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The Little Mermaid finally made it to the big screen, and as a fan of the original, I was both excited and skeptical about this remake. However, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw.

THE GOOD

One of the things that impressed me the most about The Little Mermaid is the great opening. We are instantly fueled by the nostalgia that fans of the original films are looking for. There are some key scenes and locations required for this remake that fans will appreciate. The opening of the sunken ship and the shark attack is one such scene, and it’s incredible to see this familiar setting in a new way. I remember this movie helping me develop a healthy fear of sharks at a young age. The opening moments of the film may be moving for those who remember us. What I particularly enjoy about this scene is that it feels like a direct remake of what I remember as a kid, and it feeds that nostalgia I didn’t know I wanted.

But the film doesn’t ease up as it hits us with the songs soon. OMG the songs! Halle BaileyHer voice is PERFECT as Ariel and proves that The Little Mermaid songs still pack a punch. I kind of forgot that I memorized a lot of these songs when I was a kid. It all ended when a movie theater time machine took me back to my childhood and I started singing Under the Sea at the age of 8. These damn Disney movies made me want to live underwater more than the Talokans in Wakanda Forever. The Little Mermaid is primarily a musical, so it was important to have some great music in the film. The updates of the original classic songs are great to listen to and stay in your head for days.

And let’s talk about the view! They are nice. The sunken ship, Triton’s palace, Ariel’s cave and even Ursula’s cave are beautiful sights in this new adaptation. There are plenty of eye-catchers in The Little Mermaid, which will keep your eyes peeled for the entire film. My eyes feel like they’ve eaten Skittles as a rainbow of colors constantly assaults my optics. It’s a beautiful movie.

Well, I will admit that I love the original character designs of Sebastian and Flounder. They are perfect and have aged incredibly well. These new designs take some getting used to. IF I take off my biased eyes and forget that these other designs exist, then these new looks are fine. What these characters lack in looks, they make up for in character, making them just as lovable as the originals.

And speaking of characters, let’s talk about Sebastian. This character steals the whole show. You can take out everyone else and leave Sebastian and still have fun with his PG-friendly one-liners. Both Flounder and Scuttle have their moments, but you can build a franchise around Sebastian alone.

Melissa McCarthyUrsula’s performance is WAY over the top, but you know what? It really, really works. Ursula is an over-the-top character. Melissa brings a playfulness and slyness to the character to make it relatable but refreshing. It doesn’t just imitate what came before; he actually puts his own spin on the character and I find that extremely satisfying as he is undoubtedly one of the most important characters in the film.

THE BAD

The performances in this one were… hit or miss. The Little Mermaid has an awesome song that needs awesome singers. The balance between dialogue and spoken performance compared to singing is inconsistent throughout the film and detracts from the experience. Even an acclaimed actor Javier Bardem he turned in a restrained and flat performance as Triton, King of the Seas. It’s not just Bardem’s performance that’s a problem, many other performances seem flat or uninspired. It’s a shame because the vocal performances are fantastic, but the dialogue scenes don’t really hit the mark.

The remake also stuck too close to the source material. Nothing original is added or introduced to this film to help distinguish it from the original. I love the original The Little Mermaid and I think the story is good. I think it’s a missed opportunity to introduce more new songs or more new moments that weren’t in the original. Now there are new songs and moments like the Scuttle-Butt rap, but there aren’t many of those moments. The Little Mermaid 2023 is pretty safe as it is an almost direct remake of the original animated film. The filmmakers seem to have avoided the risk of making too many changes, which is a shame.

Why do movies do this a With a Jamaican accent? I understand that we want to make The Little Mermaid accessible to as many people as possible, but is that really the case? As much as I love it Daveed DiggsSebastian in this accent is like nails on a chalkboard. It’s not just Diggs, other actors in the film struggle with the Jamaican accent and it really throws off the film. It’s a shame because Sebastian is a great character and Diggs sings fantastically, but the accent is too distracting.

Comprehensive

The Little Mermaid is a good movie for children. This doesn’t really work for millennials who grew up on it, but younger parents with small children will have a winner here. The vocal performances are fantastic and the visuals are stunning, but lackluster dialogue scenes and inconsistent performances keep it from being a great movie. It’s a shame the filmmakers didn’t take more risks and try to differentiate this remake from the original, but it’s still an enjoyable film for what it is. If you’re a fan of the original, you’ll find plenty to enjoy here, just don’t expect anything groundbreaking or revolutionary.