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“MOANA 2” (2024, 100 min., directed by David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller)
The original “Moana” has three movie stars.
First, there’s Auli’i Cravalho as the titular character. Cravalho is wonderful as the optimistic, über-capable wayfinder and her voice is transfixing.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson plays the demigod Maui. As Maui, The Rock gets to practice his three S’s: suaveness, singing and superheroics. He’s a force to be reckoned with and the public face of the franchise: he’ll even play the live action version of the character in 2026.
Finally, third and indisputably, you have Lin Manuel Miranda, “Hamilton” scribe and the creative voice behind the music of “Moana.”
Even pared against the beautiful animation and charismatic performances of the first film, the songs in “Moana” were absolute standouts. “How Far I’ll Go,” “You’re Welcome,” “Shiny” and “Where You Are” are catchy, powerful pop hits, topping Billboard charts in 2016. The music of Disney films is revered – or perhaps begrudged, if you’re a parent with kids of a certain age – as a genre unto itself. The songs in “Moana” were instantly canonized in it.
The same cannot and will not be said about “Moana 2,” which lacks the magical third ingredient of the original film.
Cravalho and The Rock are back and as winning as ever. The animation remains stunning. However, without Miranda’s authorial touch, the soundtrack is all seafoam, no substance.
The film itself is perfectly fun and charming. Moana is tasked with a new oceanic mission, this time with a full crew and two animal sidekicks. The new characters are amusing and a welcome flavor in the mix, yet remain underdeveloped by the film’s conclusion. The most exciting character dynamic in “Moana 2” is between Moana and her little sister, Simea, who are adorable and affecting as a duo. However, Simea, as a three-year-old, isn’t exactly seaworthy, leaving her offscreen for two-thirds of the film as Moana takes to the waves.
“Moana 2” began life as a Disney+ TV show. It wound up as three episodes of that show stitched into a feature film. Despite that Frankensteinian origin, the movie feels cohesive in structure, if underbaked in character. There are wonderful elements at play in the sequel, like new gods Nalo and the vampire-esque Matangi, as well as some truly horrifying sea creatures: there’s a giant clam that will give you the shivers. It’s a delight to be back in Moana’s world. Yet, without a strong argument for the expansion to exist, the end credits roll on an adventure that feels lesser, like ocean out to low tide.
The ending of the sequel feels like where it should have begun. The stage is set for a third film, sure, but the middle chapter is left sailing adrift.
The first film is a wonderfully contained romp with a satisfying conclusion. For better or for worse, “Moana 2” leaves a lot at sea to discover.
Rating: 3/5
“RED ONE” (2024, 124 min., directed by Jake Kasdan)
“Red One” is one of the worst blockbusters I have ever seen in a movie theater.
The star-studded Christmas romp is about the abduction of Santa Claus from the North Pole. I wish someone had abducted my wallet before I purchased my ticket.
It’s not that “Red One” is incompetent. Director Jake Kasdan has experience with big budget entertainment, helming the recent “Jumanji” sequels to great success. Those are loud, laugh-out-loud family flicks with great performances from reliable movie stars. By all accounts, “Red One” should be the same. The movie stars The Rock, J.K. Simmons as an incredibly buff Santa, Chris Evans as a quippy scamp and Kiernan Shipka as a wintry witchy antagonist. There are jokes. There are action set pieces. There are speeches about the Christmas spirit. It’s all there.
The movie just feels flat.
“Beige One” might have been a more appropriate title.
It’s all well and good to have jokes, but it’s hard for actors to pull them off it they aren’t funny. It’s great to have movie stars in a family comedy, but it becomes disconcerting when they’re bringing the level of bitter cynicism Evans injects into his performance. Set pieces are great when they’re tactile and thrilling, but less when they’re drenched in CGI and splattered onto a green screen canvas.
The “Red One” experience is like ordering a lavish Christmas dinner from a popular high-end restaurant and getting served a cold turkey sandwich. On white bread. With mayo.
Give yourself a Christmas gift and take your kids to see “Wicked” again instead.
Rating: 1/5