midsommar), our young prince flirts up an older woman from the village, and when we cut to the next morning she goes grey hair and titties out while waking up the snoozing prince next to her. Perhaps this scene could feel gratuitous, but also perhaps it’s Snyder, nearly 60 himself, being like, “hey, this movie has been full of prime, Hollywood-obvious titties, but here’s food for thought… older women also sexy?”
Or maybe I’m giving too much credit and Zack Snyder really does just have the tastes of your average adolescent boy when it comes to what’s cool- and boobs rank up right up there along side laser swords and space pirates.
Which, in fairness, are all pretty cool.
With that out of the way, enough detours. It’s time for Kora’s character defining sex arc!
When Kora fucks the hunter guy, they’re all out of balance. He assumes his superiority and positioning based on his “big manly man” role in the village. He’s a Gaston. She is presumed to just be another meek woman who should be grateful to be with him. But he shows himself to be inept at pleasing a woman, or even competent enough a lover to be entrusted with the removing of clothing. He’s disinterested beyond the sex act, going to sleep and leaving her to herself after he was done. Selfishness, bravado, and assuming women are lesser are all shown as frustratingly pathetic through the eyes of our heroine and the framing of the film. The only way the scene reaches a climax, pun intended, is through her taking charge. She’s clearly with the wrong guy.
When she has sex with Gunnar, right off the bat he’s there in service of her, even if he’s the one taking charge. He’s her ally, her second. He’s got her back (literally at one point). And they finish the scene as equals within the camera frame. Shit, hunter dude barely even got to be IN frame last time she finished.
For Kora she’s found a man who both respects her station and competency, one who cares enough to ask to know things about her rather than just assume, and she can let go with him and not have to dominate. And Gunnar?
Gunnar is a dude who can take off a bra. And that’s what it all boils down to in the Rebel Mooniverse- fuck the dude who can handle a bra.
(Also, google the sex position “The Wrapped Lotus”, that move is peak.)
Riki MJ Adams is a musician and FBC contributor.
Fancy Boys Club 