A disappointing, disjointed mess.
When I heard they were turning the Moana TV show into the actual sequel, I expected them to make changes so it would at least resemble a real movie. Instead it's hastily slapped together with little rhyme or reason. The pacing simultaneously feels rushed and padded out with an endless opening that seems to be setting up six episodes worth of material, only to zip through it all so quickly in the next 38 minutes, before…
I think I would have liked this a whole lot more if it was told in chronological order.
It's too clever for its own good, and while that's fun for a little while, eventually it all runs out of steam.
Some great performances, and stylish direction keep it interesting throughout, but the narrative gimmicks kept me at a distance.
The first 2/3 feel mostly like a remake of the previous movie. But thankfully Denzel Washington is there to shake things up, and he makes the last third worth watching.
For a made for TV sequel, this was pretty entertaining. It sticks very closely to the formula of the original movie, and honestly, that formula works well enough. It's not great, but it's a fun little film.
