This live-action version of Disney’s much-loved 1989 animation deserves a lot of plaudits for having the guts to deviate from the norm.
Even though it doesn’t quite have the same colourful inimitable charm as the original – as a whole – this modern update definitely swims more than it sinks.
And that is in no small way due to newcomer Halle Bailey, who is simply sensational as curious mermaid Ariel. She has one fantastic set of ‘pipes’ on her – as she bellows out the iconic catchy tunes with gleeful abandon.
Which very quickly drowned out some traditionalist naysayers who rather hysterically pointed out the ethnicity change of the lead character. Fortunately, any ridiculous fears were proven unfounded by Bailey’s electric performance.
Ariel is the youngest of seven daughters to King Triton (Oscar winner Javier Bardem) – the ruler of underwater kingdom Atlantica – but yearns to interact with the human world above, that her father forbids her to do.
But when she saves the life of handsome prince Eric (the amiable Jonah Hauer-King) after his ship capsizes, Ariel decides to do anything it takes to experience dry land and a potential relationship with the young man – even if that means brokering a ‘dodgy’ deal with her estranged auntie, the conniving sea witch Ursula (a passable if forgettable Melissa McCarthy).
With the help of her sidekicks – seabird Scuttle (Awkwafina), damselfish Flounder (Jacob Tremblay) and loyal crab Sebastian (Daveed Diggs) – she must kiss the prince within three days after being transformed into a human to remain in this state. But will revert back into a mermaid and forgo her powers to Ursula if she fails – with the multi-tentacled schemer having a few tricks up her sleeve to try and prevent this from happening.
And to the backdrop of a legendary catalogue of songs, including the spine-tingling Part of Your World and leg-tapping Under the Sea – as well as a couple of catchy news ones – this remake always keeps its head competently above water throughout.
It deserves immense praise for not playing it safe and being a scene-by-scene re-telling – think The Lion King – and the underwater scenes are gloriously shot, despite some of the backdrops being a little too dark at times.
Sadly, it does lose some goodwill for being a good twenty minutes too long. The two and a quarter hour run-time is just too much for kids under eight – but Chicago director Rob Marshall does get plenty right, despite temporarily forgetting the target demographic.
Fortunately, Bailey proves she’s not a fish out of water to pull the movie past several minor misgivings – with her captivating voice playing in your head long after the closing credits.
Disney has undoubtedly made another star that will be part of the cinematic world for years to come.
Rating: 4/5
Gavin Miller
Showcase Cinema De Lux Peterborough, Out Now
Cast: Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Javier Bardem, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Melissa McCarthy, Jacob Tremblay, Art Malik & Noma Dumezweni
Running Time: 2 Hrs 15 Mins
Director: Rob Marshall
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