The story felt a bit weak to me. Having the sea save Moana on multiple occasions took away from her agency and skill a bit. I guess you could look at it that everyone needs help every now and then, but I felt it kept stepping in and saving the her when she should have been putting in the effort and doing it herself.
It's only a small gripe, but it's something I noticed.
My Moana Review
https://youtu.be/9lpl7F_K8j4
Could you provide some examples?
I ask because a girl stuck on an island without any sailing experience isn't going to have many skills. I don't think she should even really have had the skill to throw a spear perfectly and essentially zipline down the attached role with an oar. That takes several feats of athleticism. Then again, I don't really care because that was a *beep* awesome scene.
So what skills could Moana have used at the points in which the sea helped her?
I don't think she should even really have had the skill to throw a spear perfectly and essentially zipline down the attached role with an oar
Not really. She simply zips down a log or something.
She has to throw a spear (where did she learn that?) and time the repositioning of her body and oar perfectly lest she miss the rope or try too soon, making the rope crumple before it's attached to the boat. Realistically, there's a lot more going on than in the scene from "How Far I'll Go"
Note, I'm not really complaining about realism and whether or not that should have been her wheelhouse. Just something I'm using in the argument at hand. It's still a great action moment and I wouldn't change it.
Fair point. I meant 'set up' as in 'it was an obvious simmilar situation to me'. But yeah, maybe not exactly the same.
shareWhy do you assume that not being able to sail means she would have no skills? What does being on an island change? Aren’t most people in the world “stuck” on land without the ability to enjoy water sports? If anything, perfecting spear throwing and zip lining are great ideas when sailing is not an option. Polynesians hunted with spears and threw them for sport, so even if she didn’t hunt, she could have still learned. In terms of ziplining with an oar – it’s just a straight stick. The fact that it’s an instrument for the sea wouldn’t mean much. Also, being able to run and climb are reasonable skills for any athletic young person – especially where hills, mountains, and very tall trees abound.
shareShe was being raised to be the next leader. Not a hunter, not an explorer. But as someone who would make decisions for her people, which they show her doing. For me, that leaves little room to learn other skills unless we are shown she learns them along with her dance class and tattoo hand-holding.
Besides, my overall comment about lack of skills was directly within context of her inability to sail and the Ocean's involvement. The OP complained the Ocean got involved, not allowing Moana to show her skills. And I simply asked what skills would Moana have used growing up on an island in which the ocean got involved. Yes climbing and running make sense. Where could she have used these skills instead of the points where the ocean stepped in?
I'm still not sure where you're getting the idea that being a leader doesn't mean you have any time for physical skills. Especially considering how often we've heard about Western royalty fox hunting, playing polo, badmiton, shooting, swimming, fencing, etc. I'm not sure if the daughter of the High Chief would be any different. I'm not sure why the fact that she's learned athletic skills need to be put into the montage. Clearly she learned them because she's shown doing them.
shareI can't really think of any time the sea really helps her besides disabling Maui, therefore forcing him to teach her how to sail, and putting her back on the boat when Maui throws her off. Besides that, iirc, she has to do it all herself, besides the very end when it splits for her. It doesn't help when she wrecks on her first night at sea. It doesn't help with the coconut pirates. It doesn't help with Tamatoa. It doesn't help either time they face Te Ka (until, again, the very end when she just needs it to split).
shareI like to think the sea did bring her to Maui.
And the sea does douse the fireball and puts her on the island.
But I still agree with your overall point.
I guess you're right. I can't think of any specific examples where the sea really saved the day. Mostly it was either helping with Maui or just sticking her back on the boat when she fell off. It did kill the suspense when later in the film she almost dropped the stone into the sea.
It does beg the question as to why the sea didn't help more than it did.
It was only really a nit-pick . I'll have to watch it again to clarify. Maybe I'm getting muddled up. :p
My Moana Review
https://youtu.be/9lpl7F_K8j4
I think it's kind of a "help only when necessary" kind of thing. Like the journey was supposed to develop Moana into a skilled sailor who could face the perils she would meet on the sea. If the sea did everything for her, then she wouldn't have learned how to do that. So the sea only helped when it saw a need that Moana couldn't overcome herself. At least that's how I saw it. And, obviously, with the putting her back on the boat, it was mostly for comedic relief.
shareI can't think of any specific examples where the sea really saved the day
Maui couldn't do a lot without his hook. Why isn't that an issue?
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