Moana Review
Moana (2026) Film Review, a movie directed by Thomas Kail, written by Jared Bush, Ron Clements and Dana Ledoux Miller and starring Catherine Laga’aia, Dwayne Johnson, John Tui, Frankie Adams, Rena Owen, Jemaine Clement and Arya Kasarla.
Filmmaker Thomas Kail has crafted a fine live-action remake of the animated Disney movie, Moana, and the result is nothing less than a feast for the eyes and proves to be an enjoyable overall experience. There are evil coconut-sort of bad guys at one point that steal a precious jewel of an item from Moana (Catherine Laga’aia) and her new friend, Maui (Dwayne Johnson). Moana goes after it and has the determination a great movie heroine should have so the film plays out with remarkable sincerity. It will almost always be entertaining to behold for most viewers for the duration of the film’s nearly two-hour long running time.
The film opens with Moana as a little girl (three actresses are credited as playing her at different ages) until she grows up to the be the determined young woman played by Laga’aia. Moana’s dad is Chief Tui (John Tui) and like any dad, the chief wants what is best for his daughter, even if that means sheltering her from some realities that exist regarding her people. Moana wants to see beyond the ocean and her grandma, Tala (Rena Owen), shows her the possibilities that await her if she takes on certain risks that could challenge her and then some.
There proves to be a wild chicken and a cute pig on board the picture in some of the stages of the film that serve to streamline it and make it accessible for younger kids. It becomes the story of the bond between Moana and Maui. Johnson is great with hair (who would have known?), and his character, Maui, has a tattooed body with moving art on him that reminds one of hieroglyphics, except that this art is certainly more distinct. It’s a clever touch.
Eventually, Moana is almost eaten by an octopus-like sea creature who is very self-centered and Maui must come to her aid in that exciting sequence. Before that, those coconut monster thingies attack our leads as well, and Moana gets her and Maui out of that one in a very enjoyable and stylish fashion. This movie can feel like it has a Pirates of the Caribbean vibe. The boat riding through sometimes fierce waters with our heroes aboard makes for an often-beautiful image that serves as a metaphor for the problems Moana faces in terms of successfully reaching and implementing her coming-of-age life lessons.
Moana is at its best whenever Catherine Laga’aia appears, which is quite a bit of the film. She rocks this part and truly makes it her own. Moana becomes a legendary heroine for the record books with her determination and perseverance making her shine bright. Dwayne Johnson is fun to watch, but he knows he’s playing the second fiddle to Laga’aia and, thankfully, he never tries to steal the rug out from under this intriguing to watch new actress.
Moana is a Disney character modeled after several of the great ones from the studio’s past hits such as Merida from Brave. In fact, this film makes viewers want to see live-action Brave and Frozen movies because of the fine way they have translated the animated material to live-action this time around.
Tui is earnest as the very sincere dad who wants his daughter to live her best life. Rena Owen, as Gramma Tala, almost steals the show with her remarkably sensitive scenes with Moana. It’s easy to see that the arguments that Moana and Maui participate in will help them grow as characters, but the movie wisely keeps Tala and Tui as very dignified characters, so we understand where Moana got her good morals from and why she is so determined.
This film starts off moving at a leisurely pace, but it picks up after the introductions to the key characters. It follows the same overall structure of the original cartoon and has the same basic storyline at its helm. Moana makes one wish for more live-action versions of animated movies, and though the film initially moves along at a slow and steady pace, it works well for the picture and heightens the action such as when Moana has to rescue herself and her pig from an edgy underwater situation that will keep viewers anxious to see just how Moana will get out of it.
Moana could have problems. It probably does, but audiences won’t care. Much like the recent Michael Jackson biopic, all that matters is whether or not the film will entertain its target audience. Moana‘s greatest strength is in showing the leads’ attempts to persevere and prove themselves worthy against all odds. Moana’s strength is inspiring and she makes the movie really likable. There’s also plenty of hummable tunes that one may exit the theater either lip synching or actually singing.
Some of the problems viewers could have include Johnson’s offbeat mannerisms which seem goofy at times, but Johnson knows he is making a family movie and acts appropriately to suit the material at hand. At the end of the day, Catherine Laga’aia is pretty much everything in Moana. Young girls all over the world will look up to her and Moana is a hero worth looking up to. Moana offers viewers a fair share of action and a lot of family-themed drama amidst the wild action-packed storyline and it’s a genuine winner. Only a grinch could honestly dislike this wonderfully hopeful and touching movie.
Rating: 7.5/10
Leave your thoughts on this Moana review and the film below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons.
Readers seeking more film reviews can visit our Movie Review Page, our Movie Review Twitter Page, and our Movie Review Facebook Page.
Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Mobile App, Google News, Apple News, Feedly, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Reddit, Telegram, Mastodon, Flipboard, Bluesky, and Threads.