Moana Reviews: Disney’s Live-Action Remake Branded ‘Awful’ By Critics

Disney’s latest live-action remake is a reimagining of the modern classic Moana, which has finally set sail into cinemas.

Unfortunately, its voyage has been a particularly perilous one, with the new film being met with some absolutely scathing reviews.

While many critics have described Moana as a low-point for Disney’s trend of live-action remakes, it’s also been pointed out that it’s the worst-reviewed film of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s career to date.

Most critics have taken issue with everything from the way the film looks to the fact it differs so little from the source material, although new lead Catherine Laga’aia has received some praise for her a performance.

Here’s a quick guide to what critics are saying about the new spin on Moana so far…

“[Moana] somehow takes everything that was sprightly, expansive and ambitious and makes it leaden, limited and dull. And it does this by following a Disney live action remake formula that demands slavish adherence to the original plot structure, set pieces, scenes, characters and even lines of dialogue, as if all involved were updating a sacred medieval manuscript and not just whacking out a lazy cash grab for shareholders.”

“Disney’s live-action remake is a waste of everyone’s time and talent […] Dwayne Johnson’s terrible wig is just one low point of a film that has all the visual allure of a Febreze advert.”

“The earnestness of this story just doesn’t work as well when everything is done in such blatantly artificial ways and for obvious pursuit of profit […] It should go without saying, but the best way to beat back any accusations of craven money-grabbing would be to actually make something new. Take a page out of Moana’s book, in other words, and chart a new path.”

“Few [live-action remakes] have felt so recent, or seemed so pointless, as Moana […] Why would you want to pay money to watch a slightly worse version of the film you could watch on Disney+? A low point in Disney’s relentless live-action remake run.”

“Johnson as Maui […] just does not work. There’s no point where you stop thinking that you’re just watching The Rock in a wig, and – whether by personal choice or direction – his performance is constantly trying to ape the animation, falling flat as a result.”

“Moana’s desperately unambitious approach is its undoing, it’s a tale of great courage told with creative cowardice, that’s so in thrall to the masterful, much too recent original it’s impossible to see it as anything other than a financially motivated facsimile.”

“Please stop making these […] most of the truly memorable moments in the first Moana […] end up looking like utter dog shit in this version, which is the greatest sin of all.

“Disney built its kingdom on animation, on pop masterpieces that used hand-drawn and computer-rendered art that resonated so strongly that they’ve continued to maintain a hold on fans, in a way that can verge on the disturbing but is inarguably powerful. To devalue its own output this way feels like pulling the material to its breaking point, testing its tensile strength in hopes that it can hold for another round.”

“Soulless […] Moana is a shadow, resembling a real thing in shape if little else. It’s not unlike any number of theme park rides or rushed-out video game adaptations—merchandising designed according to someone else’s schematics.”

“Awful […] this was, by all appearances, an incredibly costly and labour-intensive production, yet there is barely a moment in it which feels as if it couldn’t have been achieved by typing: ‘What if this scene from Moana was remade in live action?’ into a video generator’s prompt box. How would the muscle-bound demigod Maui look if he were real? The most deadeningly obvious answer is the one we are given: like Dwayne Johnson in a curly wig.”

“Nearly every shot makes you aware that Laga’aia is clearly surrounded by a green screen clutching an oar while a wind machine blows in her face […] the claustrophobic framing shrinks an epic voyage into small-screen content made solely for a bored child to hold right up to their nose. That thunder you hear rumbling is Walt Disney yelling down: What’s the point?”

“There is some pretty funny stuff from Johnson here, certainly, and there’s a nice enough rapport between him and his young co-star, but it feels as if he is on autopilot, like a piece of software […] This feels like a superfluous piece of monetisable content.”

“Moana is far from the worst Disney live-action remake, but it’s arguably the most redundant. I’m sure there are people who will enjoy paying extra, again, to watch a recent movie they already liked, again, but longer and not as good, again.

“If Disney insists on wasting the audience’s time, there are worse ways they could do it. Heck, they’ve already done worse. They’ll probably do worse again. But there are better ways to waste an audience’s time — and you know what? Not wasting our time was an option, too.”

“There’s a ton of CG in the new Moana that’s executed quite artfully, and that helps the director, Thomas Kail, create a buoyant atmosphere of visual vibrance: the crystal waves that gather up to ‘talk’ to Moana, the coconut pirates known as the Kakamora, the constantly moving illustrative tattoo on Maui’s left pectoral, the giant bling-hoarding coconut crab Tamatoa (once again voiced by Jemaine Clement), and all of Maui’s animalistic shape-shifting. It all establishes a free-flowing universe that exists halfway between live action and animation.”

“There’s been some online indignation about it being too soon to remake a widely adored film from 2016. In principle, I would agree, but the new Moana is a captivating family entertainment that deserves to find an audience — brimming with visual interest, vibrant color, gorgeous design elements (the fine detailing in Liz McGregor’s costumes is exquisite) and alluring tropical settings.”