One of the taglines for this movie: The Stories Are True. The adventurous daughter of a Chieftain is chosen by the Ocean to find a lost demigod and help him on his quest to return a magical item to its rightful place so a curse may be lifted. On her journey to set things right she will encounter obstacles of different kinds and in many forms as she discovers her own identity sailing on the high seas against insurmountable odds.
Moana (2026) is a live action remake of the original that would have worked better if it was the version that came out first and then the animated version came out after because as it is… this feels like Disney Studios has presented us with reheated leftovers that it wants to pass off as a freshly prepared meal. As usual the cast is excellent with newcomer Catherine Laga’aia holding her own as Moana with the likes of a subdued Dwayne Johnson as Maui. Thomas Kail’s direction on this movie is very straight forward as this movie follows the original almost shot for shot. The screenplay by Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller is just like the original and nothing was improved upon so you can still tell that it came from a story now credited to 8 people by the shifts in tone in certain parts. “Along the Way (Malaga Ki Ei)” by Lin Manuel Miranda is a solid addition to the soundtrack and the end credits version sung by original Moana Auli’i Cravalho as well as Laga’aia and Johnson is nicely entertaining. This movie was able to look both cheap and expensive at the same time as it lost the vibrancy of the original by not trusting the beauty of nature with its over reliance on cgi effects that don’t quite cross the uncanny valley making parts feel like video filters or A. I. rendering. This film is a streaming experience presented in a theatrical way with a message we have heard before in a much more engaging fashion, that is trying to stay relevant for everyone at any age in any part of the world. I rate this movie a rating of 3 out of 5.
