MOVIE REVIEW: MOANA

 

Leaving her island for the first time, young Moana embarks on an epic seafaring adventure to restore prosperity to her people.

Director: Thomas Kail

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Catherine Laga'aia, Rena Owen, John Tui, Frankie Adams, Jemaine Clement

Release Date: July 1, 2026

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Musical

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

Runtime: 1h 56m

Review:

The live action remake of Moana feels like one of the more cynical cash grabs from Disney as the film is virtually a shot for shot remake of the 2016 original animated film, wasting the big screen debut of Catherine Laga'aia displays real talent in the titular role.  Theatre and television director, Thomas Kail, guides the film with capable ease since the film is more an exercise in mimicry as there’s nothing new being offered up.  So much so, that it starts to feel like Gus Van Zant’s ill-advised Psycho remake from 1998 where they used the original film onset to shoot the remake.  There are some very minor changes that don’t amount to anything substantial which is likely to leave plenty of people scratching their head, especially when the “live action” is filled rather drab CGI especially comparted to the original animated films.  The songs do manage to perk up the energy, mainly because they’re so infectiously and catchy that you can’t help getting caught up in the moments especially since Laga'aia is more than capable of singing the signature songs, Auliʻi Cravalho made famous in the original film, and carrying a similar screen presence in the title role.  She’s impressive throughout but there just isn’t much more she can bring to the screen that wasn’t done beforehand.  Dwayne Johnson, sporting a distracting wig and body suit, delivers an oddly uneven performance as Maui with random bursts of energy interspersed with him going through the motions as he cosplays himself.  Thankfully, he and Laga'aia share some noticeable chemistry together which makes it easier to get through this rather pointless remake.  This live action redux of Moana leaves you wondering who this is for exactly, since the original film isn’t old enough to illicit any sort of nostalgic pull and everything thrown onscreen is less impressive than what offered up in the original.      

C

MOVIE REVIEW: M3GAN 2.0

 

Two years after M3GAN, a marvel of artificial intelligence, went rogue and embarked on a murderous rampage, its creator, Gemma, has become an advocate for government oversight of AI. Unbeknownst to her, a defense contractor has created a military-grade weapon known as Amelia, the ultimate infiltration spy. However, as Emlia's self-awareness increases, it becomes less interested in taking orders. Hoping to stop Emilia, Gemma decides to resurrect M3GAN, making it faster, stronger, and more lethal.

Director: Gerard Johnstone

Cast: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Amie Donald, Jenna Davis, Ivanna Sakhno, Aristotle Athari, Timm Sharp, Jemaine Clement

Release Date: June 27, 2025

Genre: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for strong violent content, bloody images, some strong language, sexual material, and brief drug references.

Runtime: 1h 59m

Review:

M3GAN 2.0 switches up the horror tone of the original to a goofier, sci-fi slant that mines films like Terminator 2 among others which works more often than not if you go with the flow.  Gerard Johnstone avoids making this series into a Chucky clone by going in a different direction which is sure to turn off some people, but he manages the change in tone and genre with impressive ease.  The film has a breezy feel to it that makes it easy to enjoy even though its story is more than a tad nonsensical.  He's clearly comfortable leaning into the sillier aspect of this particular story something he did with the original, albeit in a more restrained manner.  The action is bigger and louder across the board with the climatic robot karate fight being chock full of B-movie cheese.  The cast fully embraces it all and seems up for everything that Johnston throws at them.  Allison Williams and Violet McGraw return from the first film as adoptive mother and daughter with McGraw being given more to do this go around.  Williams is given much more latitude as the disgraced robot designer turned advocate for ethical usage of AI in this entry than her more reserved turn in the original.  Violet McGraw also got so much to do here as a preteen with her character having turned into something of robotics prodigy in the intervening years.  They both work well together as parent and siblings who have dealt with a bit more than the usual preteens.  Brian Jordan Alvarez and Jen Van Epps both also return as Gemma's coworkers who have stuck with her for some reason all things consider but it does provide some comedy once M3GAN returns in earnest.  Amie Donald and Jenna Davis are back providing the body and voice to a now slightly taller M3GAN that's explained away in a throwaway line of dialogue.  Davis' voice work is hilariously sardonic here even as the titular robot experiences a bit of personal growth throughout the film from killer robot to more of a protector.  Jemaine Clement has a fun but all too brief appearance as a tech billionaire in the mold of Elon Musk that leaves you wishing he'd gotten more screentime.  Ivanna Sakhno is given the rather thankless role of AMELIA (Autonomous Military Engagement Logistics & Infiltration Android) who serves as M3GAN rival.  While the majority of the returning cast is given so much more to do this go around, Sakhno isn't asked to do much outside of look robotic and make good use of her stunt fighting training.  With the film clocking in at nearly 2 hours it would have been worthwhile to have given her something more interesting to do than what she's tasked with.  M3GAN 2.0 has plenty of fat that could have been trimmed to make room for a bit more time with Sakhno's character but she's more than capable of giving off a murderous stare in this enjoyably comedic sci-fi romp.  

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: MOANA

Young navigator Moana (voice of Auli'i Cravalho), the daughter of a Polynesian tribal chief, is chosen to find a precious artifact that could save her people. She teams with demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) to locate a legendary island, and together the pair explore fantastical lands and encounter incredible sea creatures in this animated adventure from Disney. The film's soundtrack includes contributions from Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Tony and Grammy-winning creator of the popular stage musical Hamilton. Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker. ~ Daniel Gelb, Rovi

Director: Ron Clements, John Musker    

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Auli'i Cravalho, Jemaine Clement, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger. 

Release Date: Nov 23, 2016    

Rated PG for peril, some scary images and brief thematic elements.

Runtime: 2 hr. 13 min.    

Genres: Action/Adventure, Animated, Comedy, Family    

Review:

Moana is a wonderful breath of fresh air into the Disney princess genre which had relied on damsel in distress for far too long.  Moana luscious visuals and joyful music perfectly captures the energy of the storytelling on display.  Moana’s story is a classic example of “The Heroes Journey” with all the hallmarks evident along the way.  Auli'i Cravalho voices Moana with an earnestness that brings true heart and depth to her character.  Dwayne Johnson is well cast as Maui, a Polynesian Prometheus trickster character, and works as a perfect counter balance to Cravalho.  Moana relies on so many classic tropes that it sounds like it should come off as stale.  Instead it is a vibrant journey which is closer to what I’d hoped Pixar’s Brave would have been.  Moana will likely face a bevy of comparisons to Frozen, an overrated movie in my opinion, but it’s a far better film overall.

A

MOVIE REVIEW: MEN IN BLACK 3

IN THEATERS

MEN IN BLACK 3



The Men in Black are back, and this time Agent J (Will Smith) must take a trip into the past in order to save both the future and his taciturn partner Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) in the third installment of the hit sci-fi comedy series. After 15 years of working with aliens from all across the cosmos, Agent J is sure he's seen it all. But just when he's getting the hang of the game, he learns that history has inexplicably been rewritten. In this new timeline of events, Agent K has been dead for 40 years, and Earth will soon come under attack from an extraterrestrial force with the power to claim the entire planet. Now, in order to set the past straight and head off an invasion of epic proportions, Agent J must travel back to the year 1969, when Young Agent K (Josh Brolin) was just a fresh new face on the force. But Agent J only has 24 hours to find the source of the coming catastrophe and discern how his longtime partner ties into the situation -- should he fail he'll be stuck in the past forever. Jemaine Clement, Alice Eve, and Emma Thompson co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld

Cast: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement, Emma Thompson

Release Date: May 25, 2012

Rated PG-13 for Sci-fi action violence, and brief suggestive content

Runtime: 1 hr. 44 min.

Genres: Comedy, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Review:

The first Men in Black was one of my favorite blockbuster films when I was in college, I went the see it a multitude of times during its initial run. Its comedy and stars chemistry just hit me perfectly. As much as I loved the original the sequel was an utter mess, filled with too many talking animals and some of the worse product placement I’d been witness to in a film. The long wait for a third film has brought back some of the good fun from the original while injecting some new blood while keeping it fairly familiar. Barry Sonnenfeld learned his lesson from the 2nd film and keeps the focus on K and J’s interactions instead of silly secondary characters. Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith jump back into their roles with incredible ease. Tommy Lee Jones is only asked to bookend the film but his turn as K has always been one of my favorite things about these films. Josh Brolin makes his absence easier to deal with as he delivers a spot on performance as a younger K. Brolin does more than just mimic Jones; he infuses the performance with a good sense of heart and depth. He and Smith share a strong chemistry, had they not worked well together the film would have fallen apart. Jemaine Clement, whose villain looks like Hugo Weaving on steroids, is fun but underused. Michael Stuhlbarg delivers a strong supporting performance which is touching and heartfelt. The plot is fairly typical sci-fi fare, its light and fun but bringing enough emotional depth to bring the franchise full circle. Some of the script does feel a tad lazy and some of Smith’s dialogue and one liners fall flat. The finale does feel very familiar to the first film’s climax which emphasizes the laziness to a greater degree. Regardless, the film is enough fun to keep you grinning for its run time.

B-