Bargain bin sequel doesn’t go far
Moana 2 is a bit of a mess. As someone who loved the first movie, that’s a real shame and it’s disappointing to have to write that out. Originally conceptualized as a series before being reworked into a cinematic sequel, Moana 2 is a disparate blend of poorly worked plot threads, basic characterisation and a completely forgettable musical score. The elements here are more disparate than the islands separated by the dormant ocean in this sequel.
The story is pretty weak and follows Moana once more, as she heads out as an official Wayfinder, determined to connect the islands and find others in the vast expanse of the ocean. This time, her mission centers on reaching Mochufetsu to break the God Nalo’s curse and re-channel the world.
It’s a simple enough set-up and the movie spends a good chunk of the first 20 minutes recapping the events of the first movie while also seeing Maui caught in a predicament of his own.
From here, Moana recruits a two dimensional crew to join her across the ocean, although in all honesty, they cause more trouble than they’re worth. Moana basically does everything herself, save for a third act reveal involving the others thrown into a very basic motif of “teamwork makes the dream work”. Aside from this moment and a bit of comedy relief, none of them actually help Moana’s character grow or evolve in any sort of meaningful way. And this, unfortunately, undermines their purpose in even being there on the mission.
The final act is also very disappointing despite a nice emotional payoff when the dust is settled. The film, in its current form, lacks the same charismatic charm and energy that Maui and co brought to the fold. With Maui missing from action, there’s instead a revolving door of mini villains before a faceless God showdown. I can’t help but feel this plot needed an injection of energy from a maniacal God/Goddess to the effect of Hades from Hercules. Instead, the threat comes from the unknown elements of the ocean and God-like powers. It’s such a shame too because there are definitely parts of this film that work, but it’s overshadowed by so much of it that really doesn’t.
Again, some of the fault lies with the supporting characters. There’s the usual motley group here, including a nerdy architect girl, a strong fanboy and an old man used as comedy relief. But do we get any depth to their personas? Do they help each other grow and evolve across the film? Nope, we get nothing. Moana 2 is never interested in actually exploring who these people are or how they could potentially help Moana going forward.
As a side note here, I’m not sure if this was an intentional self-referential dig from the script writers but one of Maui’s lines literally reads: “I feel like there’s some back story that I need to get caught up on. Scratch that, I don’t want to get attached,” when he speaks to this gang and it really exemplifies how you’ll feel about everybody.
There are also appears to have been some changes made based on feedback to the first film. Pua was notably absent from the entire journey across the ocean in the first Moana, and here, he’s not only off on the adventure with our titular character, but Moana also directly mentions how he’s now coming along, almost as if it’s a nod to the audience.
But Moana wouldn’t be the family friendly musical journey if not for the music. The first was chock full of great and catchy tunes, with the iconic ‘You’re Welcome’ only trumped by the excellent ‘How Far You’ll Go’. The music in Moana 2? Serviceable at best. There’s unlikely to be any that you’ll go home humming, but they at least move the plot along, so there is that.
Unfortunately, Moana 2 also has an on-running joke here where “how far you’ll go” is referenced multiple times in its dialogue. I’m not sure if it’s just something I caught or others did too but when your characters refer to this four times, it becomes a bit of a recurring joke that just doesn’t land. But hey, this is a film for kids and while that’s a nit-pick, there are enough jokes sprinkled in here that kids won’t be bored. The slapstick humour is generally on-point and there are a few nice gags too.
Moana 2 isn’t an outright awful movie and there are parts that are quite enjoyable. The visuals are also absolutely gorgeous throughout and the facial animations just as expressive as they’ve always been. It’s just a shame then that everything around that is pure, unadulterated mediocrity. This is as low on the 5/10 spectrum as you can get, and unfortunately, doesn’t look like it’ll go far.
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