Film Review- "Moana"

"Oh man here we go. Chris is going to blindly fangirl all about the new Disney film regardless of how good or bad it really is."

Hey….shut up…and that's exactly what I'm going to do because Moana is awesome.

Moana
Directed by John Musker & Ron Celements
Starring Auli'i Cravalho and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

Let me just say how nice it is to be in the period we're calling The Disney Revival. For the unitiated that's the string of films that began in 2009 with The Princess & The Frog and continues up to the present day. The Mouse's animated output hasn't been this consistent in quality since the Disney Renaissance in the nineties, and if you still don't know what I'm talking about consult this. Point I'm trying to make here, is that there was no doubt that Moana would deliver, and deliver it did.

The film opens by flash-backing to a time when the goddess Te Fiti created life and rose multiple islands to the surface of the ocean. Once her work was complete she too became an island. Shortly afterward the shape-shifting demigod Maui (Johnson), stole her heart and source of power, a ponamu stone. Shortly after that, Maui loses the heart and his magical fish hook in a battle with the lava monster Te Ka, cursing the world for thousands of years to come.

Back to present day, and Moana (Cravalho), the daughter of the chief on the island of Motunui, discovers the ponamu stone, and learns from her grandmother (Rachel House) the ocean has chosen her to return the heart of Te Fiti and bring peace back to the world. Against her father's wishes, Moana leaves her island home to find Maui and get his assistance in returning the heart, and therefore save the world.

The story of Moana is simple in structure, but rich in themes of identity, heritage, and self-worth. You can surely draw parallels between Moana and fellow Disney princesses (She dreams of more, and while a certain little mermaid wants to go on land and her father wants her to stay in the sea, Moana wants to go into the sea and her father wants to stay on land. Man, imagine the fan-fictions.). Nevertheless, Moana is a well-developed character. She wants to do right by her family, but she can't shake the desire to forge her own path, and she struggles to define who she really is. In turn Maui is another well developed Disney lead. On the surface he may seem like he's there for just comic relief, but he's an undoubtedfly flawed, three-dimensional character who also has his own issues of identity to work with.

Together these two characters work together so well, creating another dynamic Disney duo, that build off and strengthen one another throughout the film. Their voice actors, the newcomer Cravalho and everybody's favorite superstar The Rock bring these characters to life and have great chemistry. Cravalho is a true tour de force as Moana, and her performance is the foundation of the entire film. The Rock surprisingly gives a truly heartfelt performance, with his typical charm and humor as Maui. The rest of this voice cast you're not likely to recognize, but each actor embodies his or her character perfectly. Special props go to Rachel House as Moana's grandmother Tala, and Alan Tudyk as Hei Hei.

That's right. That's Alan Tudyk clucking away as that chicken. Give the man an Oscar…by the way how come the animal sidekicks don't talk or have their own songs in Disney films anymore? I miss it…

Speaking of songs, they're unbelievably catchy, crafted by Opetaia Foa'i and Hamilton himself, Lin Manuel Miranda. Each piece is a perfect blend of beautiful and bouncy. Cravalho, only sixteen years old, endures pure awe and chills in many of Moana's songs. Guys, The Rock can sing!! He's only got one number in the film but he nails it. Also, Jermaine Clement of Flight of The Concords shows up for a very interesting song as Tamatoa, a giant crab monster.

The animation in Moana is gorgeous. The setting of South Pacific islands, combined with the story's magical elements, give way for some truly breathtaking visuals, making Moana a real masterpiece of a feast (masterfeast?) for the eyes. You can clearly see that the technology has improved in the short time between Frozen and now.

Moana will rightfully takes its place in the parthenon of Disney animated classics. Wonderful characters, catchy songs, and beautiful animation are the ingredients for another Disney winner, that should get all the repeat viewings in the years to come.

...I feel like I should touch more on the concept of Disney Animation Eras. Sometimes The Package Feature Era is called The War-Time Era, because while they are all package features, that's all they could afford to make because the majority of the studios funding was directed towards making World War II related features, so you know either is appropriate. Also, sometimes The Dark Age is clumped in with The Bronze Age because really, is anyone from Disney really going to call a period of the company "The Dark Age"?

…I should quit while I'm ahead…

Film Review- "Doctor Strange"

Doctor Strange
Directed by Scott Derrickson
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Tilda Swinton

The fourteenth film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been in theaters for almost a month now. After seeing Doctor Strange multiple times in theaters, as much as I enjoy and love it, I do find it could have been a better product.

Stephen Strange (Cumberbatch) is an accomplished yet arrogant neurosurgeon, who ends up in a terrible car accident, rendering his hands practically useless. After modern medicine fails him again and again, he seeks out the secret compound of Kamar-Taj for other methods of healing. There he learns of things such as multi-dimensions, the astral plane and, in layman's terms, sorcery.

Strange begins to learns the ways of the mystic arts under the guidance of The Ancient One (Swinton) and fellow sorcerer Mordo (Ejiofor). As Strange continues his teachings, the vindictive sorcerer Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen) and his army of zealots put into motion a plan to sacrifice the world to the being Dormammu and his dark dimension.

It's easy to compare Strange's origin and character to that of Tony Stark/Iron Man. An arrogant know-it-all goes through something traumatic, is given extraordinary gifts and learns humility, just as a large evil threat-in-the-sky looms overhead. Without giving too much away, I personally saw a bit of parallels between the story of this film and the one of the first Thor film. There's nothing special about Doctor Strange's origin story at the base level, but it's the characters unique setting and abilities that elevate it.

The idea of magic and multiple dimensions is something new to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the film spectaulrly skyrockets the franchise into this new territory, displaying some truly amazing effects and set pieces for these characters to muck about through. Michael Giacchino's epic score only helps to bring the film's unique tone and aura to life.

Speaking of characters, this cast might be one of the finest Marvel's ever assembled. Benedict Cumberbatch of course is pure gold as the titular character. A fan favorite since we knew this film would happen, he embodies every aspect of the character, and brings both the proper amount of gravitas and sincerity. Chiwetel Ejiofor gives a biblical fierceness to Mordo, that was a highlight of the film for me. Tilda Swinton is both strong and sweet as The Ancient One. Benedict Wong as...Wong, is a hell of a scene stealer. Mads Mikkelsen, while he does a fine job, is another underdeveloped Marvel villain. Rachel McAdams, while she does a fine job, is another underdeveloped Marvel love interest.

This is where I transition into my problems with the film, and it's not just with McAdams and Mikkelsen. While I can praise the performances of the supporting cast, the background and character development left to them in the script is a lot to be desired. McAdams as Christine Palmer is more a plot device then a character and is one of Marvel's weakest leading ladies. We're given two lines of exposition about Kaecilius's backstory, and they're so cryptic we're left to our imagination to figure out where it all went south with him. It's hinted a few times that Mordo's got a dark background of his own (Those of you comic fans know Mordo is one of Doctor Strange's biggest villains), but we learn literally nothing. "You've no idea...the things I've done" he states in the film, and we're left to reply "You're right. We really don't." I understand that this is Strange's origin story, but if these characters are to be a part of his reigon of the MCU, they need to be as well developed as he is. One can only hope that in the inevitable sequel these characters will get their dues.

Is this my first sign of superhero film fatigue? Fourteen films into this franchise, are the patterns all too clear for me now I can't just turn a blind eye, or am I simply doubting the nerd path I've chosen? No of course not, I'm being dramatic. But the problems in Doctor Strange are problems other MCU films that have come before it have had, and I like many, hope to see these problems rectified going forward. Yes the plot of Doctor Strange is a familiar formula, but it's a winning formula and Marvel manages to give it a distinct mold every turn.

So do I consider Doctor Strange a perfect film? No. Do I still love it, consider it one of Marvel's best, and is it one of my favorite Marvel origin stories since Captain America: The First Avenger? Yes. Will it probably be on my Top 10 of the year, even though Captain America: Civil War will be on there too, and will you all roll your eyes at me for being so predictable? More than likely, but haters gonna hate. Complete with stunning visuals, a tremendous cast and beautiful music, stapled in with the usual tropes and formulas, Doctor Strange is a magnificent addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's pure magic.