Movie Review: The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid is a live-action remake of the 1989 Disney animated classic. The film stars Halle Bailey as Ariel, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, and Javier Bardem as King Triton.

The film follows the same basic story as the animated version, with a few key differences most notably that Eric and Ursula get a bit more back story and depth to their characters.

The film also adds new songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Alan Menken. The new songs are fun, catchy and memorable.

One song that I missed from the original was the one by the French Chef Louis, "Les Poissons" (the fish) sung when he tries to cook Sebastian.

Halle Bailey gives a beautiful and heartfelt performance as Ariel. She has a lovely singing voice, and she brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the role.

Jonah Hauer-King is also good as Prince Eric. He has a charming and charismatic presence, and he has good chemistry with Bailey.

Melissa McCarthy is hilarious as Ursula. She gives a larger-than-life performance that is both funny and menacing.

Speaking of Lin Manuel Miranda, known for the musical Hamilton, "Thomas Jefferson" Daveed Diggs plays Sebastian and does a good job.

The film's visuals are stunning. The underwater scenes are particularly beautiful, and the film's costumes are colorful and elaborate. Some of the effects around Flounder, Sebastian and Scuttles could have been done better.

Spoiler alert:

Ariel is still alive at the end of the movie. Because this is Disney of course. In case you didn't know.. in the original story the mermaid dies at the end.

Overall, I enjoyed The Little Mermaid. It is a fun and heartwarming film that is sure to please fans of the original.