“Moana 2” was released on Nov. 27, eight years after the original “Moana.” I personally anticipated this movie because, as seen in the trailers, it seemed Moana was going on a vastly different journey than she had before with tougher obstacles and new characters.

The opening scenes had me intrigued as the movie showed the lessons Moana learned from the original movie. To start, “Moana 2” showed her physical improvements, from hopping from cliff to cliff to climbing up mountains. It also featured her original crew of Heihei and Pua. The implementation of the lessons and improvements Moana learned in the first movie worked well in the sequel, and the scenes in which Moana rode on her canoe with expertise and zero support impressed me.

Although “Moana 2” effectively implemented the improvements from the old Moana, the movie still felt like a replication of the original. The storyline “Moana 2” followed felt the exact same, where Moana had doubts about her capability to pursue and achieve the goals she had but eventually came to terms with them to help the world around her. Some scenes, such as Moana running up the landscape to the peak of the mountain, reminded me of scenes from the original movie. The template feel of the sequel caused me to question their reasoning behind the production of their second movie.

As for any Disney movie, the music plays a heavy role in the film. Although most of the songs did not pique my interest, “Get Lost” intrigued me with its melodic tune and character development on Moana. The beginning of the scene takes place inside a giant clam, and the scenery is incredible throughout the environment. As the song progresses, it features a tour of the giant clam and its beautiful landscape and eventually ends in a clichéd lesson of the power of helping one another.

In terms of the plot, “Moana 2” had many plot holes that did not get filled. The entire story surrounds Moana’s passion to reunite the people of the world, but there is no reason as to why she needed to. Along with the plot’s confusion, I was confused about many character developments. I could not tell why the villain Nalo, a power-greedy god who divided the people, suddenly wanted more power. Another introduction left untold was the character Matangi, a demi-goddess who served Nalo. She seemed to have an important role in the story but was never seen again after about an hour into the movie.

The end of the movie lacks a sense of clarity. Moana’s role at the end of the film and her character development left me confused. It felt incredibly vague as characters earn new powers, but the movie seems to have no explanation to how or why these developments occur. As a reply to the ending, I do not believe there will be a “Moana 3” and if production of a third movie occurs, I can not imagine what it would be about.

“Moana 2” seemed like a replication of the original “Moana” which left me disappointed. My high anticipation for the vastly different journey Moana would conduct was left untold throughout the plot-holes of the movie. Taking into consideration the gorgeous scenery and lack of clarity towards the end of the film, I rate this movie a 2.4/5.

Verdict: 4.5/5