MovieChat Forums > Moana (2016) Discussion > Great movie with one misstep (spoiler)

Great movie with one misstep (spoiler)

posted 8 years ago by matt-baen
4 replies | jump to latest

That final 'refuse the call' (monomyth term: quest is rejected, team breaks up etc.) near the end where Maui is angry that his hook is damaged and Moana throws the stone in the water. They had already been through accepting their mission, reconciling it with doubt, bonded etc. There was no need for last minute fake-out where they nearly abandon the quest and then reaffirm their goal (in this case with ghosts - we had already the grandmother-ray though). More and more movies have one 'refuse the call' too many, especially near the end.

[–] UnvoicedApollo1 8 years ago

Except Maui has spent thousands of years tying his identity to his hook. He never thought it would be damaged to that point and when it was it was a breaking point for him. You don't undo a millennia of mental thinking like that with a montage.

[–] OhNooos 8 years ago

Is it really a refusal of the call or is it the approach to the inner cave? Refusing of the call happens at the beginning when the hero receives the call. They may have doubts later, but they've already signed on for the journey, so to speak. As he approaches the inner cave, the hero experiences doubt once again before going onto the ordeal. The time to reflect and feel weak prepares him to be sure of himself and his mission for overcoming the ordeal.

7. Approach To The Inmost Cave

The inmost cave may represent many things in the Hero's story such as an actual location in which lies a terrible danger or an inner conflict which up until now the Hero has not had to face. As the Hero approaches the cave he must make final preparations before taking that final leap into the great unknown.

At the threshold to the inmost cave the Hero may once again face some of the doubts and fears that first surfaced upon his call to adventure. He may need some time to reflect upon his journey and the treacherous road ahead in order to find the courage to continue. This brief respite helps the audience understand the magnitude of the ordeal that awaits the Hero and escalates the tension in anticipation of his ultimate test.

Source: http://www.movieoutline.com/articles/the-hero-journey-mythic-structure-of-joseph-campbell-monomyth.html

[–] Zaphenzo 8 years ago

Is it really a refusal of the call or is it the approach to the inner cave?

You beat me to it, OhNooos. This is basically what I was going to point out. The Refusal of the Call is not the only time the hero faces doubts. In fact, going by Vogler's Hero's Inner Journey, this part would fight right into New Challenge and Rededication, or The Road Back if we're strictly looking at The Hero's Journey.

[–] LeiaOfLothlorien (1980) 8 years ago

I actually thought that was one of the rare good points. It showed how important that hook was to Maui, and therefore made his final sacrifice much more powerful. As well as showing Maui in angry demigod mode.