A new take on the classic masterpiece
Every child has watched classic animated Disney princess movies like Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and many more which will always remain a core part of all of our childhoods. The movies made back in the day were all in a league of their own but now, with the progress of technology, these classics are being retold and remade into live-action films with real-life actors playing these animated characters.
The movie starts with King Triton played by Javier Bardem and his six daughters, all different ethnicities representing the seven seas. Halle Bailey plays Ariel, The Little Mermaid herself, and the youngest daughter of King Triton.
The movie starts off slow and much like the original, does an excellent job to establish Ariel’s motive to go out to the human world. She is misunderstood by her father and wants some freedom, an emotion many viewers will resonate with. What is interesting in this one is that the character of Prince Eric (played by Jonah Hauer-King) has a lot more depth than the original. We learn that his origin is unknown and that he’s adopted by Queen Selina (played by Noma Dumezweni).
The 2023 version of The Little Mermaid gives the human characters a lot more depth in comparison to the original. We also see that despite being mute for a huge part of the movie, Ariel has an internal monologue, something that was missing from the original, giving viewers some more depth on her perspectives of the human world.
The songs in this one are extravagant, just as one would imagine them to be, while in terms of graphics, this one is not the best Disney could offer but the rest of the story makes the poorly-made CGI scenes ignorable. While this movie cannot be seen as a completely new take on the original 1989 film, The Little Mermaid can certainly be seen as a tribute to the classic.
The film runs long but despite that, The Little Mermaid is a great one-time watch but in no way replaces the original. However, it does somehow enhance it. While the animation may make one feel alienated from the characters, the live-action has the characters show a lot more human-like emotion.
The movie has been released in 3D and 4DX around the world and after having watched it in 4DX, I can say that there is some credit to how one perceives the new movie based on their viewing experience. The visual and sensory stimulation made the 4DX version made the movie feel like you were a character in the film and made the entire watch adventurous. I am sure kids watching this one in the theatres for the first time will have a really great time.
The songs in The Little Mermaid are really enjoyable and Halle Bailey does a very good job with her singing for songs like “Part of Your World” and “For The First Time”. Jonah Hauer-King singing “Wild Uncharted Waters” offers a fresh take on Prince Eric’s perspective when he was looking for the girl that saved his life. I personally enjoyed Melissa McCarthy’s “Poor Unfortunate Souls” while songs like “Kiss The Girl” and “The Scuttlebutt” had the kids in the theatre giggling.
Overall, The Little Mermaid is a decent watch and a great time, especially if you intend to watch this in 4DX. With people flocking to the theatres for this one, it’s definitely worth the price of admission.
Read More: The Little Mermaid (2023) Ending Explained
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Verdict - 7/10
7/10