Official Trailer
Rating: 0/10 | Genre: Family, Fantasy, Comedy, Adventure | Runtime: 120 min
Starring: Catherine Laga‘aia, Dwayne Johnson, Rena Owen, John Tui, Frankie Adams
So I finally watched the new Moana movie and I have to be honest, I went in with pretty low expectations. The TMDB rating of 0/10 had me thinking this was going to be a total disaster. But here’s the thing, sometimes those ratings are just wrong.
This movie is actually really fun. It’s not perfect, but it’s way better than that score suggests. The story follows Moana as she decides to leave her island for the first time to save her people. She takes Maui, this arrogant demigod who’s basically been living in exile for a thousand years, and they go on this journey together across the ocean. The chemistry between them drives the whole movie.
The Cast Carries This Thing
Dwayne Johnson is the obvious name here and he’s doing his thing as Maui. He’s charming and funny without being obnoxious about it. But honestly, Catherine Laga’aia as Moana is the real star. She brings this determination to the character that makes you actually care about her mission. When she’s struggling with self-doubt halfway through the movie, you feel it.
Rena Owen shows up as Moana’s mother and nails those quiet moments where you can see where Moana gets her strength from. John Tui and Frankie Adams are solid in smaller roles too. The casting felt authentic, which matters when you’re telling a story rooted in Polynesian culture.
Pacing and the Two Hour Runtime
At 120 minutes, this thing doesn’t drag. The first act sets up the problem pretty quickly. The middle section is where they’re actually sailing and dealing with obstacles. And the final stretch brings everything to a head without feeling rushed.
There’s this one scene where they encounter a creature and Moana has to figure out how to handle it without just fighting it. It’s a good character moment that shows her growth. The movie knows when to let scenes breathe and when to move forward.
Where It Works and Where It Doesn’t
The movie looks great. The ocean scenes are actually impressive and the animation of the water itself is distracting in the best way. You can tell someone cared about making that look real.
The soundtrack is probably the weakest part. There’s nothing here that’s going to stick with you the way other animated movies have. The songs are fine but forgettable. They serve the story but they’re not doing heavy lifting like you’d want them to.
What also doesn’t quite work is the final confrontation. Without spoiling it, the resolution feels a little too neat. Moana’s been working toward this huge goal the whole movie and then it gets solved in a way that felt a little convenient to me.
Still, none of that killed the movie for me. There’s genuine heart here. It’s about believing in yourself when nobody else does. It’s about understanding your place in something bigger than yourself. It’s about not letting fear stop you from doing what matters.
If you’ve got kids or if you just want to watch something that’s entertaining and doesn’t insult your intelligence, this is worth your time. Yeah, it has its flaws, but that 0/10 rating is absolutely wrong. Have you seen it yet, or are you still on the fence about checking it out?
Where to Watch
Streaming availability varies by region. Check your favorite streaming platform to see if this title is available in your country.