Say what you will about them, but the Disney live-action remakes have at least given us a choice. Which would you rather see? A spirited, soaring, animated “Moana,” or a purposeless remake featuring Dwayne Johnson with Fabio hair?

The sea is wide, my friends. Yet Moana, the Polynesian wayfaring princess, has seemingly been stuck swimming laps since she first emerged on our screens 10 years ago. She’s one of Disney’s greatest heroes. The original movie, computer animated by hand-drawn masters Ron Clements and John Musker and buoyed by Lin-Manuel Miranda’s energetic songs, represents the height of Disney animation this century.

But since then, the waters have been rough. “Moana 2,” originally planned as a streaming series, did little to expand the tale. And the new live-action remake does even less. Few of the live-action remakes, regardless of box-office receipts, are covered in glory. But “Moana,” directed by “Hamilton” veteran Thomas Kail, feels especially off course, offering little more than a lamentable swap of cartoon imagination for live-action do-over. The lifeless result veers perilously close to “Saturday Night Live” parody or one of those joke parallel universes in the “Spider-Verse” movies.

The new “Moana” is an often shot-for-shot, note-for-note remake of the original, with small pockets of new material. This is understandable, to a certain degree. The songs are still great. Catherine Lagaʻaia, who plays Moana, sings beautifully. The ocean, in digital splendor, is even bluer.

But all inventiveness has gone out to sea. One of the great things about animation is that it can do anything with a snap of the fingers. You can sense imagination at play. The glories of the original “Moana” lied both in its rich Polynesian connections and its cartoony fun: the goofy shape-shifting of the demigod Maui (Johnson), the toe-tapping moves of the giant crab Tamatoa (Jemaine Clement), the way the ocean heaves Moana back aboard the ship.

Making these things physical realities isn’t just an update in format; it saps them of their animated soul. The result comes across more like play acting than genuine artistic creation. There is, I would wager, no one who ever saw the little coconut pirates in the first “Moana” and said to themselves: “I need a more realistic looking Kakamora.”

The greatest benefit of the live-action update comes in the recreation of Moana’s native Motunui. If the original “Moana” was crafted in homage of Polynesia culture, the presence of real people makes that more tangible. John Tui, a New Zealand actor of Tongan descent, is especially good as Moana’s chief father.

But more often than not, the leap from animation to live action comes at a loss. This is especially true of characters destined to be cartoons, like the rooster Heihei. And it’s painfully the case with Tamatoa, whose “So Shiny” tune was once an undeniable highlight but is now perhaps the most awkwardly staged scene of the movie.

None of this is any fault of Lagaʻaia, whose lively performance is the film’s primary source of forward momentum. Maui — boastful, slyly comic, inevitably heroic — is among Johnson’s most perfectly suited roles. So, it’s a surprise how much his performance here struggles to match the verve of the animated Maui. It could be that Johnson, who’s been drawn increasingly to dramatic roles recently, has aged out a character who was a fantasy to begin with, and a wig isn’t enough to cover the discrepancy.

With Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” soon to sail into theaters, it’s an unusually good time for ocean-faring myths about gods and homecomings. No one knows how far this franchise will go — a third animated film is in development. But Moana is in increasingly desperate need of some new waters to explore.

“Moana,” a Walt Disney Co. release in theaters Thursday, is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association for action/peril, some scary images, rude humor and brief thematic elements. Running time: 115 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.

They say the eyes are the window to the soul, and what a wise adage this is! Indeed, the first thing we tend to notice about people is the story their eyes are telling us. Our emotions, feelings, and moods and their swings are expressed largely through them and boy, do they tell a tale for one and all!

Bengali women are renowned for their bold, romantic looks. Oceans of ink have been spilt by poets, authors, and artists describing their beauty, depth, and complexity. And when it comes to decking up, it is our eyes that get attention first and foremost. In pursuit of drama, intrigue, mystery and beauty, all of our makeup prowess is unleashed through them.

Speaking of makeup, Bengali ladies are blessed with versatile beauty that can traverse between the best of both worlds. Her kohl-rimmed eyes do all the talking as she’s draped in a saree, reciting poetry or lounging in a sensual sarong by the beach.

Summer is here with her blaze of glory, and we are here for it. It may be sweltering out there, but that has not and will not stop us from going out and enjoying life to its fullest. Eye makeup is the most important aspect of our look, and we pay the most attention to it. And this year, for summer, effortlessly sultry eyes are all the rage.

Imagine this: it’s a hot summer day. The sun has been pouring all day long, and you are taking a much-needed leisurely dip in the pool. As you emerge from the water, your skin is moist, your hair is slicked wet, and it’s your eyes, golden and liquid, doing all the talking. Capturing the very essence of summer, soft, sultry, au naturel eyes are hot this summer.

Coachella has set fantastic trends for funky eye makeup this year, which will jazz up your whole look in an instant, whether you are raving at music festivals or shaking it up at pool parties all day long. The best part? It’s the easiest look to master. Prep your eyes with a primer and skip the powder eyeshadows for this look. Instead, go for creamy eyeshadow sticks that are quick, easy and highly pigmented. Start with a soft layer and then build up as much coverage as you want. Use your finger to smudge the edges to keep it soft and effortless. Shades like sunset gold, subtle copper, champagne and silver are perfect for this look. Finish with a swipe of mascara and voila!

Now, how does one elevate this look a bit more? For those countless pool parties and midsummer soirées, you are going to channel your inner summer goddess and jazz this look up with crystals and rhinestones. Go for a thin line of crystals or go all out with sparkling stick-on rhinestones choice is all yours. Perfect for a chic boho look, this little tweak will bring summertime magic. Keep the rest of your look simple with beautifully bronzed skin, nude lips, boho chic curls and let your eyes sparkle this summer and do all the talking.

When planning your look for that much-awaited friend’s birthday or cousin’s wedding, your outfit, jewellery, and shoes are all sorted, but your hair? Why do some women tend to think of their hairstyle as an afterthought?

Imagine showing up at an event, dressed to the nines, with your hair done but lacking pizzazz or oomph. Your whole look will, by association, lack pizzazz or oomph! This is where hair accessories come in. They are the perfect way to elevate any boring old hairdo, and what’s best, you can pick and choose just the kind you want, matching it to your outfit and style.
Hair accessories are some of the oldest forms of ornament known. From the dawn of civilisation, women and men both wore accessories in their hair to adorn and to signify status. To that end, hair jewellery was both functional and fashionable for ancient Egyptians. People of the higher social class wore particular styles to signify their statuses.

When choosing accessories for hair, one is truly spoilt for choice. There is a hair ornament for every occasion and style, so let’s start with the basics.

A tortoiseshell hairband will keep your wayward hair in place while looking chic and sophisticated. Claw clips and scrunchies in all shapes and sizes are every cool girl’s accessory of choice at the moment. You could take it one step further and get a claw clip personalised with your name.

For your best friend’s birthday party, wear rhinestone pins on your chic French twist to make it extra special.

Traditional hairstyles demand elegant pieces that will act as jewellery for your hair, so raid your mother’s treasure trove and wear her stunning gold “khopar kata” that will turn heads at every party.

Ladies of Bengal with their lovely locks knew how to accessorise in the olden days, so take a leaf from their playbook and wear your grandmother’s gold beni on your braid for your cousin’s gaye holud.

A silk off-the-shoulder dress in a jewel tone, worn with an heirloom hair ornament, will also look absolutely fabulous and will make you look and feel like the queen you really are.