Director: Rob Marshall
Writers: David Magee
Starring: Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy, and Javier Bardem
Loaded to the Gills with Re-imagined Fins and Fun
Hans Christian Andersen, the writer of the literary fairy tale “The Little Mermaid” in 1837, once wrote “But a mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers so much more.” This quote opens the re-imagined tale of the 1989 animated version of the film on a scene of churning ocean waves.
The audience is quickly taken into the realistic conversations between shipmates passing along stories of the ‘Sea King’ and ‘Coral Moon.’ Little did they know that just under their ship, King Triton (Javier Bardem) was summoning his daughters from various places in the sea. Giving viewers their first taste of underwater magic in this film.
Now, prepare to be astonished for the first glimpse of these beautifully CGI-scaled mermaids. Personally, I would have gladly spent the entire 2 hours and 15 minutes of the film underwater, just to glimpse more of the brightly colored merfolk. Luckily, with the classic song “Under the Sea,” audience members of the new film will be able to view the many glorious aspects of life under the sea with singing and dancing sea creatures, with Sebastian (Daveed Diggs) and Ariel (Halle Bailey).
This leads us to the well-known and beloved character, Ariel, played by actress and composer Halle Bailey. Audiences held their breaths to hear each heartfelt note of the classic “The Little Mermaid” songs, sung by Halle with the same musical cords and integrity, but with different layers of emotion to provide nuance to the lyrics. Added songs that portray the feelings and experiences of Ariel captivate the audience both in and out of the water.
Prince Eric, played by Jonah Hauer-King, was given plenty of depth not before seen in the underwater storyline. With a background of adoption and goals of exploration, viewers are able to depict the effort from Prince Eric as a person with sacrifices to make. Allowing his character to align more with Ariel, who -before meeting the prince- has experienced plenty of changes and lost part of her own world to be on land.
Similar to many of the classic characters receiving new songs and backgrounds, the plotline of this 2023 version fills many gaps in the storyline that were previously unnoticed. Audiences are provided with lore and life under the sea; the tales of the Coral Moon, King Triton’s sibling relationship with Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), Ariel’s power of the siren song, Prince Eric being adopted, etcetera.
With all of the new information, Ariel’s mission to fall in love with the prince through a kiss is continued, but with a slight twist. The emphasis on a physical connection comes second to the notion of learning more about the other person. Ariel and Prince Eric are found connecting over maps and the idea of exploration long before they wind up on a dreamy boat ride.
One of the most interesting changes in romantic attraction is during a parallel of the animated 1989 version of the film. When King Triton discovers Ariel’s attachment to the world above the waves and destroys her special treasure trove. The human statue has only one part remaining; in the animated version a face, but in the live-action version, Ariel is left holding the hand of the statue.
Viewers will discover the importance of the hand, and the actions, that allow Ariel and Prince Eric to remain close by the end of the film.
Plot: ★★★★☆ 4/5
Cinematography: ★★★★☆ 4/5
Character Arc(s): ★★★★☆ 4/5
