Reviewed by GREG KING
Director: Rob Marshall
Stars: Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Javier Bardem, Melissa McCarthy, Noma Dumezweni, Art Malik, voices of Jacob Tremblay, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina.
Disney continues its trend of producing live action adaptations of its animation back catalogue with this lavish $200 million remake of 1989’s classic tale of The Little Mermaid, which was itself loosely based on the Hans Christian Anderson tale first written in 1837 about a mermaid willing to give up her undersea life to experience a human soul. And while a few of their live action remakes have been misfires, some have actually got the mix right. This live action version actually holds up well when compared to the original, but it is nearly one hour longer and its simple storyline has been padded out with lots of unnecessary subplots and complications and four new songs written by Lin Manuel Miranda (of Hamilton fame) to augment the Oscar winning score from Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. However, a couple of these new songs are quite bland and eminently forgettable.
Ariel (played here by newcomer Halle Bailey) is a mermaid and one of seven daughters of King Triton (Javier Bardem), the ruler of the seven seas. The rebellious Ariel is curious and fascinated by the humans who live on the land, an interest that is frowned upon by her father who distrusts mankind after they killed his wife. But after Ariel rescues the handsome Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) from a shipwreck she is intrigued by him. The evil octopus-shaped queen of the sea, her power-hungry aunt Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), senses an opportunity here and enters into a Faustian pact with Ariel. She offers her a deal – she surrenders her distinctive siren-like voice and her mermaid status for a chance to briefly become human and walk on land. But she must kiss the Prince before three days are over or else the ambitious Ursula will claim control of the underwater realm and Ariel will become her prisoner.
Eric is the heir to the throne of a fictitious Carribean island. Both Ariel and Eric seem to be frustrated with the confines of their own worlds. While the mute Ariel, who has been washed ashore, is welcomed into Eric’s castle Eric himself is desperately searching for the mysterious woman who rescued him unaware that she is right in front of him. A strong bond develops between Eric and Ariel, but before the kiss can take place Ursula intervenes. It is this tentative romance that writer David MaGee has fleshed out in more detail while mostly he is respectful of the source material.
As with many Disney offerings there are the amusing non-human sidekicks that offer plenty of comic relief – here they include Flounder, a nervous fish (voiced by Jacob Tremblay, from Room, etc), a crab named Sebastian (voiced by Daveed Diggs), and an annoying seagull named Scuttle (voiced by Awkwafina).
This live action remake has been directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago, etc). Visually it is quite impressive and features some great special effects, while Dion Beebe’s cinematography brings the undersea environment to life with splashes of colour and amazing creatures great and small. Colleen Atwood’s costumes are also very bright and colourful and suit the Caribbean themed setting.
Bailey is very good as the optimistic and naïve Ariel and she nails the songs, particularly with her rendition of Part Of Your World and she makes the part her own. McCarthy shamelessly chews the scenery as the camp, evil Ursula and she clearly revels in her role. Hauert-King makes for a dashing Eric, but he is still a fairly bland presence, and Bardem is wasted as Triton.
While this version of The Little Mermaid retains much of its fairy tale quality and may well introduce a whole new audience to the tale, it cannot quite match the charm of the 1989 original and may not hold the same appeal for older audiences who fondly remember the original with a hint of nostalgia.
★★★
