#Little mermaid review

[msawesomegeek]

Little mermaid 2023 Movie Review

A/N; hey look at me reviewing movies! And the day it was release on streaming service because I refuse to give Disney too much of my hard earned money!

Now there were some changes to the story, which we otherwise know, and I will say I have not watched the original in years, so besides some musical moments that I of course know the music by heart I wasn't actively trying to compare the two.

To make things simply I will go over style/tone and animation. Character, some story, music and overall thoughts.

I both really loved and hated the style change, it felt like tonally they were kind of unsure about what they wanted. The ship/shark scene at the beginning was really cool and actually scary, showed Ariel adaptive nature and ability to think on her feet (something I would have loved in Mulan), but the intensity of the saturation of the lighting coupled with the very intense action music, that never returned even for the climax, made it, weird. I felt a little like that with the shipwreck scene, scary and realistic but almost too intense with the score. These two moments just felt, too adult, or too intense and scary to belong with the rest of the movie and honestly in a kids movie! And there was a bit of a tonal clash for the rest of the movie with it trying to be light and magical coupled with the realism of it all, which could have been blended better. It felt insecure, tonally. Like if it would have just leaned heavier into either the realism or the magic, and I would personally prefer the magical version, because I think it suits the most of the movie, then it would have worked. But because it tried so hard to be realistic as well it lost some of its charm and magic along with it. Because these movies were so harsh it was kind of hard to enjoy Scattles musical number. And it saddens me because for a lot of this movie I did enjoy it! Again we have singing and dancing fish in "under the sea", and it was cool, but, would I have liked it to go insane over the top like they did with be our guest? Absolutely! Because the movie is asking me to accept the fact that fish sing and dance! The lagoon scene had this as well, where it was cool and magical but then had to "prove" it was still real every now and then, and it kind of punctured the ballon of this charming scene that had just been build!

Last which is a great Segway into character I wanted to touch on the animation. Was it good for the most part? Absolutely! I adored Ursulas tentacles and the way they were used! And most of the movie did look great! However, I would have liked a little more expression from Sebastian, because they gave him sort of movable eyelids or something that made him be able to have expressions. They just needed to use what they had more! Because sometimes his voice actor was giving it his all while there was a deadpanned crab on screen! And it did not mesh well. But when they DID use it, it just reminded you of why you wanted it all the time!

I did love Sebastian, amazing voice actor, funny but not in a way that stole focus. Same mostly goes for Scattle and Flounder. I mostly liked the way they interacted with Ariel.

Where Sebastian lacked animation and Ursulas tentacles had amazing animation, Melissa McCarthy I was disappointed in. Good singing, sure! But Oh my god, she lacked as much if not more facial expression than the animated Crab! I think it bothers me because I know Ursulas look is based on a drag queen, and because her tentacles were so dramatic, and honestly she is so dramatic. I wanted her to be that all the time. I was honestly bored during poor unfortunate souls, purely because I felt like her expression was giving me nothing. Just evil grin! Not glee not dramatization, not over the top and clearly fake pity! Like her body movement was so amazing and over the top I just wish that had just translated in her face as well! That and as for character developement, it was fine to have her there, but I would have liked just an ounce of affection shown to her two eels like, one throwaway line about: "You boys are the only ones who understand me." Anything! Because I really did LOVE her monster transformation happening because of them! I would have just loved to have that seed of a relationship sown earlier.

Ariels character also lacked some expressions some times but it was overall well acted and she was cute. The only thing I was meh about was her during Under the Sea. Mostly because I would have liked her to play along but be rolling her eyes when Sebastian wasn't looking, anything to make her disappearance at the end of the song justified. That and I loved her putting things in her mouth at random, however could they not just, like, once have her spit out the soap or flower disgusted with the flavor? Like?! Are we encouraging people to eat soap? The humor is that she eats it, just have her spit it out!

Eric. Eric. Eric. Eric. I really did LOVE what they did with his character, and there were scenes, moments, in the hall way on the ship on the lagoon, on the carriage, at the final battle. Where he was amazing and charming and the perfect character perfectly acted! I loved him getting some motivation! Didn't mind his song, but I will get to that one. But there were just moments, and I understand some of them, where he was not meant to be the focus on the scene. But it was almost like the actor FORGOT he was still on the clock and was just kind of there. And it sucked because if he had just acted the way he did in all of those other scenes, given it an ounce more expression, and emotion. He would have been amazing! The scene that hurts the most, and maybe it was due to direction or editing, but he has just lost THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE, his mother tells him they can never be together. You're holding the one piece of clothing, a last piece of her. Do you A look sad for one bloody moment then drop it in the sea? Or B) look at it devastated knowing you can never be together fighting to let her go, but knowing it is a cruel fate you have to face hugging it one last time wishing it was her before letting it go knowing you have to and after your mother puts a comforting hand on your shoulder. Can you guess which option they went with in the movie? HINT: IT wasn't B.

And again maybe it is style, direction, editing, I dont know. but the climax of the movie, is their kiss! There is a song bloody dedicated to it. I would have liked it to last longer, maybe have it be a bit more wow factor? Maybe that is just me? It just felt like, wow, kiss, mwua, done! Like there was a song about it, can we maybe make it a bit more epic looking? And don't argue that people kissing can't be made interesting because I have watched K-dramas and I know about every angle in which that can be done!

Anyways.

Touched on some story elements with characters before, but I wanna get on two last details that kind of annoyed me. One was the vagueness of Erics fathers death, which is like, did he do something to piss triton off? Did he kill Ariels mother? They kind of hinted at it, but in a way where there was no answer so it just felt weird to try!

The other that really annoys me, is Ariel stearring the ship into Ursula. As a detail of women saving themselves, fine, do not give a shit if it is her or Eric! However. She is a mermaid. She ate a flower, she uses a fork in her hair. HOW does she know on her FIRST TRY how to steer a ship?! Just have Eric or anyone show her how to steer once! Use half a scene on it! Just show us that this is now a skill she has, because it will still be dramatic and her having to do it without legs, but it would make her master of both worlds and really show look I know how to apply my old and new knowledge! It is just a detail, but it kind of infuriated me, because it would have made the climax much more impactful and knowing it could have been done smoothly. Even with just Eric trying first and failing and then her understanding and doing it would have been enough! Doesn't even have to be earlier. But anything to show her learning this skill would make it more impactful because that means we saw her both emotionally and physically learn to defeat the villain!

The music, was good. I did not mind the new songs, I did love the gossip song. Ariels flexing her runs was a little eh for me. I understand that they probably wanted to make it her own and change some notes, but it just took from the emotion, which she nailed in some parts, and someone showing off in a vocal riff just pulls you from the emotion. Musicals are about singing emotions! Musicals music are about when emotions become so big you have to sing them. Musical artists flex vocals yes, but they NEVER do so at the cost of the emotion of the song, or they are singing and not acting as well.

Erics, song. Oh Eric, Eric, Eric. Can you tell I have a weird relationship to this guy? The end of the song, was kind of good, I will admit his song did grow on me. I dont remember if there was a reprise before Ursulas entrance, but shame if there wasn't. However, musically I think the gossip song fit more in with the rest. I understand it is supposed to be his Aria, and Part of your world is special, but it just felt very, Les Miserable. It reminded me SO much of Valjean's Seliloquy, down to the tonality while he ran reminding me of the ripping the papers scene. It was just. It was bad, then it grew on me. I was confused as to if it was actually him singing it, and it seemed not his tone (maybe to be pitched a bit higher), and he may be in agony, but the song was musically just too les miserables for me, and I love Les mis!

Overall it was an okay moments, a lot of missed opportunities and places it lacked. Especially Ursula and Eric could have been improved. Where Cinderella remake and Aladdin remake had some magic and made me happy, the Mulan remake made me angry, and the Lion king made me just bored, this movie makes me kind of, sad. I think because I can see some choices they made, and how they genuinely tried. There were some amazing moments between Ariel and Eric, there were some great things, but because there was only a few changes that had to have been made to make it great it just made it, mediocre. I really wanted to like this movie. I really did like parts of this movie. But most of the time, I was thinking about what should have been.

So I give this movie a sad 3 out of 10 Dinglehoppers.

Tell me if you agree or disagree with me! Or if there is something you want me to review next.

Geek, out.

#movie review #movie #movie recommendation #movie reviews #rant #the little mermaid #little mermaid 2023 #disney live action #disney princess #Little mermaid review #Disney live action review

[rinabirgul]

#memes #meme #movie #movies #movie review #lol memes #moviegifs #shrek 2 #shrek #dreamworks #kung fu panda #disney #art #lol #dank memes #shrek is love #the little mermaid #the lion king #sleeping beauty #frozen

[odinsblog]

Refusing to acknowledge the ridiculously outsized impact of racialized misogyny + colorism + anti-Blackness on the critiques of The Little Mermaid 2023 is like seeing a woman with a bloody battered face exit the home of a known domestic abuser, and then concluding that she probably just fell down the stairs or clumsily walked into a door or something

It’s crazy the amount of mental gymnastics, endless equivocation and flat out denial that people will go through to avoid admitting racism

#racism deniers #the little mermaid #halle bailey #racism #south korea #review bombing #china #anti blackness

[karizipan]

ermm scanned some stuff... some of the orv in my sketchbook + tidbits of my silly merfolk yjh au

#rb #orv #MY OLD DRRR REVIEWER CAME HANDY👍👍👍 just cut up the bits about disaster once I read it bc I went wow this is yoocroft core! #specially the human damage <- disaster bit... God bless my notes! #okay talking abt merfolk au emmm #I made this. bc i got so sick of the mermaid Kim Dokjas I kept seeing on Twitter iwhwkw he does not have enough swag to be qualified that #<- maybe as a squid beast thing yeah but mermaid? no #Anyway I wanted to base yjh off a mythical creature like a selkie or narwhal but I just settled for some breed of shark (yet to be decided) #I first thought of yjh appearing washed up ashore somewhere and hsy and kdj find him and it's meet cute. just like little mermaid silliness #but i thought of a funnier way of them meeting 🤷‍♂️ #cute yoohankim au meetup! your friend threw a harpoon at me 😍 #<- injuries galore happened on that fishing trip... Jhw got bitten... leading to that conversation between her and kdj... #yjh is able to turn into a human but it depends on how much power she's reserved and it's under a limited time before she turns back #<- this leads to hankim saying if they're sure yjh isn't actually a siren

[pricelesscinemas]

#letterboxd #movie #movie review #movie reviews #movies #movie recommendation #movie recommendations #review #reviews #the little mermaid #the scuttlebutt #awkwafina #lin manuel miranda #lmm #anti lmm #anti awkwafina #disney movies #disney

[maclanahan--mermaid-comics]

My review for the live action little mermaid

#the film itself was fine #but this tummy thing is my Roman Empire #mermaid #mermaids #the little mermaid #tummy #review #sketch #doodle

[kindlythevoid]

Something about the way Ariel’s siren song saved Eric.

Something about the way Eric fell in love with her siren song first.

Something about the way that when Ariel gave up her song, Eric was finally given the chance to love her for her.

(And boy, did he fall hard.)

Something about the way that Eric’s love was finally made whole when Ariel herself became whole.

Something about the way Ariel was able to love him with her whole self after reconciling with her past with her father.

#Something something Ariel and Eric symbolize a whole healthy relationship #Loving each other as complete people #Enough of soulmates filling in gaps #More of soulmates filling in the spot where your hand meets mine #the little mermaid #prince eric #ariel #mermaids #So anyway just saw the remake of The Little Mermaid!! #CGI was iffy at some points #But the overall story was fantastic #Great character development #Wonderful songs #Incredible acting #Kiki does movie reviews in the tags #just yelling into the void #something something poetry #disney princesses #kiki writes a little

[mmdisney200]

Ariel live action Limited Edition doll review & unboxing now on my channel 🧜🏽‍♀️😍🫧

#disney #disneygram #instadisney #dollstagram #halle Bailey #Ariel #the little mermaid #la sirenita #little mermaid #disney limited edition dolls #Shopdisney #Disney store #princess Ariel #Disney princesses #Disney collector #doll review #unboxing #Youtube

[gh0stsp1d3r]

I watched the little mermaid, and omg it was so good.

First of all, while they may have been ignoring that fact that slavery existed since it was set in the 18th century, it was still a beautiful film.

It showed lots of carribean culture, it reminded me of Jamaica or Trinidad, and the people and setting really were beautiful. I really do love how they showed the culture, and the accents that everyone had? Omg the actors and voice actors were PERFECT.

I just felt really represented, which is rare, in the scene where they were dancing and the market and stuff, it was amazing and you should go see it if you haven’t already.

Definitely my favorite Disney movie.

#my thoughts #my rants #the little mermaid #the little mermaid review

[hinasho]

Ariel’s “Siren Song”

So I’ve been reading the Guide to Merfolk book. It dives into the lore in The Little Mermaid (2023) universe and has brought up a lot of interesting things.

One of those things is Siren Songs and their variants. Each song type has different abilities. One of them is the well known “lure” ability, but there are others.

Ariel sings to Eric after rescuing him from the shipwreck, and an observing Sebastian says smthg about her using her “siren song”. As Siren Songs have different types, I believe the song Ariel sings to Eric on the beach is different from the song Vanessa/Ursula sang to him on the rock.

HEART SONG

An aria sweet as honey dripping

Sends cool hearts aflame and senses slipping--

Lulling the longing to wander and stray,

Following the ballad into the spray.

ERIC’S NOTES: “Yeah, this would never work on me. Not in a million years.”

For context, the blue writing is notes that Eric has left behind. The way the guide book reads, it’s as though we’re in Eric’s study reading this book after he has.

A “Heart Song” is basically a love song. It makes the victim fall senselessly in love with the siren, and is basically romantic brainwashing. I believe this is the song Vanessa/Ursula tried to use on Eric on the rock.

His comment about “it never working on him” makes me even more sure, given that we know, despite using Ariel’s Heart Song, Eric was still not completely in love with Vanessa and was still pining over real Ariel. I believe him saying “it would never work on him” is supposed to be irony/foreshadowing.

HEAL SONG

A potent siren tune more sharp than flat

Mends bruised wounds from scraps and bites from the bat--

Fighting poison to cleanse and to discard,

Restoring health through the melodic bard.

ERIC’S NOTES: “Hey! I wouldn’t mind this song one bit.”

Meanwhile, I believe the song Ariel sings to him on the beach is her “Heal Song”, a song that cures wounds and ailments.

Ariel does not know human anatomy. She might have books about certain things and knows humans can’t breathe underwater, but she does not know how to medically resuscitate a human, and her pats on Eric’s chest did absolutely nothing. It’s not until she sings does Eric actually come to and open his eyes.

There are several other reasons why I think it’s highly unlikely Ariel used her Heart Song (despite it just not making any sense). For one, Ariel clearly had no idea her interest in Eric was reciprocated when she came to land. She did not know he was out searching for her. And two, when Eric does run into the room and sees her for the first time, he is obviously disappointed because he thinks she’s just some stranger. He’s not “senselessly in love” as a Heart Song would lead him to be.

So I believe Ariel used her Heal Song to revive Eric from drowning, meanwhile Ursula tried to use a Heart Song to brainwash him into being in love with her. Just a tidbit I found interesting.

#i made this post for two reasons #1) bc its just interesting and i lOVE lore stuff #and 2) because i was watching a review and they said Ariel being a siren completely destroyed the story for them bc 'she brainwashed him' #and nope! thats not what happened! #i thought it was pretty obvious Ariel's singing healed Eric not bewitched him but alas #the little mermaid 2023 #tlm #babbles #tlm live action

[juniaships]

Curse of the Sea Witches

I thought to take advantage of scamazon prime day so I bought a couple of TLM books. This is a kiddie graphic novel that takes place after the events of the original movie. It's not as long as I expected and the ending was pretty anticlimatic. Otherwise it's a so read. Plus I love the idea of Ariel exploring other regions and cultures!

The plot is about Ariel and Eric meeting Eric's cousin Magnus as he builds a new port. But it comes into direct conflict with a bitter mer-Queen Arnaaluk. Interestingly aside from a few unnamed background characters Eric and Ariel are the ONLY white people in the story XD

Yes Magnus has Inuit heritage/looks, take that grifters! 😁😁

I wanna say the story sounds like it could be a better sequel than the actual sequel. At least the plot is original and not a complete rehash.

Even the merfolk are designed with Inuit cultures in mind. I do find the skin color odd sine the og merfolk had regular skin and hair colors, though this might be done to make them more unique.

The conflict is fairly interesting and it's clear there isn't any real villain in it (uh oh, the "we want real villains again" crowd won't like the sound of that). But it shows how not everything is purely black and white. Both Magnus and Arnaaluk make good points and *spoilers* do compromise. Anticlimactic as it is.

The biggest flaw is there's no actual sea witches :(

I assumed there'd be something like a sea witch taking advantage of both sides to try to take over the Artic. But it turns out to be just a term used by the humans to describe the merfolk.

Anyways, it's a pretty good addition to the Disney Mermaid lore. I hope there's more stories detailing Ariel's exploring more human cultures in the future!

I think I might use this as a fanfic now.

#the little mermaid #disney #graphic novels #comics #disney comics #disney princesses #ariel #tlm 1989 #ariel and the curse of the sea witches #books #bookblr #review

[destinyc1020]

Love this for her!!! 🥰😊

Everything I've been reading has been nothing but POSITIVE about this movie and Halle's performance. ❤️

#the little mermaid #reviews #can't wait to go under the sea!! 😁

[carriagelamp]

Coming in just under the wire... my top (...or well, in some cases the most distinctive) books I read in 2022!

You know, I was startled to realize that while I did read a rather nice collection of queer lit this year, I didn't read a single Canadian novel. This is the first year in a few I haven't been able to put at least one on my list... I'll have to remedy that next year.

I'll do a brief description of the books, for those who are curious, but my more robust summaries/reviews are in the monthly reviews.

Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson -- a story about an orphan who receives a birthday gift of sand from his presumably long dead parents and gets drawn into a strange, magical adventure by his mysterious grandfather

Blacksad by Juan Diaz Canales -- a crime noir adventure comic featuring beautiful art and stunning scenery

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy -- a gentle collection of affirmations forming a loose, beautifully drawn narrative

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell -- a story about the chosen one attending a magical school and his rival - rather obviously a parody but it successfully creates characters, narrative, and romance that fully stands on its own

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming -- a story about a family who buy a very special car, one which seems to have a life of its own as it reveals a startling range of abilities and cunning that guide them through adventure

Dead Voices by Katherine Arden -- the sequel to Small Spaces, the children have survived their meeting with the Smiling Man and hope that life can return to normal... however when they get snowed in to a ski lodge it becomes quickly evident their holiday will be anything but that

Failed Princesses by Ajiichi -- a classic shoujo premise, in which a popular student and a nerd have a tumultuous first meeting but gradually find themselves warming to each other and slowly a romance begins to bloom... but now with lesbians!

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman -- the quirky explanation a father offers to his children, to justify why he was so late getting back from the shop with the milk...

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xui -- the powerful and feared Yiling Patriarch has been killed and the world is better for it... except years later he has found himself summoned back to the land of the living, his soul stuffed inside a body, and mysterious crimes of the past bubbling back up

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman -- a cute comic showing the developing friendships, relationships, identities, and mental health between Charlie Spring, Nick Nelson, and their collection of friends

Holes by Louis Sachar -- classic novel of Stanley Yelnats, a boy suffering under the curse of his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather, who has found himself wrongly accused of theft and now struggling to find his place and survive at the detention center Camp Green Lake

Icebreaker by A. L. Graziadei -- a story about hockey protege Mickey James III who has a heavy family legacy to live up to and is fighting desperately for the NHL top draft spot... except his top rival is attending the same college as him and isn't going to make things easy

In Deeper Waters by F. T. Luckens -- I'll be honest, I don't remember what this book is about besides pirates, magic, and queer characters... it was a fun enough read but obviously not overly memorable

The Iron Giant // The Iron Woman by Ted Hughes -- originally published as The Iron Man, this is a classic romp about a young boy who overcomes his community's fear and befriends a massive robot which appeared one day from the sea. I also read its sequel, The Iron Woman, which may be even better, and is about another massive robot who has bears the agonies of aquatic life being slowly poisoned and has now appeared to reap vengeance on those responsible for polluting the water

Kase-san and the Morning Glories by Hiromi Takashima -- an adorable series about shy, clumsy Yamada who becomes entranced by the beautiful, outgoing track star, Kase.

Kiki’s Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono -- the novel that inspired the Ghibli film; this book is about a young witch who has set off to spend a year on her own, developing her craft and earning her own way

Minecraft: The Mountain by Max Brooks -- I found the first book very intriguing, though this sequel was only middling. The character from the first book has left his island and has found a whole new world with whole new challenges, everything from new animals, a new friend, and a whole new deadly world to explore

Modelland by Tyra Banks -- my girlfriend read this together mostly as a joke, but my god what a wild ride I don't know if I've ever laughed so much at a book. This is Harry Potter but for a deranged magical modelling based society with the most insane strings of words you have ever seen in one place

Orphaned by Eliot Schrefer -- a book about a young gorilla who finds herself separated from her family and forced to take care of her little brother, all while being stalked by a strange new sort of creature in their jungle home...

Outbursts of Everett True by A. D. Condo and J. W. Raped -- an old newspaper comic about the Everett True, a man who goes about his life giving rude, nasty, and generally unpleasant jerks the walloping we all secretly wish we could unleash

Prince of Song and Sea by Linsey Miller -- a Little Mermaid story, told through the eyes of Prince Eric, with a whole new cast of characters, lore, curses, and exciting worldbuilding

Queer Ducks by Eliot Schrefer -- a well-researched and very readable nonfiction popsci book that explores the complexity of sex and gender in the animal world

Touching Spirit Bear // Ghost of Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen -- a childhood classic about Cole Matthew who, after beating a child badly enough to cause permanent injury, has to come to terms with his anger through a form of restorative justice that sees him on a lonely island and in the path of a majestic and dangerous white bear

Witch Week // Earwig and the Witch by Diana Wynne Jones -- two different novels by Diana Wynne Jokes, first a reread, second a new one for me. Witch Week is a favourite, about witch orphans living at a bording school in which a note warns that someone in the class is a witch. The second is about orphan Earwig and her battle against the witch who adopted her with the intention to use her as a slave.

#book review #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #mdzs #blacksad #bande dessinée #minecraft #minecraft the moutain #max brooks #neil gaiman #carry on #rainbow rowell #little mermaid #the prince of song and sea #linsey miller #queer ducks #queer lit #queer books #lgbt books #orphaned #eliot schrefer #witch week #earwig and the witch #diana wynne jones #howl's moving castle #the iron giant #alcatraz vs the evil librarians #iron woman #touching spirit bear #outbursts of everett true #kiki's delivery service

[shadyb00ts]

The Little Mermaid (2023) - Review

As a longtime fan of Chloe x Halle, I knew from the moment that Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel that she was the perfect choice. Of course the racists were (and still are) whining and throwing tantrums about Ariel being black, because they never believe any person of color can truly earn a role with sheer talent, but for a long time I was sure that even if this movie ended up being an absolute dumpster fire, Halle would be the saving grace of that dumpster fire. She would be the best part, hands down.

Well, I wasn't surprised to see that I was right. About her being the best part, at least, but I don't think the movie itself is a dumpster fire at all. I actually really enjoyed it, and I've been very cynical of the Disney live action remakes for a long time like most people are. I had no confidence in this film but I had the utmost confidence in Halle to shine no matter what. However, there were things about this movie that pleasantly surprised me. Some disappointments though, I'll admit.

This is gonna be a long review, as my reviews always are. Spoilers ahead. I'd recommend you read this if you've seen the movie, but if you haven't and don't care about spoilers, read on.

So for starters, I was never really a Little Mermaid stan. Of course I loved the movie as a kid because I was obsessed with mermaids in general, and the songs were undisputed classics, but I wasn't exactly a fan of the movie as I grew older. I don't dislike it, it's just... fine. It's very of its time. So because of that, I knew they were going to update and expand certain things in the remake. For better or worse.

I've already stated how much I thought Halle nailed this film. Maybe you could say that I'm biased since I was already a fan of hers anyway, but hey, this is just my honest opinion. She captured Ariel's essence so beautifully; her innocence and naivete, her curiosity and inquisitiveness, her yearning and wonder. And while yes, the CGI during the underwater scenes could be a little janky some of the time, I was mostly mesmerized by the way she moved, the way her hair moved and the iridescence of her tail. She just looked so gorgeous and adorable and got Ariel down to a science.

As for when she gets legs and goes to the surface, that's where she shines even more, because she has to act without saying a word. It was all in her expressions and mannerisms and I thought she absolutely delivered. I haven't mentioned the new songs they added yet, but they did add a new Ariel song for when she goes to the surface called "For the First Time" and I have to say that it's my favorite new addition. It's soooo delightfully musical theater and I think it has the most Little Mermaid-esque vibe to it. It fit the movie perfectly.

Back to the actors, I also thought Melissa McCarthy was the biggest surprise. I had zero confidence that she would do the role justice, but I thought she actually did a great job. She was definitely channeling Pat Carroll and some of her lines elicited chuckles out of me. And I thought her rendition of Poor Unfortunate Souls was pretty good, even though it's unfortunately missing the iconic "body language" lyric. She's not a strong vocalist but I think she did the best she could, and she was one of the highlights. Also she did the Ursula Shoulder Shimmy which I appreciated.

Jonah Hauer King as Prince Eric also did a good job I think. The remake added much-needed depth and character to Eric that was missing in the original. Another thing I appreciated was how they tried to show more parallels between Eric and Ariel. There's a scene in the movie where Ariel finds Eric's library/study, and it's shot in a way that makes it reminiscent to Ariel's grotto. They tried to give the two more things in common, and I think they succeeded in that. Plus the chemistry between Jonah and Halle was just off the charts. I rarely find straight couples adorable, but I thought they were so adorable any time they were sharing a scene.

My one minor gripe with his casting is that he's not exactly the strongest vocalist. One of the new musical numbers is an Eric song called Wild Uncharted Waters, and.... I didn't really like it. His voice kind of sounded like the lead singer of an angsty rock band from the 2000s. As soon as it started it gave me war flashbacks to Emma Watson in Beauty and the Beast, where they had to use very noticeable autotune on her voice. Granted that was much, MUCH worse, but still. I don't wanna be reminded of that travesty. The song itself is okay I think, but it could be much better if they had a stronger vocalist or a Broadway darling to play the role, to really do the song justice. But like I said, this is just a minor gripe because Eric really only gets one song, and Jonah overall did a good job.

A change that I really appreciated was, instead of Ariel getting invited to dinner at the castle, she and Eric go to a market instead. The kingdom in the remake is inspired by the Caribbean and I loved the tropical, colorful vibe of the locale. The market visit allowed Ariel to wander around and marvel at everything she doesn't understand, and it's a much cuter, more laid back way for her and Eric to spend time together. Some people were upset about the crazy chef who tries to kill Sebastian being removed, but honestly, I never thought that sequence added anything to the original. I loved what they did here.

Daveed Diggs as Sebastian... Sigh. Look, I love Daveed but I feel like he was so miscast for this. Anytime he spoke or sang, you could tell the Jamaican accent was very put on. Sure, the original actor who voiced Sebastian--Samuel E. Wright, RIP--also was putting on a Jamaican accent, but somehow it just felt more natural when he did it. His voice work as Sebastian was so iconic, and Daveed just missed the mark on this role. It just wasn't the right role for him. His version of Under the Sea was also quite underwhelming, and he did a lot of talk-singing during it. I liked the Under the Sea sequence visually, but not quite sonically.

As for Kiss the Girl, people were making such an uproar about the lyric changes but the changes were so minor. They literally only changed like, a couple of lines, and the song is still the same thematically. It's still just the animal sidekicks trying to influence Eric to kiss the girl in kiiind of a date-r*pey-ish way. They wanted to make it seem more consensual, but nothing's really changed. But yeah, I do think the original version of the song is still better regardless. Similar issue I felt about Under the Sea, it just... doesn't quite hit the mark.

Awkwafina as Scuttle was... alright. She had some funny moments, but I mean, she's just doing her regular voice. It's literally just Awkwafina as a bird. But what I really hated was.. Scuttlebutt.

Oh god, Scuttlebutt. I honestly have no idea what Lin Manuel Miranda was thinking when he wrote this? I don't know if he was smoking something really strong, cause like... Mama, this is garbage. Like, I can't even explain to you how painful to hear this song was. It's absolutely the worst and most unnecessary addition to the soundtrack. Nobody wants to hear Awkwafina, the queen of putting on blaccents, rapping. That's the last thing any of us wanna hear. It was just. So. Horrible. I've seen the movie twice in theaters now and each time I was just begging for that song to be over.

Anyway, that's the most negative thing I can say about this movie, was that damn song. Lin deserved jailtime for that one.

For the more minor characters, Javier Bardem as Triton was okay. Some people think he was horrible but I don't think he was that bad, it was fine. I still would've preferred Idris Elba as Triton but that's just my personal fancast.

Flounder was... Flounder. Yeah, I don't like his hyper-realistic design, but he was still pretty cute and 12-year-old Jacob Tremblay was just trying his best to emulate the original actor and I think he did a fine job.

Ariel's sisters were barely in it, like in the original. They did give them each unique, cute designs, but we all know that it's just to sell dolls. They appear in the beginning of the movie in a pretty awkward scene that's supposed to replace the concert from the original film. Apparently Triton and his daughters meet every time there's something called the Coral Moon? It seems to just be a family meeting of some sort. They left it so vague, they didn't even bother to explain what the Coral Moon was. I wish they had just kept the concert.

But yeah, the sisters are all named and apparently I heard each of them are supposed to have special powers? Well those powers weren't showcased in the movie at all, so we know it was just a marketing tactic. I'm sure there'll be tons of fanfics of all the sisters having adventures and whatnot. They might even make an animated series. It'd be called Ariel and Her Sisters, or Daughters of Triton.

I do think the dolls are very slay though. I'd buy the whole 7 pack.

Oh my god, I forgot to talk about Vanessa. Girl... Jessica Alexander bodied this role. Even though she was only in it for a handful of minutes, she ate up every bit of those minutes. I also really liked Vanessa's Trick from the soundtrack and thought it sounded beautiful. Do I wish it still had lyrics instead of "la-di-da's"? Sure I guess, but I honestly don't mind all that much. It's very haunting and Halle's voice is ethereal on it.

I think that's all I have to say on the movie. It's a fun time and it's bolstered by some stellar performances (particularly from Halle) and welcome changes/additions. But it's also kinda bogged down by not-always-great CGI, some clunky musical choices, and certain things cut from the original film that I thought shouldn't have been cut.

Still, I very much enjoyed this movie more than any of the other Disney remakes so far. I do agree with people's sentiments of it being the best of the bunch, but well... the bar isn't exactly high in that regard. Maybe because the previous remakes were so bad, this one just is the best because it's the only one that doesn't suck.

Whatever the case, I had enough of a great time that I went and saw it twice. I recommend you see it too before it leaves theaters.

#the little mermaid #the little mermaid 2023 #ariel #halle bailey #jonah hauer king #melissa mccarthy #ursula #prince eric #sebastian #flounder #scuttle #tlm #movie review #film #disney #live action remakes #disney live action #review #film review

[balimode]

I'm making a point to post this because it is the ONE TIME throughout this entire year of people wearing godawful, aluminum foil-esque dresses to red carpet events.... that it has actually worked and looked good.

Bra. Fucking. Vo.

#halle bailey #red carpet #the little mermaid #haute take #bali reviews

[gabzilla-z]

The Little Mermaid was so cute.

#may do a full review i have many thoughts #The Little Mermaid