Your game writer has a few holiday movie viewings to dissect: THE SUBSTANCE, PEARL, and MOANA 2.
Of these, Coralie Fargeat’s THE SUBSTANCE is the most buzzy and the least worth your time. This by-the-numbers overlong feature rails against Hollywood’s beauty and youth vampirism, but offers nothing as an alternative, and despite Demi Moore’s best efforts, our protagonist ultimately comes off as generic as any other selfish star. Moore’s just not given very much to work with.
If we’re talking about this movie in five years, color me impressed. We see via some slick CGI an unlikely and unpleasant biotechnological innovation, but never do we learn anything about the mechanisms or personalities who made it possible or who sell it to a privileged few. We see a few victims, but not a thought nor an askew glance is thrown at the victimizers. The moment when Elizabeth’s (Moore) personality bifurcates is completely lost in the shuffle; we are external observers excluded from her struggle.
Ultimately THE SUBSTANCE is as shallow as the superficiality it tries to parody. The body horror and abundant gore are novel, at least to mainstream audiences, and it’s flashy in some good ways. Our stars turn in some workmanlike performances. But yeah… the final 30 minutes are an almost total waste of time, and style over SUBSTANCE for sure.
MOANA is a big-name Disney piece and a new, hardy take on the “princess” theme that they’ve milked so effectively. Moana is a hero, but she’s a wayfinder hero, an explorer who solves puzzles and uses her mind to work positive change, rather than a warrior (like the princess from BRAVE) or an object of sexual interest who never aspires to more (SUBSTANCE).
This sequel may pale a little compared to the excellent buddy-pic dynamic of the original. We don’t get the same fresh wonder at meeting all the characters, seeing Moana interact with the animate ocean, watching her spar for the first time with the demigod Maui, or thrilling to see her stop the lava monster Te Ka with the power of song.
Like the first movie, Maui is trapped by another powerful creature and needs Moana’s help to escape – but this creature doesn’t have zingers and a showstopper tune like Tamatoa’s “Shiny.” Like the first movie, the heroes need to figure out how to pass some tricky supernatural obstacles and summon their best selves to persevere.
However, unlike the first movie, there’s no final battle between the villain and the heroes. Moana puts herself on the line and sees the way forward, but we don’t even get a song or appearance from the distant nemesis they oppose. Some of our fellow moviegoers were disappointed by this, but I don’t mind. Moana’s not a combat hero; she’s a pathfinder and scout. Her triumph in the sequel is emotionally satisfying because of how it involves a multitude of unexpected characters. That said, it wouldn’t have hurt if there’d been a bit more of a journey involved in that triumph.
Devil’s advocate: The coda in MOANA 2 brings many distant cultures and sea voyagers together in harmony. Appropriate to this era, it would’ve been funny to see the concord break apart into fractious war parties.
PEARL (on Netflix), like THE SUBSTANCE, is a horror feature with a fair amount of blood. That’s about where the similarity ends. Even though PEARL doesn’t feature voiceover or a lot of dialog, the character Pearl is fully three-dimensional, especially in comparison to THE SUBSTANCE’s Elizabeth. Although she has a vicious streak, she has normal aspirations and charm, even if her repressive mother has convinced her that she’s a freak. She finds herself drawn deeper and deeper into evil, but the audience can see that she is struggling with it and is desperate to build to a simple, positive life even when hope is lost.
PEARL is a straightforward story, akin to the classic “country death song” trope, but told with earnest conviction and constant emotional connection to the protagonist. That delicate connection sustains the film and gives it longevity to linger in the subconscious.
PEARL, interestingly enough, was shot during the COVID-19 pandemic using sets from the sister film X and the Avatar: The Way of Water crew. And MOANA 2 made me think of AVATAR 2 several times, mostly because Moana does such a better job of enchanting moments of connection with nature and the ocean.
