Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Moana review says the award-winning music, the setting, the story and the cast bring a welcome island breeze to the cineplex.

As a film critic, wherever I go there is someone, or two or three who asks me, “Have you seen ___? I heard it’s _____.”

Lately, there are two films that have gotten a particularly bad rap before they were even released. One is Supergirl, and the other is the live-action version of Moana. Cranky critics, influencers and media pundits have been piling on these two films with particular furor. To them I say read my reviews, give them a chance, and you just might like them.

Now I’m just as tired as everyone else of the cash-grab Disney seems to be making every time they trot out a live action but heavily CGI-influenced version of one of their animated classics. There have been at least 23 of these colorful reproductions, depending on what you consider a classic.

Most are enchanting, but not all of them are great. My question is, do they really have to be? Isn’t it enough just to be entertaining, exciting, colorful and inspiring and sprinkled with a liberal helping of magic?

Moana review — sticks to a script full of wonder

I believe the latest version of Moana, which sticks very close to the script of the animated version, checks all a kid’s boxes and then some. Tapping our inner children, my adult Disney loving friend and I were quite pleased with it. I heard “Awwww’s” galore from her and the children in the audience, in all the right places.

In essence, it’s cute. What’s wrong with cute? When it comes to children’s films, there is nothing wrong with cute.

A film about a girl going on a hero’s journey and ending up saving the world while wearing a fetching costume is a universal favorite. That’s the glory of the whole Disney Princess movement, and the very reason they’re so popular.

Now I will admit that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s wig is a tad odd, but it’s not the first time he’s donned a bad rug. (Did you see The Smashing Machine?).  Drawing attention to it in song and the spoken word was probably not such a splendid idea.

Also, the CGI isn’t stellar at all times — especially when Johnson is morphing into different forms, or just trying to look even more muscle bound than he already is.

Catherine Laga’aia in the title role is lovely, and the entire Pacific/Poynesian cast adds a dash of joy. Rena Owen as Gramma Tala is especially endearing.

Disney’s betting on director Thomas Kail, whose credits largely involve live stage work, may have been a risk, but he was able to bring the big screen production across the finish line with the requisite dazzle and heart.

Moana may not be among the best of Disney’s live-action adaptations, but it’s certainly not the worst either. That dubious honor goes to the Robert Zemeckis production of Pinocchio with Tom Hanks as Geppetto, with a current Tomatometer score of just 27%.

Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) didn’t fare much better — as a sequel it scored 29%, and another sequel, the forgettable 102 Dalmatians (2000) came in at 30%.

As I write this, Moana sits fourth from the bottom, with a 35%, but I like to think when I post my positive review that might change.

I can’t believe I’m writing this, but I say damn the critics and take the kids. The music composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda who wrote the songs, Opetaia Foa’i who provided the Pacific/Polynesian rhythms and vocals, and Mark Mancina who composed the orchestral score, is worth the price of admission alone.

Rated PG

1 Hour 55 Minutes

If this Moana review encourages you to sail on over the the cineplex, get times and tickets at Fandango.com.

Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Moana review says the award-winning music, the setting, the story and the cast bring a welcome island breeze to the cineplex.