By Originally planned as a TV series, Disney opted to change strategies and earlier this year announced “Moana: The Series” had instead become “Moana 2” – a feature film to release this Thanksgiving.
Well we’re here now and the reviews are in. With 68 reviews counted, the film sits at 69% (6.3/10) on Rotten Tomatoes and a 57/100 on Metacritic. The mixed response is a far cry from the celebrated 2016 film’s 95% (7.9/10) on RT and 81/100 on MC.
The general consensus seems to be that though there’s nothing particularly wrong with the film, and it has a touching lesson to it along with strong visuals, there’s nothing particularly special about it either – bland songs and a paint-by-numbers story to a first film that was one of Disney’s best animated films of the past two decades.
Here’s a sampling of review quotes:
“It’s always a tough ask to improve upon an original, but “Moana 2” is a sprightly addition to this sea-faring legacy. It does something nearly impossible in our sequel-glutted world: made me want further adventures. “Moana 3,” ahoy?” – Kate Erbland, Indiewire
“Moana 2 is an okay movie, an above-average kiddie roller-coaster, and a piece of pure product in a way that the first “Moana,” at its best, transcended.” – Owen Gleiberman, Variety
“For a time, ‘Moana 2’ seems more fixated with creating memorably weird imagery than telling a story, but it regains its footing in a third act filled with genuine emotion and a spiritually rousing finale.” – Richard Roeper, The Chicago Sun-Times
“Despite all this Moana moaning, though, it’s still a high-quality piece of work: a hurtling Disneyland rollercoaster ride that small children, especially, are bound to enjoy. The irony is that if it had been a television series, viewers might well have gushed about how spectacular it was. But as a film, Moana 2 wouldn’t be near the top of any list of Disney’s finest.” – Nicholas Barber, BBC
“There’s plenty to admire in the animation and rich mythology of the tale, but it rehashes many of the themes and plot points of the original leading to a fun but less vital movie” – Leila Latif, Total Film
“There’s nothing particularly terrible about Moana 2, but the fact that it’s necessary to write ‘there’s nothing particularly terrible about Moana 2’ means something still went wrong.” – William Bibbiani, The Wrap
“For a story that so prizes how far its heroine will go, Moana spends so much of this sequel stuck in a rut.” – Justin Clark, Slant
“It is all inoffensive enough, but weirdly lacking in anything genuinely passionate or heartfelt, all managed with frictionless smoothness and algorithmic efficiency.” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
“It’s so devoid of bangers or any remotely memorable tunes that there’s nothing to distract you from the movie’s lack of clear stakes, or meaningful drama, or antagonists with any personality.” – Alison Willmore, Vulture
“Moana 2” is currently holding previews tonight ahead of a global release tomorrow. The film is on track to take in $135 million over its first five days domestically and a further $100 million from overseas markets.
The post The “Moana 2” Reviews Are In appeared first on Dark Horizons.
