John Tui

In Moana (2026), John Tui and Frankie Adams play the parents, do their work well and are given little chance to do more. Tui’s Chief Tui belongs to a familiar line of fathers, leaders and mentors in his work. We rate him in such parts, but a convincing adult presence cannot rescue a film that has lost its sense of adventure. Thomas Kail’s live-action adaptation follows the animated film so closely that the supporting actors have limited room to distinguish it.

The early television work already put him in charge. In Power Rangers S.P.D. (2005), he played Doggie Cruger through both suit and voice performance; Power Rangers Mystic Force (2006) cast him as Daggeron, another mentor. That work matters when considering an actor whose contribution is not always a visible face. Battleship (2012) took him into major Hollywood film work, and Bolg in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) drew again on physical performance.

The Legend of Baron To'a (2020), a New Zealand wrestling comedy-drama, gives him the title role in a story concerned with family and community. It offers a chance to assess him in a leading part, which the franchise work rarely does. His supporting appearances in Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019) should not be the only basis for judging him. Nor should a familiar pattern of casting become a limit on what we expect.

Kail gets Moana’s most affecting work from Catherine Lagaʻaia and Rena Owen, as Moana and Gramma Tala. We were moved by their scene on the sand at night; the script allowed them a quietness that the surrounding film badly needed. Tui and Adams are given less, and our praise for his contribution should not be mistaken for a recommendation of the film. There is good supporting work here, but too little of it to show us anything unfamiliar from him. Another substantial family role would be more welcome than another franchise appearance.