Live-action Moana hits rough seas as early reactions turn negative

Disney's live-action do-over of 'Moana' has finally had its curtain lifted: critical reactions are out, and, let’s not sugar-coat it, they’re more ice bath than warm embrace. If you were expecting the standard flood of glowing tweets you get with most blockbuster previews, think again. This time, social media’s more like a wake.

Why Are We Here Again?

Let’s just revisit what 'Moana' is, for anyone who blinked and missed Disney's relentless remake schedule. The original animated 'Moana', released in 2016, was set in ancient Polynesia. The story follows Moana, a fearless teenager who’s sent on a mission by the Ocean itself to sort out a curse unleashed by the demigod Maui. Along the way, she reconnects with her ancestral roots and – you know the drill – discovers her own strength.

This new version serves up:

• Catherine Laga'aia as Moana
• Dwayne Johnson returns (yes, again) as Maui
• John Tui as Moana’s dad, Chief Tui
• Frankie Adams as Sina, Moana’s mum
• Rena Owen as Gramma Tala

On the creative side, Thomas Kail ('Hamilton', 'Fosse/Verdon') takes up directing duties, and Jared Bush – who wrote the original animated film – is back as screenwriter.

The Reaction: Not Exactly an Island Getaway

Here’s the twist: while Disney usually gets a free ride with these nostalgia-fuelled remakes, 'Moana' is getting roasted like a burnt coconut. If you want proof, have a look at a sampling from film critics and first viewers, handily delivered via Twitter awkwardness:

'Disney's Moana remake is, at best, a cheap imitation and, at worst, weaker in every conceivable way. Two decent performances from Catherine Laga'aia and Dwayne Johnson allow the film to ride on the success of its original, but as with every Disney remake, I ask: what's the point?'

Not exactly mincing words, is it? That pretty much sums up the mood. Most critics are saying it’s a shot-for-shot, line-for-line bootleg of the animated film, but with less life, less spark, and visuals that somehow make Polynesia look less appealing than a desktop screensaver from 1998. The complaint is that you’re getting a film that looks like reality, only flattening all the elements that made the original vibrant – like someone insisted ‘photorealistic’ had to mean ‘less fun’.

Here are a few of the recurring points:

• The film lacks any new ideas; it’s accused of copying and pasting every big moment from the 2016 version, just changing the medium from animation to live-action (and not even convincingly, as a lot of people say it still looks animated half the time).
• The most positive things anyone’s said about it are: Dwayne Johnson and Catherine Laga’aia are decent, with Laga’aia in particular getting some praise as Moana; John Musker and Ron Clements – who created the animated version – should be the ones thanked for any merits, because the new team just reused their exact blueprint.
• Some even went as far as calling it ‘creatively bankrupt’ and 'soulless', which, frankly, is the politest version of the general feeling so far.
• The visuals are taking a real beating – for a film set in one of the most awe-inspiring locations on earth, critics are baffled at how dull the end result looks.

Somebody summed up the collective eye-roll quite nicely: 'Why watch this when Moana (2016) is on Disney+?!'

Any Love For It At All?

Now, just to be fair: not everyone lined up with their pitchforks. There are a handful of warmer takes in the pile, with a couple of people pointing out that the lead performances hold the thing together, and that at times the visuals do pop – at least in the first and third acts. One brand-loyal observer claimed it’s 'one of Disney’s best live-action remakes', which, if you know the competition, isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement. A few shout-outs for Lin-Manuel Miranda’s music, too, but even the positive reviews admit you’re getting almost exactly the same story beats, with some new dialogue and jokes sprinkled in.

Was This Even Needed?

Let’s be honest: the biggest shadow hanging over the whole exercise is the ‘why bother’ factor. With less than a decade since the original animated 'Moana', a lot of viewers – and critics – are left scratching their heads over why this remake exists at all, beyond raking in a few easy pounds for Disney. If the first wave of feedback is anything to go by, no one’s quite convinced the new film justifies its own existence.