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Warning: Spoilers
Save yourself the cost of snacks, gas and tickets and just rewatch the original on VHS, DVD, Blue Ray or Disney+. If I could give it 0 stars I would have.
The acting is subpar. I was intrigued and interested in the choices of Javier Bardem as King Triton and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, however they let me down. Bailey sings through her nose and doesn't use her full voice and diaphragm to help sustain the notes in the songs. She is also singing at least an octave below the original musical written text. This creates a lack of connection to the character, it's hard to believe that she wants to be a human when she's not giving emotion in the singing. In the original Jodi Benson sang "Part of Your World" in a dark room with only the light for her music to help her achieve the effect that shows in the final product of the film.
The orchestration has also been changed from the 1989 original, presumably because they actors chosen cannot sing the original orchestration and therefore shouldn't have been chosen for the role.
There are 3 new songs that add nothing to the story, and are unnecessary.
If you're looking for Chef Louis and Les Poissons, both have been removed. As has "You'll have your looks, your pretty face. And don't underestimate the importance of body language" from Poor Unfortunate Souls, and "Possible she wants you to, there is one way to ask her. It don't take a word, not a single word, go on and kiss the girl" from Kiss the Girl.
The characters in this film are soulless. You cannot connect to them the way you do in the original. Ariel no longer has her red hair, or her fierce independence. Part of what makes her an interesting character, other than being the first read haired princess, was that she broke the mold, instead of sitting around waiting to be saved Ariel did the main amount of saving and didn't sit around waiting for things to happen. She's an active, charming and inquisitive character who goes after what she wants and accepts the consequences that follow. This is all lost in the remake.
The side characters, who are interesting and charming in the original, are extremely creepy looking and unlikeable in the remake. For example, in the original, King Triton is a sympathetic character who wants what's best for his daughters and he is concerned with their safety. He's a conflicted in how he disciplines Ariel, asking Sebastian "You don't think I was too hard on her?" There's also his reaction to Ariel being a upset after he's destroyed the grotto, you see he regrets it and that he has hurt his daughter. But even after Ariel has stricken a deal with the "devil" he willing sacrifices himself to save her. As good as an actor as Bardem is, he's just going through the motions in the film. You don't connect with Triton (or any of the characters for that matter) because you don't believe them!
McCarthy has a similar issue. She's unfortunately not a believable Ursula, which is sad cause she seems to be really trying, but it turns into hamming it up or pretending to be one of her other characters.
Sebastian, Flounder, Scuttle and the fish are really creepy. I get Disney's trying to make them look real, but that effect doesn't work. There's no emotion and again no connection to the characters who were once charming in the original. The Lion King remake also had this issue where there was no emotion from the characters. The characters are much more emotive in the original film than this one. You'd think that the animators could have done a better job considering the backlash that came from The Lion King characters having no emotion.
This version has basically changed what didn't need to be changed and added things that didn't need to be added. Ariel and her sisters are now defenders of the 7 seas, which you don't need, Triton is king of the seas. We're introduced to Eric's Adoptive mother, again not needed, she adds nothing to the story and only worries about Eric getting married. Instead of Eric destroying Ursula at the end, Ariel does it. This didn't need to be done, this was the one time that Ariel needed saving after saving Eric from drowning, breaking Ursula's spell over him, and saving him again when Ursula was about to shoot him with the Trident. Instead she's on the ship and Eric is trapped at the bottom of the Whirlpool. Again an unneeded and unnecessary change. Eric is supposed to save Ariel that one time to prove to King Triton that not all humans are bad, this swap destroys that. There's also no wedding, instead Ariel and Eric go exploring together. Again not needed or necessary.
Overall, just watch the original. Save yourself over 2 hours of boredom, gas, money for tickets and snacks. Disney has failed to realize that remaking these classic movies ruins the nostalgia. If they want to introduce these classic movies to newer generations, just rerelease them in theaters like they've done in the past. In 1997 Disney rereleased The Little Mermaid in theaters, I remember going, even though I had it on VHS cause I wanted to experience it on the big screen. It was as wonderful on the big screen as it had been when I first watched it when I was 3 years old when my dad brought the VHS tape home. 33 years later the '89 original is my favorite movie and Ariel my favorite Disney Character.
Disney would be wise to no longer have Rob Marshal direct their films. The last films, including this one, that he has directed for Disney have been horrible. Lin Manuel-Miranda, has and success with Hamilton, Moana and Encanto, but he was not helpful here. If anything he hurt this project with the 3 new songs and his involvement in production.
Disney should seriously stop remaking their films. Beauty and the Beast, Maleficent, Cinderella, Dumbo, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, etc have all been awful. They don't bring anything interesting to the table, they just waste 2+ hours of your life that you cannot get back. Watch the originals, yes some have some MAJOR issues, but they are classic films that people have connected with and carry nostalgia, whereas the remakes/"reimagining a" don't.
1/10
