seas – Movies of the Soul

Vampire Owl: Do you remember the last time we watched a Moana movie?

Vampire Bat: That was surely an eternity ago.

Vampire Owl: I wonder why it took so much time to release the second one.

Vampire Bat: Maybe they were thinking about how to make this one have an even heavier environmental message.

Vampire Owl: Do you think that there can ever be a message that will work in real life?

Vampire Bat: The environmentalists these days are basically against the nature themselves.

Vampire Owl: Well, the pretenders to the love for environment, aren’t they?

Vampire Bat: They can still act really well as environment lovers.

Vampire Owl: This is a world of actors, who become leaders?

Vampire Bat: The human world rarely has any person who is honest.

[Gets a paneer masala dosa and three cups of elaichi tea].

What is the movie about? :: Three years have passed since Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho) and demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson had their last adventure together and achieved the impossible, which involved life-threatening situations. With the demigod nowhere to be found, Moana has been on a solo adventure, even though her followers in the form of a pig and chicken continues to be around wherever she wanders to. She has been searching for people living near her home island of Motunui connected to the ocean. On her partially successful return from one of similar explorations, Moana is provided the title of tautai, the master pathfinder – this is a title which has not been bestowed upon anyone from the island in a thousand years. It is then that she has a vision of Tautai Vasa (Gerald Ramsey) who had travelled and discovered the paths of the oceans. He talks to her about the legend of Nalo (Tofiga Fepulea’i).

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: He tells her that Nalo, a god that controlled the storms of the oceans had sunk a grand, legendary island called Motufetu, which connected all of the islands, right down to the depths of the ocean. This action had made the people of the islands disconnected, and if the connection is not made in time, her people would not survive to see a future. The choice was now simple, to find a way to raise Motufetu from the depths of the ocean, or face extinction, not just for their people, but also of whoever might exist in other parts of the world. In response to this vision, Moana assembles a crew of people from the island of Motunui — craftswoman Loto (Rose Matafeo), historian Moni (Hualālai Chung) and an expert elderly farmer Kele (David Fane). With the pig and the rooster added to the list as usual, this does not seem like a strong team, but is expected to be the best for the situation.

And what more is to follow in another ocean adventures with an angry god and clueless humans that go all around? :: At the same time, Maui is on his own adventure against the same god, as he moves forward only to be captured by Matangi (Awhimai Fraser), an enforcer of Nalo who controls bats and can even transform into one if needed. Maui had decided to go on this mission alone without asking Moana as it was thought to be a very dangerous one. At the same time, Moana and her team are captured by the Kakamora, a group of savage coconut-like pirates who also wishes for the island to be raised from the depths of ocean, as they are also disconnected from their island. One of the pirates also volunteers to fight with them. Meanwhile, Matangi is not really happy with her dealings with Nalo and Maui has almost escaped. Between them and their mission, stands a giant monster and a long path ahead with terrible creatures controlled by a hateful god. Can they go past all these troubles and save the world?

The defence of Moana 2 :: The visuals of the movie remain stunning, just like the previous ones, and the main characters continue to be solid. We never stop feeling the need to see The Rock around, whether in animated form giving voice, or with that full power as in Hercules, Black Adam, Red Notice, Jumanji, Jungle Cruise, Journey to the Mysterious Island or those never-ending franchises like The Fast and the Furious and spin-offs. Auliʻi Cravalho stays strong as the leading voice yet again. There are also more interesting characters around here, and the danger that they face are more real than ever, as the opponent here is a god that wishes to bring terror upon on humans and stop them from uniting and progressing. The emotional side also seems to be getting stronger and so are the entertaining sides with humour as much as action. One cannot deny the strength of whatever is seen on the screen, as we keep looking, and we keep being entertained.

Positives and negatives :: Comparison to the first movie, the freshness is still not felt and the big villain never really makes a straight attack. Some new characters are also lost, especially the young sister seems to be just a random addition to get more emotional support. I do not remember any mention of her having any younger sister, and with this addition, the movie seems to go a step backward with its ability to go for content and instead makes it feel the Bollywood drama effect for a change. But we know that it was something created for a purpose and not required at all. The first movie’s innovation seems to have disappeared. Family theme remains strong, and the environmental message stays somewhat there, but we know how much Avatar itself came down from the classic first movie. The beauty of the world, even when animated feels so good here, and as long as the sequels hold on to the basics, this one is surely here to stay.

How it finishes :: Among the animated movies that have stayed with us for a long time, this one will stand tall as a sequel. We remember the earlier movie releasing close to another interesting animated flick, Zootopia. Also, among the movies on the seas, with an environmental message, this one holds a fine place. So, while this movie dazzles with its design and continues the titular character’s tale with more emotional layers, it doesn’t quite match the original. It remains enjoyable with all the fun, and maintains its quality. After watching this movie, and seeing the scope for sequel, we know that something big might be coming. We also wonder if such a movie with an environmental message can be made in the God’s Own Country, as nature is all that matters in this part of the world too. One would keep wondering if such a fine myth can be created with focus most on the ancient green past. For now, we will enjoy this world.

Release date: 27th November 2024
Running time: 100 minutes
Directed by: David Derrick Jr
Starring: Auliʻi Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rose Matafeo, David Fane, Rachel House, Alan Tudyk, Gerald Ramsey, Remuera Morrison, Awhimai Fraser

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Vampire Owl: It is a small world, isn’t it? We are now watching a French movie.

Vampire Bat: We have watched and reviewed movies of thirty-one languages.

Vampire Owl: Yes, the last language to be added being Filipino.

Vampire Bat: Those were also the movies which required our attention.

Vampire Owl: Yes, we should actually go for more Filipino movies.

Vampire Bat: Here, the French movies are actually among the biggest categories of foreign language films to be reviewed.

Vampire Owl: Yes, after Korean and Spanish, and just more than Russian.

Vampire Bat: I believe that these would make more than half of the foreign movie collection here.

Vampire Owl: I have seen that the most read foreign movie review here is still of an Italian one.

Vampire Bat: Yes, the one named Don’t Kill Me with fine flesh-eating zombies reminding us of those undead beyond the border.

[Gets an onion vada and three cups of elaichi tea].

What is the movie about? :: A famous marine researcher who is worried about climate migration, Sophia (Bérénice Bejo) and her team have been studying the shark species and the changes that come across them while also checking the garbage which has been spread around as a patch four times the size of France. The focus is near the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and search narrows down on Lilith, a shortfin mako shark which was tagged by them some time ago. They end up seeing similar female sharks hunting together as a pack, which feels quite unusual. They find the shark named Lilith, but also finds out that it has grown in size and is now double the creature it used to be, and makes Sophia wonder what has changed in the oceanic environment. As it des not seem to be aggressive, the team tries to take a sample, only to find it killing her husband and other divers. Sophia jumps into the ocean to hunt it down, but becomes entangled in a net and is dragged into the depths of the ocean, and even though she could break free and come up, there are injuries sustained due to severe alternation of pressure underneath.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Three years later, Sophia is still scarred by that incident for which she blames her own calculations, and works in an aquarium in Paris, explaining to the visitors about the oceans of the world and the marine life that inhabits it. She comes across Mika (Léa Léviant), and environmentalist who is looking forward to saving marine life which has been hunted vigorously by greedy humans, and also has a group that tries to do the same all around the globe. She tells her that the tracker which was set on Lilith is still active, and that the shark has travelled all the way from the Pacific Ocean to the River Seine of Paris. As it is not a freshwater creature, she feels that the shark might end up dying underneath the city if it is not found and diverted to the ocean. The police officer Adil (Nassim Lyes) who had found shark bites on a man found dead in the river, and hopes that Sophia can help him to kill it, but just like any other environmental and animal lover who do gives least value to human life, Mika switches off the tracker on the shark, leaving any human near the river prone to death.

And what more is going to happen with the shark right there in the river? :: Sophia knows how devastating the shark can be, and is reminded of her dead husband. Mika remains a third-rate animal lover who does not care for human lives, and stands by her idea that sharks do not attack without a valid reason, but Sophia knows better. Mika is still too good in making emotional pleas to save the shark as if she really means it. But for some reason, she is infatuated with just one shark and not bothered about anything else. She wonders how dare they try to attack that shark and not vice versa. She feels like a student who skips classes regularly for some environmental indoctrination as she is beyond logic. Her friend Ben (Nagisa Morimoto) who realizes that Mika is an environmental extremist who cannot be reasoned with, decides to meet Sophia and tell her that the shark even has underground sewage access. At the same time, Sophia and Adil request the Mayor of Paris to postpone the upcoming triathlon which would invite a large number of athletes to the area. The mayor refuses as billions of euros have already been spent on the event, and it is necessary for a build-up to Olympics. Now, one wonders what can happen next and who all will die.

The defence of Under Paris :: The movie manages to be a thrilling journey with a shark under water and people not realizing its danger. The most satisfying moment of the movie is the death of the one activist who brought all these upon humans and other living beings by unleashing an apex monster adaptation of the original shark. Even though human extinction is not that bad a thing for nature conservation, this one was a nature terrorist, and seems to be taken right out some people whom we regularly find on the media. The character shows the activist who lives without doing any other job, and seems to be interested in being in the spotlight and show face in the videos all the time. This one is surely not like the dedicated people working for environment, not looking for reels and selfies. The fear element is always present in the waters, and you keep wondering who is going to get the worst of the shark attacks. The shark attacks are all effective, and the final moments take the terror to the next level. In the end, we see that there is no hope left at all, unless there is that powerful a sequel which changes everything like a fantasy dream of wonderland. Bérénice Bejo and Nassim Lyes make a good team at the same time.

The claws of flaw :: The movie could have focused more on the shark rather than those activists, with more movements within the shots of the city to induce further fear. Due to the lack of any thinking people among those who are looking for conservation, a good message is lost. Just feeling that others are responsible for stealing dreams of the younger generation and doing some nonsense in the name of saving nature and oceans would never even come close to being somewhat sane. There could have been more chilling visuals of the shark hunting, and also more action in the ocean instead of just switching so quickly. The catacombs and sewers could have a scarier world in store for us. Paris could have also had more stylish shots to support its glamour, after all, everyone wishes to visit the city one day. The movie has been rather less known in this part of the world, and that is a disappointment because there is more appreciation to come for tales of shark horror with Netflix widely used.

How it finishes :: Among the European movies featuring sharks as the main nemesis, this one surely has maintained a space for itself. It will surely have a sequel, as the ending seems to suggest that the sharks have spread all over the world with oceans connecting to the rivers and lakes, and with the ability to live in saltwater as well as freshwater. The second part is surely going to be grand, like an alien invasion A Quiet Place or 10 Cloverfield Lane, with people having less areas to find shelter, as flooding could also follow. Well, we know how the Resident Evil films defined survival, and let us see how far this franchise can go. This first movie sets the tone nicely, and we know that there is much more to come. In the movie, we find that things go much similar to how real-life situation would go, with all these activists and the authority acting as if they know everything, until the world around them collapses due their acts of foolishness, and it is their own people that suffer, even though they would not live long enough to witness the same. This could indeed be the revival of the shark-themed movies, even though it might not become as good as the first Deep Blue Sea, which extended the Jaws mode really well and 47 Meters Down up to an extent.

Release date: 5th June 2024 (Netflix)
Running time: 101 minutes
Directed by: Xavier Gens
Starring: Bérénice Bejo, Nassim Lyes, Léa Léviant