Title:
Moana Sails into your Hearts
Introduction
From the
musical South Pacific to the popular television series about Gilligan Island,
the public has always been fascinated with this remote part of the world that
is dotted with cays, volcanic islands, and archipelagos. It is surprising that Disney took this long
to discover this as the perfect setting for its latest movie, Moana. The audience is taken to an exotic location
in the heart of the South Pacific where a spirited youth and a demi-god
entertain viewers.
Body
Summary
of Synopsis of Moana
Moana lives
in a seemingly flawless South Pacific island that is sheltered behind a coral
reef and abundant in coconuts. At an early age, we learn that Moana is chosen
by the sea and lured by the sea- much to the disapproval of her stubborn yet
loving father. She is clearly groomed
for leadership. On this Polynesian
island, the role of chief is passed to son or daughter. She is the chosen one. The duties include ensuring that the
villagers have adequate and sustainable housing, food, activities, and
customs. At one point, she will make her
mark on the highest point of the mountain or lay her stone and assume
leadership. Here comes the initial
crisis: the coconut harvest fails due to blight; the fishermen’s nets return
empty; the villagers seemed doomed.
Luckily,
through her ailing grandmother, she learns that her people were once a
sea-faring nation and if she could only go beyond the reef, perhaps, she could
locate the demi-god Maui and restore peace and harmony to the disrupted flow of
nature.
Upon finding
Maui, we learn that he is a disgraced and vain a god who has been banished to a
desert island for stealing the heart of nature. Worse yet Maui has had his
wings clipped or magical fisherman’s hook taken by a crusty old crab whose
vanity outshines the Great-but-not-so-Humble Maui.
Moana is
initially tricked by him, but asserts her role as the provider of her
people. The two fight off a deadly
flotilla of pirate coconuts and seek the hook that will restore Maui’s ability
to shape- shift. Once they have defeated the marauding gang of fuzzy
coco-sapiens they must meet the ominous crab who hordes Maui’s shiny hook. Here we learn that Moana is clearly more
clever than the muscle bound disgraced hero and the gluttonous crab.
With the
hook, the audience is further drawn into the movie. Now the two can defeat the fire monster and
restore the heart of nature. Our
heroine challenges Maui’s level of self-doubt and dives deep into the reasons
why he chose to abandon his role or servitude to mankind.
Criticisms
My own knowledge of Polynesian
history is limited, and I somewhat cringe when Disney practises a form of
‘cultural appropriation’ in which they choose an exotic location, hire a number
of academics and actors from the region, and retell stories with a very North
American twist. Polynesians arrived in
parts of Australia nearly 4000 years ago and for some unknown reason did not
colonize islands such as Samoa until 2000 years ago. They took a break and this
was perhaps due to climatic change and weather patterns.
Maui is portrayed as a vain, beefy, and
middle-aged character. Clearly, the Rock was a good choice for that
portrayal. In Polynesian culture,
according to smithsonian.com Maui is more mischievous and is more like a
rebellious teenager who “borders on manhood.” Life in South Pacific was far
from paradise or simplified as natives consuming coconuts and living in perfect
harmony with nature. Yes, they left a smaller carbon footprint but the movie
takes a place and people and almost trivializes them for the sake of
profit. We are reminded that, then
again, it is a Disney movie and not meant to be more than a form of escapism.
Hunger Games Stirs my
Appetite!
Imagine a
world not so different from ourselves, however, rather than different
geographic regions, imagine that there are economic regions based on
production. Then, you need to imagine a
world not led by elected officials, but rather a world led by a dictator. If you have an appetite for this, you will
truly relish the dystopian world, entitled ‘The Hunger Games.’
I highly
recommend the first installment of this trilogy for several clear and very
tasty reasons. First of all, the plot
–although not original- is well constructed.
Essentially, after a catastrophic war, the former North America is
forced into a New World Order in which each region produces goods for a
privileged minority who inhabit the Captitol.
In order to keep the population occupied and, of course, compliant, each
year, two representatives are chosen through a lottery system to compete in an
outdoor competition. The last person
standing is declared the winner. Here is
the twist. The two ‘star crossed lovers,
much like the Shakespearean classic, Romeo and Juliet, win the hearts and minds
of the population. As a result, the two
characters, in the first part, are allowed to live.
The acting
for the most part is rather simplistic.
Clearly, the main character Katniss is a precocious and an agile
competitor in the Hunger Games who serves as the main heroine. She is a brooding character with good
intentions, but she is very cold and distant.
Thus, her character, who has difficulty ‘winning over friends,’ must learn
to win over the hearts of the audience. She is often too ‘brash’ and too ‘full of
attitude,’ yet she is very characteristic of most anti-heroes in novels. The special effects are not overplayed. The computer generated images of the city
present a flawless and sprawling urban center that acts as a cosmopolitan
paradise for the elites of society.
The best
part of all involves the costumes. In
the near future or possibly an alternative world, those in power have an absurd
amount of time and therefore pursue outrageous fashion styles. One woman has
heavily caked on make up while another man has a beard with swirling details. The suffering masses who live in the
hinterland dress in rather drab clothing to represent their working or toiling
class status.
Although
the movie is well suited for a teen audience, it is able to captivate the
attention of both young men and women since it plays on the elements of romance
and action. There is a clear love
interest between the main character and one of her advisors, but the two
representatives from their district must put on the air of being in love in
order to persuade the sponsors and the viewers to follow them. This bizarre love triangle is quite unique
since the audience is kept wondering if Katniss truly loves the other representative
from her district. There are effective
flashback scenes too in which we find out that Katniss had a challenging upbringing
and that her supposed ‘boyfriend’ in the Hunger Games once offered a stale and
discarded loaf of bread.
The mood is
very contrasting. The televised show or
competition is very much a reality program no different than the shows such as
Survivor or the Amazing Race. The only main difference is that the first price
in this movie is life whilst others are awarded deaths. In fact, several themes or messages can be
gleamed from the movie. Obviously, the
movie explores how governments attempt to control their population through the
use of media, propaganda, hope, and other means of manipulation. There is definitely a clear struggle between
the ‘have’ and ‘have nots’ of this society.
The most controversial topic is the state approved use of violence to
quell or control the population. The
viewers do not ‘bat and eye’ when children slaughter other innocent children in
the name of entertainment. In fact, the Games even have sport like commentators
and celebrity correspondents to bring hype and humanity to the citizens of the
Capitol.
In that
respect, I would not recommend this movie to children under twelve. Those who are over twelve may be accompanied by
an adult. Older teens can handle the
more mature themes. Much like the novel,
the Lord of the Flies, which is introduced in grade 10, the movie examines a
tribal situation in which children must cope with their inclinations to form
groups or alliance in order to survive amongst themselves. Parents can use this
movie as a point of discussion whether reality shows encourage certain
behaviors or the possibility of our society degenerating into something similar
as the world of Panam.
In terms of
casting, the director was flawless. The best character, an advisor, played by
Woody Harrison, steals many scenes.
Although he is introduced as a bitter veteran of the reality show and an
alcoholic, he proves to be a clever tactician and aid for Katniss. As he staggers into the luxury train car in
his initial scene, you are left wondering how he possibly won a previous
episode of the Games. He is weary of the
world and is fueled by a steady addiction to alcohol. Woody’s character is able to gain our
admiration as the movie advances.
Overall,
the Hunger Games is a meal fit for a king and a gourmet movie of its time. I highly recommend the movie to young adults.
The movie could easily be rated “for ages 12 +.” I give it a four out of five stars and look
forward to the next installment of this clever franchise.
Mr. Paralusz
No comments:
Post a Comment