The Little Mermaid is a beautiful and stunning realized story that brings a breath of fresh air to a classic story. From the moment the opening shot comes up on the screen of these sweeping ocean visuals I knew I was going to be in for a treat. It was captivating to watch and fun to be transported back into this wonderful fairy tale world.
We can start with Halle Bailey. She is absolutely gorgeous and is such a great Ariel. Her vocals are off the charts and she brings this calm, fun and bubbly energy to Ariel without losing her explorer nature. I loved the fact that she was more of an explorer in this adaptation than a fan girl and it brought this sense of adventure to the story I think it needed.
There are some fresh new things they’ve added to the story that I think were necessary to add to the story for new audiences. It didn’t come off as unnatural and in fact came off as more Pirates of the Caribbean adventure which I loved. The classic story is still there just with fun new and fresh additions to modernize it and feel like it’s elevated.
Mellissa McCarthy as Ursula was fabulous and Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric was charming. Ursula’s signature musical number poor unfortunate souls was perfectly delivered and charismatic from McCarthy. The visuals and her glowing tentacles were absolutely perfect for the scene. Prince Eric’s story is more fleshed out here and he seems more like a real person with goals and ambitions, instead of just a piece of meat that’s nice to look at and that Ariel is making googley eyes at.
The romance between Eric and Ariel is believable because of the more time we spend with their characters instead of rushing through their stories and motivations. And the kiss the girl moment was so charming and adorable I wanted to shout out “just kiss her already!”. Ariel’s signature part of your world song is absolutely amazing and Bailey’s vocals bring it to a new level. I was hypnotized by her vocals and the emotion that she brought to the song. And even in Ariels new songs Bailey is show-stopping and sure to become a big star.
Sebastian, Scuttle and flounder are just okay here and Sebastian is definitely the stand out of the three. He brings some spunk and flare and good comedic timing to his scenes without it feeling forced. The VFX on them though are good and you never feel like they aren’t real.
There’s a moment with Ariel and Eric’s dog Max that captures your heart and just perfectly sums up the caring nature of the movie and Ariel. Ariel’s tail is absolutely stunning but is also perceived as powerful and useful which I really appreciated, especially in the opening sequence with the shark attack.
The shipwreck scene is an intense yet heartfelt sequence. The visuals there are also astounding as is the case with the whole movie. The soundtrack as you’d expect is toe tapping and head bopping fun with some Caribbean flare. And while there are moments where the movie feels dull and a little bland it is brought right back up with some fun sequences and beautiful visuals.
The Little Mermaid is not a little movie by any means and deserves to be seen on the big screen. It’s not perfect, but it breathes new life into a classic story. Halle Bailey is a marvel and the music is so much fun and The Little Mermaid is the perfect way to kick off the summer.
I give The Little Mermaid and A-
