264. The Little Mermaid; movie review

 

THE LITTLE MERMAID

Cert PG

130 mins

BBFC advice: Contains mild threat

Another adaptation of a classic animation into a 'real-life' action movie which adds very little.

As a child, the Disney theme tune would leave me spellbound in anticipation but now it has lost that allure.

Rob Marshall's The Little Mermaid is a regurgitation of lots of old ideas and will only be remembered by Melissa McCarthy's impressive and surprising transformation from beloved comedienne into a wicked witch.

It stars Halle Bailey as wide-eyed Ariel, youngest daughter of King Triton (Javier Bardem), the leader of the subterranean merpeople.

The king is vehement that his subjects should keep away from humans because he fears their aggressive nature.

However, Ariel's curiosity constantly gets the better of her and she needs to sate her fascination for life above the waves.

So, despite the dire warnings of her friends Sebastian the crab (voiced by Daveed Diggs), flounder (Jacob Tremblay) and gannet (Akwafina), she literally pops her head above water.

The result of her action is a tumultuous romance with a swashbuckling prince (Jonah Hauer-King), a major fall-out with her dad and a deadly deal with the witch (McCarthy).

McCarthy's role as a giant squid with a Cruella-sytle head has caused quite a stir among critics of the film who say she would scare many in the young target audience rigid.

She takes the role with great gusto but I think the naysayers have a point. 

The darkness of this film leans towards Hans Christian Andersen's orginal work but may cause unhappiness for the little girls who would have expected a movie which has more in common with My Little Pony.

I was also suprised that the soundtrack had fewer earworms - other than Under The Sea which I have been humming since I watched it.

I just couldn't see the point artistically and that leaves us with Disney's reason for being nowadays. Money.

Reasons to watch: Melissa McCarthy's witch

Reasons to avoid: Lacks impact

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 4/10

Did you know? Hans Christian Andersen wrote the original The Little Mermaid story in 1837. His tale is much darker than the Disney version.

The final word. Halle Bailey: "Her sense of longing, her searching for herself, was something that I could resonate with. She knew where she wanted to go, and she wasn’t going to let anybody stop her." Variety

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