Moana

It’s been exactly 10 years since the original animated version of Moana was released. I thought the original was a modern classic and while the 2024 sequel wasn’t quite as satisfying, it was a moderately entertaining diversion at best.

Now, Disney does the inevitable and gives us a live-action version of Moana that pretty much hits the same beats of the original but the results are consistently mediocre and superfluous. Despite some visual delights, the movie has an inconsequentiality that doesn’t  justify its existence.

Of course, the movie rehashes the same story. A young girl named Moana (Catherine Laga’aia) lives on a lush and fertile Polynesian island where she is chosen by the ocean to restore a magical stone left behind by a goddess but was stolen and the goddess deteriorated. Moana believes she can bring balance to her world by retrieving, it but her parents strongly discourage the idea.

Dwayne Johnson is playing the live-action version of his character from the animated films, Maui. He’s a cocky, muscular demigod who stole the stone and gave it to humanity. Moana finds Maui and insists that they return the stone to the goddess before their world disintegrates.

For those of you who are familiar with the original, you already know where the plot is going. In addition to the story, the movie also recycles several songs including “How Far I’ll Go” and “You’re Welcome.” Johnson, in the latter, looks as though he’s regurgitating the lyrics without any kind of enthusiasm for the material.

Is it just me or am I detecting a pattern?

The movie does have a nice visual flair in some sequences, but the translation is much less effective in live-action. Some of the computer animation shines, but other scenes look dutiful rather than eye-popping. There’s a sequence where Moana and Maui are in a cave and as soon as they enter, it looks more at home in Avatar.

Another sequence involves the heroes attacked by coconut-like pirates and it’s a scene that would fit in a Pirates of the Caribbean movie, rather than here.

The movie, overall, has a vibe that feels pointless because it barely injects anything new or exciting that could improve what was done before. Remakes like this are risky because in the case of Moana, it’s barely a decade old, so the sense of wonder and visual qualities are still ingrained rather than being fresh and exhilarating. Audiences know exactly what to expect.

Johnson and Laga’aia try hard to embrace their roles in the absence of genuine charisma, humor or poignancy. They look as though they’re in a cash grab and, sadly, it shows.

As mentioned, it’s been 10 years since the original Moana and, just like the more recent live-action versions of Snow White or The Lion King, kids will probably be more enthralled with the original.

Grade: C

(Rated PG for action/peril, some scary images, rude humor and brief thematic elements.)

Reviewer’s Note: I saw this movie at the Historic Strand in Jesup.