Finding Ohana review: Netflix made a heartwarming version of Goonies

Netflix recently tried its luck with spy and superhero movies made for kids, so it’s fitting that its next adventure for kids follows another heavily used genre: treasure hunts. In the tradition of the classic 1985 treasure hunt Los Goonies, Find ‘Ohana follows a group of children facing a series of dangers as they search for secret pirate treasure. But director Jude Weng refreshes the idea by making the most of the game in children’s family dramas and adding specific notes about the Hawaiian culture that defines the characters.

Although the film is overloaded with certain plot points and adds unnecessary conflict, Find ‘Ohana use her quest story to tell a sweet story about rebirth with family and culture.

[Ed. Note: This review contains slight spoilers for Finding ’Ohana.]

The family trip begins when 12-year-old geocaching enthusiast Pili (Kea Peahu) finds herself in Hawaii with her mother Leilani (Kelly Hu) and older brother Ioane (Alex Aiono) after her grandfather, Papa (Branscombe) Richmond), have a heart attack. Although Pili and Ioane were born in Hawaii, they have lived in Brooklyn for most of their lives. Leilani is worried about her father, but has had unresolved tensions with him since she left the island years ago, following the death of her husband.

Pili is originally disappointed with the trip because it takes her away from the geocaching camp. But then he discovers an old diary that details a hidden treasure. Along with brave animal lover Casper (Owen Vaccaro) and responsible teenager Hana (Lindsay Watson), Pili and Ioane set out in search of the lost fortune, hoping it might save their grandfather’s land from the foreclosure.

Complex family dynamics are central to the film, although some conflicts become more relevant than others. The strongest threads end up coming from the characters who are together for most of the movie. After a second accident, Dad is bedridden and he and Leilani argue over what it means for their future, while Ioane and Pili must resolve their differences on a dangerous mission. These bows acquire nuance and weight, without any clear good or bad. In the end, all the members of the family understood each other a little better. Ioane and Pili feel like real siblings, very specific things they don’t care about the way they fight physically. The treasure hunt is important to the film, but the family dynamic Find ‘Ohana

your heart.

Less smooth, however, is the disconnect between Leilani and her children. The movie hints that it has to do with her late father, but as Ioane calls on her mother not to spend enough time with them at home and indulge in work, you never know what her job is. Ioane and Pili feel betrayed that their mother is considering selling their Brooklyn apartment without consulting them, while Leilani feels guilty for leaving her father behind. That alone would be significant enough, without the absent, work-obsessed mother part, which seems to have been added to complicate the emotions further. But since the children spend most of the film away from their mothers, their issues aren’t as clearly resolved.

As for the treasure hunt itself, just like that of 2019 Dora and the lost city of gold, Find ‘Ohana manages to maintain the thrill-seeking archaeological adventure genre, but also challenges some of its ugliest aspects. As fun as scavenger hunts can be in adventures like Indiana Jones and The Mummy film franchises, is based on the desecration of graves and the theft of artifacts from other cultures. In Find ‘Ohana, this is very well subverted: Pili and his friends want to find the treasure to help save their grandfather’s land, but they realize that fame and wealth are not important.

They find the Hidden Log Cave and their journey is full of natural obstacles and traps, spooky spiders and spooky skeletons. As Pili, Ioane, Hana, and Casper venture through the cave, they team up and have an argument and ultimately piece together the full story behind the hidden treasure. It’s satisfying to see his jokes evolve. And in the end, Weng finds a way to turn discovery into adventure: The characters grapple with the consequences of stumbling over places they shouldn’t, and ultimately learn more about their own Hawaiian culture.

The movie works best when it focuses on two things: the scavenger hunt and family history. They bond wonderfully and the brothers learn more about local legends and customs and each other through their adventure. But there are a handful of superfluous plot points that aren’t also covered. Ioane finds a secret Juilliard app in Hana’s car, which quickly disappears from the story, is then mentioned for three seconds in the third act of the film, and then unleashed again. They finally kiss, because of course, why not add some random teenage romance? Most scavenger hunts are thrilling, but some shoehorn bets, like a deadly spider bite, only hurt the overall mission. Weng and stretch the film too thin in some places, when they have to focus on the central strengths of the film.

Because at the end Find ‘Ohana It’s not about those extra plot points. Hell, it’s not even about finding treasure. It is about reconnecting with the family and discovering a cultural heritage. This cultural uniqueness is what separates it from the treasure hunt movies of the past, where the thrill of the hunt came from the glory of wealth; in Find ‘Ohana

Hawaiian customs and cultural legends color the fun, but also reinforce the familiar themes. For the most part, Weng mixes adventure and sentimentality, but in the end, Find ‘Ohana It works when you focus on the ohana at its heart.

Find ‘Ohana streaming now on Netflix.