Dwayne Johnson

Moana 2

30/11/24

Cineworld, Edinburgh

Moana wasn’t a smash in cinemas when it was released in 2016 (at least not by Disney standards) but it went on to develop a massive following once it started streaming. This belated sequel was itself originally intended to go straight to the small screen, but an executive decision decreed that it should first have a theatrical release and it appears to be doing far better than anyone expected.

It’s three years after the events of the first film and Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) is still a Wayfinder, mounting regular expeditions to try and find other tribes to connect with, but the evil god Nalo remains determined to keep the many nations of Polynesia divided. Pretty soon, Moana reconnects with demi-god, Maui (Dwayne Johnson), and she chooses an odd crew to accompany her on a new quest, a search for the cursed island of Motofetu, which has sunk to the bottom of the ocean. They are: eager young follower, Loti (Rose Matafeo); grumpy farmer, Kele (David Fane); and hunky Maui-worshipper, Moni (Hualalai Chung). Of course, comic relief comes in the form of the chicken and the pig, who are along for the ride – but I have to confess to growing tired of their repeated pratfalls fairly early on.

As with the first film, the animation is utterly spectacular, the evocations of nature incredibly accomplished – and I love the fact that the story is deeply rooted in Polynesian folklore. But the middle section feels strangely cluttered as Moana has to contend with the Kakomora – a tribe of er… coconuts – and she spends a lot of time in the bowels of a giant clam, much of which comes across as a kind of weird, hallucinatory goo-fest. The various goings-on are supposed to be clear to young audiences, but I’m pretty sure I’m not the only adult present, who – at various points – completely fails to understand what’s going on and why the characters are doing what they’re are.

A brief interlude where Moana interacts (and sings) with a malevolent ‘bat-lady’ called Matangi (Awhimai Fraser) is a welcome highlight – it also helps that this antagonist has a face – and I’d like to have seen more of her. (I probably will in the inevitable Part 3.)

Moana 2 has a PG certificate and warns only of ‘mild threat’ but some of the younger viewers at the packed screening I attend are clearly a bit distressed by the darker elements of the story. I’d say this is more suitable for kids aged seven and above but, whatever it’s doing, it seems to be going down a storm and it’s clearly going to generate massive profits for the House of Mouse.

3.8 stars

Philip Caveney

Moana

05/01/16

Moana is the name of a young Polynesian girl, the daughter and heir of a chief. Her father wants her to take his place one day, and can’t bear the idea of her leaving Motonui, their beautiful island. But Moana is fixated on the ocean and what lies over the horizon, and it seems her destiny lies elsewhere. All becomes clear when her grandmother explains that Moana has been chosen by the ocean to find the demigod Maui and help him return the goddess Te Fiti’s heart, which he had stolen a millennium before. Moana sets sail, and so the adventure begins.

It’s a wonderfully animated film, with some absolutely gorgeous seascapes in particular. Te Fiti is also beautifully rendered, her transition from goddess to island a delight to see. And the story is engaging, especially once Moana tracks down Maui and their odd-couple interplay begins.

The music works well as a soundtrack, and never feels wrong, but neither is it especially memorable; none of the songs sound like they’d have a life outside the film. And some of the tropes feel a little too well-worn: comedy animal side-kick? Check. Contemporary Americanised dialogue? Check. Cheesy final message: just be yourself? Yawn. Check.

Still, overall this is a very watchable movie, and certainly one that will entertain the kids. Is it up there with the best Disney animations? Not really.

3.6 stars

Susan Singfield

Hercules

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25/1/15

This film came and went from the UK box office making barely a ripple. Worth catching up with on DVD? Absolutely. In fact, it’s a hoot, mainly because it doesn’t take itself too seriously and there’s some astute casting choices here. Dwayne Johnson plays the musclebound hero and we join him some time after he has undertaken his twelve epic tasks. We see them enacted in the opening scenes, employing decent CGI, but then, the camera pulls back and shows us something closer to the reality of the situation. Hercules is now a mercenary who works for the highest bidder and though possessed of exceptional strength, he doesn’t undertake his missions alone, but with a crack team of warriors. These include his best pal Autoclytus (Rufus Sewell) as adept with the sword as he is with a well-timed witty wisecrack and resident seer Amphiaraus (Ian McShane) who having foreseen his own imminent death, lends a certain gallows humour to the proceedings. We quickly learn that those Herculean ‘tasks’ have been somewhat exaggerated. The mythical beasts were just men in masks and this story concerns itself chiefly with the way myths are created, how fairly ordinary events are, over time, amped up into legend.

When the team is approached by Ergenia (Rebecca Ferguson), the daughter of Lord Cotys (John Hurt), who is looking to hire some mercenaries, Hercules agrees to undertake the task in exchange for his own weight in gold. But as he and his friends set about training Lord Cotys’s army for battle it soon becomes clear that Cotys has been somewhat economical with the truth and maybe it’s time for Hercules and his crew to pick their sides more carefully.

Director Brett Ratner, hasn’t always delivered the best product in the past (Rush Hour, anybody? Red Dragon?) but this is good, undemanding fun, with some well paced battle sequences and a better script than this kind of story generally enjoys. Johnson is appealing in the title role, showing a certain vulnerability beneath the physique (even if his friendship with Ergenia’s squawking brat of a son is hard to fathom) and there’s a nice turn by the ever dependable Peter Mullan as the scowling Sitacles. Think The Magnificent Seven with breastplates and togas and you’ll know what to expect.

3.9 stars

Philip Caveney