3 Short Paragraphs (Or Not): Moana 2

2024,  David G. Derrick Jr, Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller (feature debut by people from other depts) -- download

Seriously? They stuck the sequel to a bunch of supporting people from other movies? Back in My Day, they would sometimes release a sequel straight to VHS. That was a sign they knew they could sell another movie with the characters but didn't have enough faith in it to actually invest in the movie. In today's world of barely releasing a movie in the theatre anyway, before dumping it onto a streaming service, I am not sure that old fashioned model applies anymore. Oh, I get there is still the determination about whether its worth advertising and distributing said movie in cinemas, but with a movie like this they knew they had enough draw for a cinema run to succeed as well as any can do in today's world. But then why not invest in the actual making of the movie?

The movie picks up not long after the first, long enough for the island to have regrown from the blight but not long enough for her new sister to have grown up, let's say three years. Moana, who now gleefully goes beyond the reef, wants to find other people, but is having no luck. Island after island is empty, with nary a sign of every having people. Until she finds a pottery shard.

Because of a vision, Moana (Auli'i Cravalho, Mean Girls) realizes she has to find a legendary sunken island, for it was this island that allowed all other peoples to connect to each other. More wrath of gods sunk the island, and she learns that her people, as well as all the others, will fade if they do not reconnect. Quest Time! But this time, armed with the skill & knowledge of bigger boats and a crew, they head out to recover the island. They figger they will find Maui (The Rock, Black Adam) along the way. Its not like they can raise an island on their own.

Like all sequels, it has to hit all the same beats as the first movie. The quest is similar, the segments are similar, the antagonists are similar (or they revisit them) and the music... well, the music is not similar. The music is entirely unmemorable. Like, entirely. Not a single new-tune is even remotely catchy. And as the movie closes with a rework of a piece from the first movie, I am reminded how disappointing that is.

I am noticing in my last dozen or so posts, a strong state of dissatisfaction with ... everything. Is it me? Is it the movies? To restate me having a low mood is redundant, as that is my normal state of being, but is it indicative of movies or of me? The only one I can I unabashedly liked without reserve was 10+ year old movie "The Samaritan". Others, I enjoyed but was just "OK" with. So, either I have to focus on watching actually good movies, or something is up with me (likely) or something is up with recent movies (entirely possible).

I absolutely love the first movie, the only Disney-flick I can say that about for more than a decade. There are elements of this movie I enjoyed, such as the addition of Moana bud Loto (Rose Matafeo, Starstruck), but for the most part I was not captivated at all. This movie had such the stink of Straight To to it, and entirely wasted all the good energy the first movie generated.