The Little Mermaid Movie Review: An earnest Halle Bailey can't save this shipwreck adaptation

Fairy tales are quintessential primary fodder for girls during the rudimentary phase of knowing the world through books. But strangely these tales also feed the thought that women, despite being the protagonists of the stories, are left at the mercy of the 'handsome' and 'royal' men, to sweep save them from a darker zone of dysfunctionality. This is a repeated occurrence, be it the case of Cinderella (who is shut in dark confinements by her step-family), or Rapunzel and Snow White (whose physical features pose a threat to their existence). But The Little Mermaid came as dawn for the regressive framework of fairy tales then. Ariel the protagonist of the tale gets invested in the uncharted lands and becomes the savior of a lad in distress. While what follows might slip into the usual hegemony of gender-induced notions, to think now, it is refreshing to see a woman take the reins of being the saviour. There is a delightful scene, when human Ariel, takes over the helm of a horse carriage as she shares a ride with Prince Eric. But are these enough to make the recent live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid intriguing? The answer is a big no!

Cast: Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer King, Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, and others

Director: Rob Marshall


Casting Halle Bailey in the titular character is perhaps one of the few better decisions that The Little Mermaid makers seem to have made. Despite attracting a barrage of condescending arguments about roping in a Black actor for a character that is blindly imagined to be White, Halle makes it all worth it to see her swirl, sing and swoon for wanting a life above the sea horizon. But it is also a question when Ursula as Vanessa, a White humanised version, poses the ownership of Ariel’s voice and singing. Perhaps a commentary on the appropriation of art and culture?  Halle, a mermaid, is delightfully humanised as the film establishes Ariel’s vision and desire to explore the lands, mobilised by feet. Feet! They are the first thing she sees on Eric’s ship when she gains a human form, and as she enters the palace subsequently. But that is all about it, and that’s when the film loses to establish any sort of chemistry between Ariel and Eric. You never harness a wish to see them unite, primarily because you never see them sharing a moment of tension or passion. There isn’t any rejoicing or sense of empathy for Ariel, who has now lost her voice in exchange to join the world of daughters with feet.  

The Little Mermaid fairly sticks to its source material, and that hasn't quite aged well over time. While Ariel recalls how her father Sea King Triton thinks, 'humans are barbarians', Prince Eric’s mother blames the Sea King for using his daughters to lure sailing men. But that's it, the modern retelling doesn't try to give a resolution to these strong commentaries made by the two groups, let alone drawing parallels from the real world. Instead, it only attempts to stick to a fairly easy template of making the other side look bad from one end, for the sake of going forward with the story. Even as Triton says how shipwrecks have damaged the sea, that is all about it and one wonders if it is commentary or just another dialogue to brew the fate of star-crossed lovers.

The primary antagonist, Sea Witch Ursula, who is established as the estranged sister of Triton, is called the “family pariah”. The term leaves open an ocean of opportunities to create layers of dynamics that the sea family can share, but it is left unexplored until the end. While Ursula, in certain narrations is patronised as the motherly figure to Ariel, or at least someone who takes measures (even with vile intentions) to make Ariel cross her doomed territories, there is no form of depth created to these characters to make the adult audience feel invested.

Having seen several reboots of The Little Mermaid, including the 1989 animated version, a straight live-action film with no detailing is not the retelling that I would want to watch years later. While holistically speaking The Little Mermaid, very much like its quantifying title, has little to offer, it tips off some interesting concepts without venturing into it. And that makes the film brim with disappointment.

The Little Mermaid, could serve as a visual treat to children who might consume it for the colourful frames, but does it warrant a live-action adaptation, when the original was iconic as it is? Well, that's a question for adapters to ponder upon.