A beautiful, faithful remake
Fans will love that it set sail again; critics may question if it's a necessary voyage.
Some movies transport you. This one nearly made me mad in the beginning. Roughly ten minutes into Disney's live-action *Moana*, the scene shows the beautiful reefs of Motunui — water so clear and blue that reminded me of the time I went free diving in Batangas — and I felt a small, petty grief bloom in my chest. I did not make it to the beach this summer. It's like the movie knew and it rubbed my face in the sand anyway. But yeah, it seems like we're off to a decent start.
First things first. Let's set expectations. This is not a reinvention. So don't look for something it doesn't have or judge for something it's not. Thomas Kail's remake is faithful to the 2016 original the way a good cover band is faithful to the setlist — every beat where you expect it, every note more or less where you left it.
Now Whether or not that thrills you depends entirely on what you walked in wanting. If you came for a bold new reading of the story, good luck. It'll be like paddling on a surfboard waiting for a good wave that never comes.
But if you're like me who just want to see how on earth they'd translate a fully animated fantasy island into something you could believably stand on — this thing delivers. Secondly, because I was just so disappointed in how Disney handled the remakes of Aladdin and The Little Mermaid.
And translating a material like this was always a tall order. The 2016 film lived and breathed in sequences that only animation can pull off well: a sentient ocean with a personality, a shape-shifting demigod, a glittering crab the size of a food truck. And energetic stylized song-and-dance sequences.
The live-action version has to build all of that, and kudos to the filmmakers because they were able to use CGI with real discipline. The ocean behaves like a co-star instead of a screensaver. The big set pieces that would've been impossible on a soundstage are stitched in cleanly that I stopped playing spot-the-effect.
There's just one thing I noticed (although I'm not too sure if it was the cinema's screen): the sides of the frames look blurred most of the time. Or maybe it's due to the depth of field used.
Motunui itself is a star: colorful, lush, majestic, and charming in a way that makes you want to visit.The heart of it, though, is the pairing. Catherine Laga'aia, in her feature debut, is perfectly cast — and I don't mean that as the polite thing you say about a newcomer. She's got the tricky job of anchoring a film opposite a man with a towering built, and she never once gets crowded out. Her chemistry with Dwayne Johnson feels genuine. Their banters land because it's a two-way street and flows naturally.
Johnson, reprising Maui, shows off more range here than the "eyebrow and a bicep" reputation gives him credit for. His quips and snappy comebacks fire off exactly on time. The good thing is Laga'aia can stand her ground by receiving and returning serves of her own. Another notable element of the film is its ensemble in the background that registers beautifully on-screen. They look like an actual community of people from different shapes, sizes, and faces and temperaments. They're a textured crowd that brings the fictitious village alive.
And then, there's the music. It's mainly the reason why I loved 2016 Moana. It's great that they used the same exact songs (but re-recorded) from the original plus a new duet 'Along the Way.' The musical sequences are staged with style, carefully blending the actors with CGI. The voyagers' sequences in particular are standouts--big propulsive, and paced to make you sway and tap your foot while seated.
As someone who grew up enjoying 90s Pinoy films where characters would spontaneously erupt into a full choreographed number, which is often unnecessary to the plot, watching the villagers of Motonui sing and dance while taking on their daily tasks put a faint smile on my face.
But was this movie really necessary?
I don't see why not. Despite it being made only 10 years after the original, Moana definitely looked, sounded, and felt better than some of earlier Disney remakes. Besides, does time really matter? I don't think the quality of the movie (and its impact) would have made much difference. The movie was executed very well and that deserves some merit.
Additionally, remaining faithful to the source material shouldn't be an issue simply because it's the whole point of a remake, isn't it? While it did not provide a fresh take on the story, the pleasures remain satisfying. It's gorgeous feeling, even.
Besides, what should we expect from a movie obviously catered to a younger market and its original fans? These days, people pay for a bit of nostalgia. We want it. We all want to have a taste of the old pleasures from time to time. Nostalgia, like the ocean, is calling.
And it's call that's very much worth answering.
You're welcome.
Moana is now showing in cinemas.
Cast: Catherine Laga'aia, Dwayne Johnson, John Tui, Frankie Adams, Rena Owen, with Jemaine Clement
Directed by Thomas Kail
Written by Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller
Run time: Approx. 2 hours
Distributor: The Walt Disney Company (Philippines)
MTRCB rating: G
Photos courtesy of The Walt Disney Studios
