Movie Review: Moana

I didn’t know much about this movie going in. I just knew it was made by Disney, The Rock stars in it, and that everyone was all happy about it cause it brings more diversity to kids movies. That was pretty much it. I didn’t even know it was a musical until Moana’s dad busted out singin’ while they were walkin’ around. I say all that to say that I had pretty much no expectations for this movie, good or bad. That being said, if I went in with any expectations, they would have been greatly surpassed.

This movie is fantastic. I love just about everything about it from the music, to the story, to the characters. So let’s talk about that music. I said it the first time I saw it and I’ll say it again, this is the best Disney soundtrack since The Lion King. And that says a lot since I might fight anyone who says The Lion King doesn’t have the best Disney soundtrack in the game. I’ve been singing these songs nonstop since the movie came out. I pretty much only stopped listening to this soundtrack when Gambino dropped his album. Then I promptly returned to Moana when I realized Gambino wasn’t gonna rap on said album. Anyway, I love these songs, including the one that most other people don’t like. “Shiny” goes hard. I don’t care what y’all say.

I guess it makes sense that the music is so great since they got Lin-Manuel Miranda. I haven’t seen Hamilton or heard the music, so this is my first exposure to his work that I can think of. Dude is a genius.

But that’s enough about the music. Let’s talk about the characters. Moana is pretty amazing. Even in the context of a Disney movie, she does some pretty incredible stuff for a teenager. She fights pirates and monsters, crosses the ocean, and does all kinds of other impressive things. Even when she’s not performing fantastic feats, she’s one of the most likeable Disney characters in recent memory. While she does fall into the all too common Disney pattern of a rebellious teen/child who disregards their parent/guardian’s wishes for the sake of adventure, there’s more to her. It’s not just her desire to explore that motivates her. She does what she does for the sake of others as well as herself. And that’s why I love her, and you should too. Also, shout out to Auli’i Cravalho. The girl was 14 at the time of filming what I believe to be her first movie, and she gave a performance better than many actresses can say they ever have, voice or otherwise. I hope to see her in more movies going forward.

I’ve been wanting to talk about Maui since I started writing this. Maui is arrogant, vain, and selfish (or at least he appears to be initially). In fact, when given the story about him in the film’s opening, it’s easy to see him as the villain. With all that being said, though, it’s hard not to love him. His charisma and his dynamic with Moana make him what the movie needs to go from great to downright amazing. It also doesn’t hurt that Dwayne Johnson provides his voice and with it a sense of  charm that made The Rock my favorite wrestler of all time. Maui is pretty much the people’s champion. Also, he has the best song in the movie. Yes he does, don’t argue with me.

While Moana doesn’t have the most original storyline in the world, it never ceases to entertain and stir up those emotions like Disney loves to do. Jared Bush (and whoever else contributed) did a great job of writing a story that makes you feel for each and every character. If you cried every time Moana did, I wouldn’t judge you for it. If you applauded when she shouted “I AM MOANAAAA!”, I wouldn’t judge you for it.

This movie has been out long enough that you should have seen it by now, but if you haven’t, go ahead and do that.

tl;dr: Not the most original story, but this movie is amazing anyway. And that music is fire.

Rating: 9 out of 10.