Dwayne Johnson Shrugs Off Live-Action ‘Moana’ Reviews While Critics Say It Never Had a Reason to Exist

Dwayne Johnson publicly responded to the critical reception of Disney’s live-action “Moana,” which currently holds a 32% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes against an 88% audience score, saying “that’s just the way it goes because we’re in this business.” He recalled that the film’s first two reviews were positive before the broader critical response shifted, adding, “If you love it, great. If you don’t, no problem” [1, 2]. Johnson said what “really mattered” to him was that “the culture really stood up” regarding the film’s Polynesian influences and its star, 17-year-old Catherine Laga’aia. The film, which debuted at the top of the box office following its July 10 release, has grossed roughly $266 million globally as of this week [1]. Critics reviewing the remake have been sharply negative, describing it as “soulless” and “pointless,” faulting it as a near shot-for-shot, line-by-line retread of the 2016 animated original that fails to justify its own existence, and criticizing its heavy reliance on CGI for a film marketed as “live-action” [3, 4].

Why It Sucks:

Dwayne Johnson and Disney

• The star has to publicly manage a review pile-on. Johnson is fielding direct questions about a 32% critics’ score for a franchise he’s spent years championing, forcing him into damage control mode mid-promotional cycle [1, 2].
• Box office success doesn’t erase the narrative of a flop. Despite opening at number one and pulling in roughly $266 million worldwide, headlines are framing the film around its critical reception rather than its commercial performance [1, 3].
• Representation gets treated as a consolation prize. Johnson’s emphasis that “the culture really stood up” reads as an attempt to reframe a critically panned remake around its cultural significance rather than its filmmaking [1].

Film Critics

• A remake with no creative reason to exist. Critics argue the film is a near-identical retread of the 2016 original, offering zero innovation and prompting the question of why it was made at all [3, 4].
• “Live-action” that’s mostly CGI anyway. Reviewers note that Pua the pig, Heihei the rooster, and the entire Kakamora army sequence are computer-generated, undercutting the film’s core marketing premise [4].
• Their detailed critique gets flattened into “haters.” Johnson’s “that’s just the way it goes” response glosses over specific, substantive craft complaints — muddy CGI, a lifeless retread of the ocean’s original visual magic — rather than engaging with them [1, 4].

General Moviegoers and Fans

• Audiences and critics are worlds apart on this one. The 56-point gap between the film’s 88% audience score and 32% critics’ score shows a genuine disconnect between what reviewers panned and what ticket-buyers actually experienced [1, 2].
• Fans who loved it for representation get lumped in with a “flop” narrative. Even as viewers embrace Catherine Laga’aia’s performance and the film’s Polynesian casting, the dominant press coverage centers on critical failure rather than what resonated with audiences [1, 4].
• Fans who wanted something new got a copy-paste instead. Viewers hoping for a fresh take on the story are the ones critics say got shortchanged by a shot-for-shot remake that adds little beyond swapping animation for CGI-heavy live-action [3, 4].

Sources & Citations:

[1] Deadline: Dwayne Johnson Reacts To Live-Action ‘Moana’ Negative Reviews
[2] Variety: Dwayne Johnson: Moana’s Bad Reviews Don’t Worry Me
[3] Hollywood Reporter: Dwayne Johnson Addresses ‘Moana’ Mixed Reviews After Box Office Flop
[4] Yahoo Entertainment: Disney’s live-action ‘Moana’ remake gets damning reviews: ‘Soulless’ and ‘pointless’