Just got back from seeing the Moana live action film from Disney.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't have the same concerns or expectations as any of you about this new Moana movie, but now that I saw it, I can form my own opinion and that is that to me, it was not horrible, but it was not great either. I personally think, that it was just okay.
Probably waiting until it's out on Disney Plus to watch it would seem like a better option for someone who's older than 16.
Either that or you can just still watch the original movie and its sequel right now, especially the original, (it still exists). Nothing is ever undone.
PROS: The actress who played the lead gave the best performance. The visuals are nice, even if they aren't perfect. This musical sequences are decent enough. The movie's not all that much shot-for-shot, despite the beats remaining the same, which leads to the:
CONS: The movie happened too soon, just as excuse to have The Rock to play Maui.
At the end of the day, though, my opinion is that Moana 2026 was ok, but I feel that in order for it to be less unnecessary than it actually is, they could've just waited another 5 or 10 years to come out with this live action movie and so that some other big star could play Maui. There have been other actors that have played the Genie that were NOT Robin Williams, particularly in the Aladdin stage musical. Which is why I thought Will Smith's casting and performance as the Genie was valid and good.
And even with talks about Hercules, Danny DeVito does NOT need to play his character again.
Face it, doing it 1 to 1 doesn't work (talking to you, Lion King and How to Train Your Dragon remakes and especially Psycho '98) that how is not to do a remake.
Like I could watch that other movie, it ALREADY exists. Give us new takes on those movies, because that's what I have seen in Beauty and the Beast 2017, Little Mermaid 2023, Snow White 2025, Jungle Book 2016, Mulan 2020 and Aladdin 2019, etc.
Also, I'm not trying to sugarcoat the entire issue, but a movie should be judged on 2 things: it's content and its merits.
And all I can say to all those who loved the original Moana and are hesitant about this new one: In this case, yes, I love the original Moana better too, but I'm not going to make a big fat fuss about this new movie. It's just an okay movie, like as in 2.5 to 3 out of 5 star range.
Not bad, not great, but just okay.
Normally, I'd get berserk over people disagreeing with me on my opinions of the Disney remake I either like or think are ok depending on the movie, but in that case, I will NOT force you to watch this one, this time.
Thanks for reading and tune in the next day or 2, when I give my reviews on The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and maybe even The Invite.
Until next time,
Well, you get the idea, that's how far I go from this.
