A Reel Review: THE LITTLE MERMAID

Despite the success Disney has had with their onslaught of live-action remakes of their classic animated films, none of these second-shots seem to have much of a shelf-life. We may be wowed in the moment when we see live-action versions of beasts and lions and genies, but one year later when we need to scratch that Disney itch…we find ourselves reaching back for the originals without a thought. This year, Disney gives it another try, with THE LITTLE MERMAID. 

Ariel (Halle Bailey), is a mermaid princess and youngest daughter of King Triton (Javier Bardem), who has a fascination with the human world. She strikes a deal with the sea-witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), who gives her three days in human form to win the heart of Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King). 

Directed by Rob Marshall, and based on the original Hans Christian Anderson story and the 1989 animated film, THE LITTLE MERMAID closely follows the familiar story beats. Ariel is in love with the human world and Prince Eric, which drives her father nuts and eventually pushes her towards Ursula and a chance at life upstairs. It’s all familiar and comfortable, with enough minor changes in character, actions, and settings to balance out some freshness. MERMAID eventually hones things down to the relationship between Ariel and Eric. Both are dealing with parental issues and feeling trapped in the world they live in. This is the heart of the story and it is developed well. 

Rob Marshall plays with a vast and magnificent-looking canvas making up the underwater world and Eric’s island-castle. Everything looks gorgeous, lush and full of rich color. Intimate scenes are done well, tension is ramped up nicely on the action sequences, and when the film goes dark the scares work. Pacing feels like it could have been tightened up; there is some redundancy in the first act, and it takes way too long for Ariel to get out of the water. The run-time of 135 minutes is certainly felt. 

CGI is dazzling in creating the underwater world and the creatures that inhabit it. Ariel is helped along by her companions Sebastian the crab (Daveed Diggs), Flounder the tropical fish (Jacob Tremblay), and Scuttle the dingbat diving-bird (Awkwafina). The creatures look amazing and they are fleshed out enough to feel like characters and not CGI blobs. Scuttle gets to do a little rap-song in an attempt to modernize the film, and it feels way the hell out of place. 

Halle Bailey is dazzling as Ariel. Her voice fits the old and new songs perfectly and overall is a delight. Javier Barden is a little stoic, and Melissa McCarthy was absolutely born to play Ursula.

This version of THE LITTLE MERMAID does everything right; it is breathtaking, fun, emotional, and despite some extra fat to be trimmed still swims under the sea without as much as a fish-hook scratch. Despite the modernization it still has the Disney Princess, storybook ending, giving it a classic feel.  One year from now we may still gravitate towards the 1989 film, but that won’t happen without a little bit of thought towards this one. 

BOTTOM LINE: See it