The Little Mermaid (B+ or 3/4 stars)
The youngest of King Triton's 7 Mer daughters - and surely the most defiant - Princess Ariel longs to break the ocean's surface to discover about the human world beyond the sea in 'The Little Mermaid', Disney's live-action remake of its 1989 animated classic; directed now by Rob Marshall, of Chicago, Nine, Into the Woods. The basic plot follows that of the prior musical version {deviating slightly from the Hans Christian Andersen faerie tale}, introducing the spirited heroine (Hallee Bailey) & her loyal friends, the adorable fish Flounder (voiced by Jacob Tremblay) & the scatterbrained seagull Scuttle (well-voiced by Awkwafina).
Ariel has an immense fascination with humans {collecting artifacts that she finds in the sea} and, in violation of an edict set by her almighty, omnipotent father, King Triton (Javier Bardem) to not interact with humans, she ventures to the water's surface to save the life of Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) when his ship is wrecked in a terrific storm {this sequence is the 1st of 2 that resulted in tears streaming down my face}. Ariel falls in love with the dashing Eric and, likewise, he searches vehemently for the girl who saved his life. As a consequence of her actions, Ariel provokes the wrath of her father who provides her with a chaperone, Sebastian the crab (well-voiced by Daveed Diggs, of Hamilton), to prevent her from doing anything reckless.
A put-upon Sebastian fails; as Ariel encounters the Octopus-like sea witch, Ursula (a deliciously evil Melissa McCarthy), who offers a duplicitous bargain: in exchange for Ariel's soul {and gorgeous voice}, she will grant the mermaid 3-days as a human. Thrilled, Ariel - with legs, but no voice - enters the human world and all of its wonders. But as per Ursula's rule, by sunset on the 3rd night, if she has not received true love's kiss from Prince Eric, she will belong to Ursula; putting her own life & her father's crown in jeopardy. Undersea enchantment & earthly drama ensues.
As is the case with most of these live-action Disney remakes, they are good enough to stand aside the originals, while not achieving the cinematic heights of those originals. That said, based on some changes that writer David Magee made to the plotline, this movie is one of the better renditions. Containing the tried-&-true classic story, a likeable cast, some splendid visuals, & that iconic music score, 'The Little Mermaid' beguiles, if not enthralls. Though the underwater visual effects & art direction is not on an Avatar level, I was still pretty mesmerized by the vibrant colors & variety of aquatic milieu. As for the songs, most of the '89 tunes are here, plus a few composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Disney vet as-of-late, Lin-Manuel Miranda. I did not love "Wild Uncharted Waters", but I enjoyed "For the First Time", and "The Scuttlebutt" - which is rapped by Scuttle & Sebastian - gave me some chuckles.
Halle Bailey delivers a remarkable debut full of tenderness, wide-eyed wonder, & vocal talent. Her version of "Part of Your World" absolutely soars -- I got goose bumps. Jonah Hauer-King's boyish good looks & relaxed acting style is an asset to the film. He & Bailey have the requisite chemistry to make their sweet romance believable {their carriage scene is lovely, as well as the famous rowboat scene set to "Kiss the Girl"}. And one of the big improvements made to this film was fleshing out Eric's back story a bit to something more than him being just a vacuous, good-looking plot device.
Daveed Diggs {with his Jamaica-heavy accent & flamboyant rambunctiousness - particularly during "Under the Sea"}, Awkwafina {with her amusingly cuckoo personality} & Jacob Tremblay (with his sweet support} provide good comic relief as Ariel's companions. Javier Bardem brings big 'don't mess with the king' energy, but is ultimately very empathetic and, his final moments onscreen had tears streaming down my face again. Melissa McCarthy is full of verve & is wickedly campy; scheming, primping, preening & ooooozing evil as the purple, undulating Ursula. Her "Poor Unfortunate Souls" is, as it was in the '89 version, a highlight. And rounding out the cast is Art Malik as Sir Grimsby, & Noma Dumezweni as Eric's adoptive mother, The Queen.
Now, I quite like most of the Disney live-action remakes. Having said that, they are not perfect, and this one is no different. At 135 min. in length, it's too long; particularly for small kids who can barely sit for 90. Also, while most of the changes made to the story enrich this movie, some changes detract. i.e., that "Wild Chartered Waters" song that is quite awkwardly staged. And more than anything else, this movie - while still being a genuinely good one - simply lacks the je ne sais quoi cinematic magic, visual whimsy & dynamic tempo that the animated classic kept up from beginning to end. This version pleases, yet doesn't amaze. Still it should be seen for Halle Bailey + the fortification of the story by adding narrative context & emotional pull.
Ariel has an immense fascination with humans {collecting artifacts that she finds in the sea} and, in violation of an edict set by her almighty, omnipotent father, King Triton (Javier Bardem) to not interact with humans, she ventures to the water's surface to save the life of Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) when his ship is wrecked in a terrific storm {this sequence is the 1st of 2 that resulted in tears streaming down my face}. Ariel falls in love with the dashing Eric and, likewise, he searches vehemently for the girl who saved his life. As a consequence of her actions, Ariel provokes the wrath of her father who provides her with a chaperone, Sebastian the crab (well-voiced by Daveed Diggs, of Hamilton), to prevent her from doing anything reckless.
A put-upon Sebastian fails; as Ariel encounters the Octopus-like sea witch, Ursula (a deliciously evil Melissa McCarthy), who offers a duplicitous bargain: in exchange for Ariel's soul {and gorgeous voice}, she will grant the mermaid 3-days as a human. Thrilled, Ariel - with legs, but no voice - enters the human world and all of its wonders. But as per Ursula's rule, by sunset on the 3rd night, if she has not received true love's kiss from Prince Eric, she will belong to Ursula; putting her own life & her father's crown in jeopardy. Undersea enchantment & earthly drama ensues.
As is the case with most of these live-action Disney remakes, they are good enough to stand aside the originals, while not achieving the cinematic heights of those originals. That said, based on some changes that writer David Magee made to the plotline, this movie is one of the better renditions. Containing the tried-&-true classic story, a likeable cast, some splendid visuals, & that iconic music score, 'The Little Mermaid' beguiles, if not enthralls. Though the underwater visual effects & art direction is not on an Avatar level, I was still pretty mesmerized by the vibrant colors & variety of aquatic milieu. As for the songs, most of the '89 tunes are here, plus a few composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Disney vet as-of-late, Lin-Manuel Miranda. I did not love "Wild Uncharted Waters", but I enjoyed "For the First Time", and "The Scuttlebutt" - which is rapped by Scuttle & Sebastian - gave me some chuckles.
Halle Bailey delivers a remarkable debut full of tenderness, wide-eyed wonder, & vocal talent. Her version of "Part of Your World" absolutely soars -- I got goose bumps. Jonah Hauer-King's boyish good looks & relaxed acting style is an asset to the film. He & Bailey have the requisite chemistry to make their sweet romance believable {their carriage scene is lovely, as well as the famous rowboat scene set to "Kiss the Girl"}. And one of the big improvements made to this film was fleshing out Eric's back story a bit to something more than him being just a vacuous, good-looking plot device.
Daveed Diggs {with his Jamaica-heavy accent & flamboyant rambunctiousness - particularly during "Under the Sea"}, Awkwafina {with her amusingly cuckoo personality} & Jacob Tremblay (with his sweet support} provide good comic relief as Ariel's companions. Javier Bardem brings big 'don't mess with the king' energy, but is ultimately very empathetic and, his final moments onscreen had tears streaming down my face again. Melissa McCarthy is full of verve & is wickedly campy; scheming, primping, preening & ooooozing evil as the purple, undulating Ursula. Her "Poor Unfortunate Souls" is, as it was in the '89 version, a highlight. And rounding out the cast is Art Malik as Sir Grimsby, & Noma Dumezweni as Eric's adoptive mother, The Queen.
Now, I quite like most of the Disney live-action remakes. Having said that, they are not perfect, and this one is no different. At 135 min. in length, it's too long; particularly for small kids who can barely sit for 90. Also, while most of the changes made to the story enrich this movie, some changes detract. i.e., that "Wild Chartered Waters" song that is quite awkwardly staged. And more than anything else, this movie - while still being a genuinely good one - simply lacks the je ne sais quoi cinematic magic, visual whimsy & dynamic tempo that the animated classic kept up from beginning to end. This version pleases, yet doesn't amaze. Still it should be seen for Halle Bailey + the fortification of the story by adding narrative context & emotional pull.