MOVIE REVIEW: MOANA 2

 

Moana journeys to the far seas of Oceania after receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors.

Director: Dana Ledoux Miller, Jason Hand, David Derrick Jr.

Cast: Auliʻi Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Rachel House, Alan Tudyk, Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda, Rose Matafeo, David Fane, Hualālai Chung, Awhimai Fraser, Gerald Ramsey

Release Date: November 27, 2024

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

Rated PG for action/peril.

Runtime: 1h 40m

Review:

Moana 2 delivers vibrant animation and an earnest central performance from Auliʻi Cravalho but it never manages to hit the heights of the original.  Directors Dana Ledoux Miller, Jason Hand and David Derrick Jr. recreate the world and characters of the first while attempting to expand the cast of characters.  There's a solid sense of familiarity throughout as you are left waiting for it to finally take off with a rousing song or action set piece and finally forge its own path.  There's a slightly more mature theme in this entry as we watch Moana grow into a leader but the script never really takes advantage of the opportunity before moving on.  The new characters that join her on this voyage are little more than clichéd types who don't really add much to the story with a mute coconut warrior leaving the largest impression in the long run.  Awhimai Fraser's Matangi is initially poised as an intriguing villainess who's holding Maui captive, but her storyline is quickly resolved before the film can take full advantage of the character.  The story fumbles moments like this across the board as it holds the reunion between Cravalho's Moana and Johnson's Maui until the final act.  The film pops a bit once the central duo are back on screen together but never does anything new or interesting with them, instead being content to provide remixed versions of similar moments or songs.  The songs themselves aren't as memorable or catchy as those from the original, with the film sorely missing Lin-Manuel Miranda's talents.  Moana 2 is a solid enough family film, it was originally destined for Disney +, but it is missing that special spark of the original to make it memorable.

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM

 

After failing to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta wields the power of the mythic Black Trident to unleash an ancient and malevolent force. Hoping to end his reign of terror, Aquaman forges an unlikely alliance with his brother, Orm, the former king of Atlantis. Setting aside their differences, they join forces to protect their kingdom and save the world from irreversible destruction.

Director: James Wan

Cast: Jason Momoa,  Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Nicole Kidman, Temuera Morrison, Randall Park

Release Date: December 22, 2023

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and some language.

Runtime: 2h 4m

James Wan's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a goofy, lighthearted adventure that delivers plenty of well staged, CGI infused action sequences which keeps things entertaining but the cobbled together script keeps it from being truly fun.  To his credit, Wan creates a large, expansive world as his heroes move from massive set pieces to another.  He borrows from a bevy of sources such as Star Wars, Lord of the Rings which gives the proceedings a familiar feel from the start.  His visual flourishes create a rather kinetic feel to all the action which prove to be the high points of the film.  The combination of advanced tech, mysticism, villainous underlings dressed in matching uniforms and large men in garishly designed costumes might make people of a certain age think they've accidently stumbled into a Masters of the Universe film.  The whole film has a Saturday morning cartoon come to life feel which would be more fun if the script hadn't been so painfully hackneyed.  The first movie was sophomoric fun with its brotastic humor but it was smart enough to give its stars time to add a little depth to their characters.  That's all gone here as each character is stripped down its most basic, simplistic version of itself.  Jason Momoa's oversized persona and charisma are what made this character work but he's strangely muted for the majority of the runtime.  Pairing him with Patrick Wilson for a straight man/wild card pairing ala Men in Black or 48 Hours should work far better than it does.  The pair's chemistry just never works which isn't helped by an unbaked script that gives them some painfully bad comedic exchanges.  Wilson is surprisingly stiff for the better part of the film while Momoa just sort of seems happy to be there.  Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who was a surprisingly engaging villain in the original, suffers a similar fate with the script asking him to look intense but little more.  The strange thing is that even with its faults, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a surprisingly breezy, easy to enjoy mindless bit of superhero fluff even with its two hours runtime but it could have been a proper send off for the Synderverse if there was more time and care  put into the characters and script.

C+

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