Random Movie Review - The Little Mermaid (2023)

 

I have voiced my opinion already on how I feel Disney are doing this year. This year that marks their 100th anniversary where their strategy on film releases and Disney+ just feels too wrong and doesn't allow breathing room between things. So here we have their latest in these unnecessary remakes and I say that because the films that are getting these live action remakes, are already gems and iconic classics in their own right. They were all expressive, magical and had charm over these dull, dark and for the most part, mediocre remakes. However, I have decided that I won't assume the worst with every remake because while they mostly share the same problems, not all of them are bad. For most, The Jungle Book is the best one while The Lion King is the worst one and the ones, like this one that feature humans, are in the middle. Some of them are best forgetting about, like Lady and the Tramp and Pinocchio. Whereas films like Maleficent, Cruella, Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast should still be acknowledged for doing a pretty decent attempt, even if it's not a perfect one. So now it's the turn of the very first Disney Renaissance film. Most of these films exist so that Disney can retain the copyright of these stories, which apparently would've been reverted to public domain had they not make another film and all that. Anyway, let's head under the sea:

So I'll start by saying how disappointed I am that most Disney films with a princess now, are not using a variation of the castle at the beginning. Missing these tricks guys, but probably doing that intentionally to rush things. Anyway, the film's story is pretty much the same in which Ariel (played this time by Halle Bailey) becomes curious about the human world, much to the annoyance of Sebastian (this time voiced by Daveed Diggs) and in turn, her father and ruler of Atlantica King Triton (played by Javier Bardem). At the same time, Eric (played by Jonah Hauer-King) has become too distant of his adoptive mother and Queen of a Caribbean island kingdom, Selina (played by Norma Dumezweni). Despite their hardships, soon things take a turn for the worse and Triton's estranged sister and sea witch, Ursula (played by Melissa McCarthy), puts her plan into motion of trying to rule Atlantica. And if you have seen the animated film, much of this film plays out the same, with some areas expanded upon.

Overall, for a Disney remake, this one is not the absolute worst one. The acting is good, but Bailey's acting comes across as uninteresting at first, but gets better over time. McCarthy as Ursula was a good call, and she really gets into the character, even if her take is lacking the expressive smile that the original had. Bardem as Triton is pretty bland, I find, and Hauer-King as Eric could've done with more work. But he does his best with what he has. As for the visuals, Sebastian, I will admit, looked horrible at first, but you grow to enjoy his new look here. The other talking animals, look a bit strange and not very expressive. I liked the parts that were expanded upon, and I think it was a good call to expand on Eric's side of the story, which wasn't really all that well-developed in the original film, I felt. So take it for what it is. It's not the best, nor the worst remake. But worth at least one watch, for sure, even if you can't get over some of its various elements and its production budget which is yet again, too expensive. 7/10