THE LITTLE MERMAID has its share of lovely moments but suffers due to its length
THE LITTLE MERMAID is an unusual love story between a mermaid princess and a human prince. Ariel (Halle Bailey) is a mermaid and one of the seven daughters of King Triton (Javier Bardem). She is quite fascinated by the human world and human beings and wants to know more about them. She keeps collecting souvenirs from shipwrecks, as part of her interest in the human world. Triton detests this behaviour. He feels that humans are evil and that they are responsible for the death of his wife and Ariel’s mother. However, Ariel continues with her obsession. One day, she approaches Prince Eric’s (Jonah Hauer-King) ship. She overhears his conversation with Prime Minister Grimsby (Art Malik) and realizes that he is a kind and compassionate man. The ship got stuck in a storm and Ariel saved Eric’s life.
She sings a song that tries to revive Eric. Eric, in a semi-conscious state, caught a glimpse of her. Ariel flees when Eric’s crew rushes in to save the prince. After Eric recovers, he tells his officials to find the girl who saved him. However, Queen Selina (Noma Dumezweni) forbids him from leaving the castle. Meanwhile, Ariel can’t wait to see Eric again. She then meets Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), Ariel’s aunt, who has been expelled for her nefarious activities. Ursula promises to turn Ariel into a human. But its terms and conditions are quite risky. Ariel still accepts it. What happens next shapes the rest of the movie.
The story of Hans Christian Andersen and David Magee is fascinating and classic. David Magee’s script is a mixed bag. While some scenes are cute, the impact of several scenes is limited. The dialogues are well worded.
ob Marshall’s direction is okay. He has handled the scale and grandeur well. Some scenes are executed deftly like Ariel saving the prince, Ariel and Eric exploring the island, the song ‘Kiss The Girl’ etc. The scenes involving birds and crabs are sure to bring laughter.
On the other hand, the effect is strongly diluted due to its prolonged duration (135 min). The animated version is only 83 minutes long and is pretty fast. Meanwhile, A few scenes also seem clichéd and give a been-there-done-that feeling. Moreover, the villain is too loud and doesn’t come out well, the way it did in the animated version of THE LITTLE MERMAID.
Speaking of acting, Halle Bailey tried her best and made the movie worth watching. She barely has any dialogue in the second half and she communicates beautifully through her eyes and expressions. Jonah Hauer-King is dashing and fit for the role. Javier Bardem is very fair. Ham by Melissa McCarthy. Art Malik and Noma Dumezweni are doing well. Daveed Diggs (voices Sebastian, the crab), Awkwafina (voices Scuttle, gannet), Jacob Tremblay (voices Flounder, the tropical fish) did a great job with their voices.
Alan Menken’s music is entertaining and adds to the story. The songs that scored were ‘Under The Sea’, ‘Kiss The Girl’ and both versions of ‘Part Of Your World’. Alan Menken’s soundtrack is cinematic. Dion Beebe’s cinematography is breathtaking. John Myhre’s production design is rich but feels a bit cartoonish and far removed from reality in some scenes. VFX matches global standards. Colleen Atwood’s costumes are appealing. Wyatt Smith’s editing could have been sharper.
On the whole, THE LITTLE MERMAID has its share of lovely moments but suffers due to its long length, weak villain track and clichéd narrative. At the box office, it will mainly appeal to some children.