The Little Mermaid Remake Review ***SPOILERS***
Okay so I’m going to try to write this review while also watching the Celtics game lol 😆 First off, I want to warn anyone who hasn’t seen the movie yet that this review is full of spoilers.
Okay, let’s jump into it…So, first off the beginning was lack luster…visuals of waves and the ocean…it looked too much like a fan made trailer. Then we get a glimpse at the crew of Prince Eric’s ship. Needless to say they left out the song “Fathoms below” which would have given the story a little more context- like the animated did- anyway- So, after that, we dive under the sea…the visuals and special effects were pretty good. Sets up the world of Atlantica, or in this case some fantasy underwater kingdom- but I do have to say it didn’t really get into the world of the merpeople. I was pretty disappointed at that. I would have also liked the scene to be added in when King Triton holds a big celebration/concert to honor his seven daughters, including Ariel. But that lacked as well. Btw Ariel’s sisters really didn’t have any lines or scenes in the film. They had one moment with Ariel and it was very distant. That distinction was lost. You don’t see the closeness she has with her sisters. Poorly executed. Next we have the scene where Ariel and Flounder are exploring the sunken ships, that was one of the scenes that matched the animated movie- that was filmed perfectly. Uh, Scuttle? Was never a bird who could dive underwater. But, apparently in this film he is not a seagull. The scene Ariel has with him was great though, reminded me of the animated. And also the turn over to Ariel swimming back to the palace. And…now, Ursula’s introduction…okay, honestly I went into this really skeptical about how they were going to view her, but they actually did an okay job with that. Some lines where scrapped, which would have made more sense if they kept them in, but I digress. BUT, I will admit I liked the way they gave us more info about her and Triton’s relationship as brother and sister and how she should have rightfully been the Queen. Her anger and misery is totally understandable.
Ariel and Triton’s relationship is a lot more strained than in the animated. Triton comes off more cold than before. But his hatred for humans is still strong and evident. Ariel, however seems more passive than rebellious…which I didn’t enjoy. And I will give Halle Bailey props for bringing “Part of that world” to life. That scene was absolutely incredible. And following that the scene of the fireworks and the moment when Ariel lays eyes on Eric. Her curiosity shines through in that scene. The shipwreck scene was amazing, scene for scene it was almost identical to the animation. Next, was another scene I was very skeptical but turned out to be surprised by, was the “Part of that world” reprise. It was incredibly shot and executed. I’m going to take a little break, I’ll be back with part two…