THE LITTLE MERMAID
Starring: Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Daveed Diggs, Jacob Tremblay, and Awkwafina
Director: Rob Marshall
NICK
I've long been adamant that The Little Mermaid was the film with the best shot to shed the “soulless” criticism many Disney live-action adaptations have faced. But even in saying that, I wasn’t expecting it to feel so magical. I have some minor quibbles: the VFX has its challenges, and the reliance on lifelike creatures makes Sebastian a little scary looking. Otherwise, this film is fantastic. It shines in its musical numbers, and Halle Bailey is a revelation as Ariel. Ignore any outside noise about her casting, she’s pitch perfect. I can’t think of a better way to introduce a new generation to this story.
ADRIANO
Colour me surprised! As someone who has been very against Disney’s live-action remakes, The Little Mermaid stands above them all as being able to retain the magic of the original. Did we need it? Maybe not, but it did give us a magnificent performance from Halle Bailey. I don’t think they could have picked someone better for Ariel. Admittedly, the visuals are rough, especially in the underwater scenes and the horrifying design of Sebastian, but there actually is a soul here. That’s not something I can say about the other live-action remakes. A delightful trip under the sea that I’m glad I went on.
AMARÚ
Something’s always missing from these live-action Disney remakes, and director Rob Marshall’s lack of cohesion is what holds back The Little Mermaid. The film begins like one big music video, with interludes of dialogue bloating the first hour. Luckily, once we hit land, he uses Halle Bailey’s star-making performance as Ariel, her chemistry with Jonah Hauer-King (Prince Eric), and great voice-over work from Daveed Diggs (Sebastian) and Awkwafina (Scuttle) to tell a story with musical accompaniments instead of the other way round. The Little Mermaid doesn’t justify these live-action adaptations, but it found enough footing to avoid being another disappointment.
JACOB
While noticeably imperfect in most of the ways these things usually are, The Little Mermaid is easily the best Disney live-action remake in years (and probably since Pete’s Dragon). Although it’s visually uninteresting to look at with direction that is fairly bland, the characters and their motivations are somewhat evolved in the translation. Everyone seems to be genuinely trying here, but no one can quite compare to Halle Bailey’s star-sounding turn as Ariel. Admittedly, the new Lin-Manuel Miranda songs are occasionally more distracting than pleasant, but what worked before pretty much works again. Kids are sure to have a great time.
PAIGE
While this live-action rendition of The Little Mermaid is swimmingly cute and charming, it lacks the magic touch of the 1989 animated classic. At times, director Rob Marshall’s remake is bogged down with pacing issues and filled with mediocre visual effects. The story also lacks added lore to allow it to stand on its own two feet. However, don’t let that take away from Halle Bailey’s portrayal of Ariel because this girl is a star in the making with a voice of an angel. Bailey’s and Daveed Diggs’(Sebastian) performances are what keep this film from drowning.
