"Moana" LIve action: REVIEW

Disney is giving Polonesian culture the limelight in their latest live adaptation of the 2016 Moana. Despite the skepticism, the film does a good job of keeping it's original roots grounded while showing the unique Polenisian language for all to admire. The film still follows the young girl as she voyages through her family and eventually through the wild untamed ocean daring to set right what demigod Maui did wrong thousands of years ago. It's a journey that sees a lot of growth for both our young heroine as well as the unwilling demigod who seems to have a serious personality clash where everything is all about him. The two must realize that in the end what matters is their teamwork to ultimately save the world.

Returning to his role of Maui is non other than the incomparable Dwayne Johnson who does an impeccable job and now we get to see him and not just hear him act to a cartoon. He ultimately has a witty sense of humor in all aspects especially his all too funny song of praise about himself. He truly knocks it out of the field with his dynamite performance. Similarly, Jemaine Clemente returns as the voice of the wise cracking crab, Tomotoa who does an equally fabulous job even as the crab is cgi, ultimately the way the scene unfolds will make it seem like the crab is really there with the visual effects of live action settings with the CGI overlaying it.

For the role of Moana, Disney took a chance on a newcomer, native to the culture as Catherine Laga'aia steps into the big shows that original actress Auli'i Cravalho excelled at nearly 10 years prior. Ultimately, Laga'aia steps up to the challenge giving the role of Moana a fresh look while paying humble nods to the original. Similarly for those fans of the original Moana, Cravallo does sing a song with costar Johnson and the "New" Moana (Laga'aia) fitting to the to the remake.

Additionally her entire family had a slightly more proficient role in shaping the foundation of the story. Rena Owen, playing Moana's Gramma Tela adds wittiness while trying to encourage her granddaughter to pursue who passion. LIkewise John Tui who is no stranger to working with Johnson from "Hobbs and Shaw" steps into a noble role of fatherhood while trying to lead his people and keep Moana safe. Finally, we see more of Moana's mother this time as Frankie Adams accepts that task willingly accepts that mission.

All in all, the live action Moana does a good job of sticking to the same beloved story that we know from 10 years ago. Unlike the other live action remakes, it does very little to steer from that which one might find refreshing. That being said, critics are giving it bad reviews concerning the timeliness of the story compared to other remakes. But ultimately it's up to you. If you love the Polynesian culture that Moana shares then you will love the way the actors portrayed it on screen. Moana came out in theaters July 10th and is currently playing in one near you. See it if you want a fun adventure into the Polenesian culture.