A mermaid exchanges her fins for legs to pursue true love on dry land…but after giving up her voice to an evil Sea Witch, she finds wooing the object of her affections difficult.
We’ve all been waiting for this for a while, due to the controversy and excitement of an African American led live-action version of this immensely popular Disney film. And honestly, I’m not sure it is worth the wait.
I’m not saying it is bad! Far from it, but they have held so close to the original I was just a little disappointed. Everything from Sebastian’s (Daveed Diggs) bad Caribbean accent — to the fork in the hair scene. It was all there — for good or ill. I, personally, was hoping to see them riff on this a little…not enough to make the die-hard fans riot, but just enough to make it seem fresh. Something as simple as changing the way Ariel (Halle Bailey) and Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) met could have added a fresh perspective to this otherwise perfectly acceptable movie.
There isn’t much wrong with this movie, but there isn’t much right with it either. I was hoping Melissa McCarthy as Ursula would knock this out of the park and halfway around the world, but the expected lines and the clumsy CGI really hampered her performance.
And let’s talk about that CGI for a bit…I really want to praise Disney for doing an epic job of animating the merfolk underwater. The hair was epic, and King Triton’s (Javier Bardem) beard was epic. BUT there was more than one scene that made me cringe, and that included Urusla’s big scene at the end. Her face was so badly done they tried to cover it with clouds and smoke. In a movie this big budget, with CGI masters behind the wheel, I’d expect better.
One last thing that got under my skin? While they made sure to underscore the fact that Eric was adopted to explain away Queen Selina (Noma Dumezweni) being black…they didn’t take the same amount of time explaining how a merman King was related to an octopus Sea Witch. And also the fact that all of Ariel’s sisters are different ethnicities, but they act like they had one mother? I mean, under the sea it’s all suspension of disbelief, but one white boy has a black mom and we have to MAKE SURE everyone understands they aren’t actually related?
Am I saying this is a bad movie? Far from it!
Bailey’s voice is beautiful! She plays a teen mermaid so well, that when she gets legs it takes me a minute to come to terms with it. Her chemistry with Hauer-King is strong enough to carry this cute little romance. And oof, that boy is a cutie!
The scene in the boat is just as beautiful as the one in the animated film, and the scene of Ariel struggling to make it to the surface is just as harrowing…but is it a wonderful new take on a classic? Nope.
This is likely the best of the Disney live-action adaptations that have come out lately. Take your kids to see it, and enjoy a day out with this comfortable and faithful remake — just don’t expect too much.
C+
