“Moana 2” and “Wicked.” Those were the two recommendations I received as I returned home for Winter Break—from, among others, a professor and my pastor. When I shared that I wanted to watch “Moana 2” over the weekend, though, I was met with gasps and concerned glances. Apparently, my fellow Weather Vaners had heard different reviews than me. Naturally, then, I had to assess the film for myself. 

I know everyone has talked about the music; Lin-Manuel Miranda, who was one of the music producers for the first “Moana” film, was unavailable this time. I could tell that the music had a different vibe, but I don’t know much about music, so I’ll leave a more thorough review of that to someone who actually knows what they’re talking about. I did like the songs in “Moana 2,” but I can’t say much more than that. 

I liked several things about the new movie. For one, it had a good build-up. The beginning had mystery and joy; it gave us more to love—and more to lose. It also brought new characters. It was exciting to see where our beloved characters went after the end of “Moana,” but we also got to see Moana’s world expand beyond her (lovable) pets. My favorite addition was Simea, Moana’s little sister—but that may just be because she reminded me a bit of my own little sister. Also, the evil coconuts (Kakamora) came back! I honestly forgot how cute they were. 

As for my dislikes, the villain was much less satisfying in this movie. The characters certainly made efforts to make him fearsome and horrible, but the audience wasn’t actually given much information on him, aside from what we really needed to know for the plot. This may be a minor spoiler, but the audience never even got a good look at his face. The final battle felt a little anticlimactic; we reached the end before I fully realized it was over. To be clear, it was an emotional and engaging scene, but I expected just a little more with the villain than there was, which was disappointing. 

The overall plot also didn’t seem as pressing as the first movie’s was. In “Moana,” we could see the problem literally growing on the island, threatening Moana’s people. In “Moana 2,” we knew what problem would eventually befall her people if she failed, but we had no idea how or why; the problem was much more nebulous. 

One character arc felt unresolved at the end of the movie. Matangi, about whom I will say little to avoid spoilers, played a key role in the beginning and middle of the film, but she was not mentioned again after her last scene. I was intrigued by her character, so I was sorry not to revisit her at the end; hopefully, she will appear again in future “Moana” movies (and I am sure there will be some). 

Overall, I liked the movie. It won’t be added to any of my “favorites” lists, but I would recommend giving it a watch—especially if you enjoyed “Moana.” It is still showing in movie theaters now, and it is scheduled to be released on DVD in March.