Released in theaters on Nov. 27, “Moana 2” is a cinematic experience that you do not want to miss. This Disney film is targeted mainly for children, yet engages teenagers and adults alike who grew up watching and loved the first “Moana,” which was released in 2016. The message of the movie is to follow your heart and overcome your fears in order to achieve anything you set your mind to. Overall “Moana 2” was a very enjoyable movie with a quality soundtrack, dynamic characters, intriguing plot, while staying true to the first films heart.
The movie starts out with Moana receiving a sign from her ancestors to follow a star and reach Motu Fetu, a sunken island that connects the people to all other islands, to save her people from extinction. She travels across the sea with a crew of new companions and faces challenges along the way. She then finds Maui and they all work together to reach Motu Fetu. After a difficult journey including many unexpected challenges, Moana and her crew managed to get the island above water and bring all of the people of the sea back together.
The plot was compelling, but not as good as the first “Moana” because the purpose for her journey was unclear at times. The first movie’s plot also contained more action sequences, whereas “Moana 2” didn’t have the same level of excitement.
Although the “Moana 2” soundtrack wasn’t as good as the first “Moana,” the song “Beyond” from the sequel was a close match for “How Far I’ll go” in the first movie. In addition to the soundtrack, there were many new characters, along with some– slightly more mature– familiar faces. New characters like Moana’s little sister Simea, the antagonist Matangi, and Nalo the god of storms all helped make this movie unique.
Overall, we give “Moana 2” a 3/5 star rating. It was a very good movie, but the original film was more interesting, action packed and had a much better soundtrack. Although it wasn’t as captivating as the first, “Moana 2” is still a very enjoyable movie with a good plot that many people are going to love.
