The Little Mermaid (I) (2023) User Reviews

WHY WHY WHY DISNEY? DO YOU KEEP MAKING LIVE ACTION REMAKES

[TomTalksFilms · 6/10 · 29 May 2023]

You'd think a company like Disney with the amount of money and resources that they have to draw upon would be able to develop some original ideas but no nope, here's another live action remake. The biggest issue straight out of the gate is that much like pretty much all these live action remakes is that it didn't need to be made. If I want to watch any of the films that have been re made then 9 times out of 10 I'm going to watch the original animation, they're just classics with heart that can't be re created in live action. That being said this film exists and I have limitless so may as well watch it.

Another big issue I had with this film is the pacing, it's a 2hrs 15 mins kids film and with the attention span that kids have today even if it was well paced kids would be bored by the end. This film to me felt like it had a lot of filler particularly once (spoiler) Arial gets her legs in the second act and none of it was that interesting. For me the film didn't add anything that would have made the animation better if it had been in there. That being said this film isn't a total loss, Halle Bailey (not Halle Berry 🐱) is great as arial, when she hits the high note in part of your world I couldn't help but be amazed. In fact that song was probably the stand out scene of the film for me, it was brilliantly recreated.

Bailey is also forced to convey the emotion of her character for a large part of the film just with her eyes and she does a great job of it. I also felt Melisa McCarthy was great as Ursula although I felt her character was underused in what was ultimately an anti-climatic final act. I do want to give a special to mention to Javier Bardem as he gives probably the flattest performance of his entire career as a King Triton. I genuinely got the impression from his performance that he didn't really want to be in this film and to be honest I can't blame him as much like his performance the film feels largely flat for the most part.

A Shallow Dive That Missed its Mark

[LansTaylor · 6/10 · 2 June 2023]

This live action remake was a disappointing attempt to bring a beloved Disney classic to life. It falls flat in almost every aspect, leaving me feeling underwhelmed and disconnected, unlike the original.

Halle Bailey as Ariel was good and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula was passable but beside those two, all of the other characters felt virtually nonexistent with zero chemistry with one another.

Visually, the remake falls short in creating a believable underwater world. The CGI effects were uninspiring and more importantly, looked cheap.

What 'The Little Mermaid' suffered from the most was the god awful script. The pacing was uneven, scenes dragged on or failed to contribute to the overall narrative, and the characters felt shallow and lacked depth.

Overall, the 2023 remake was lackluster and forgettable. The uninspiring performances, poor visual effects, and terrible original songs left me disengaged and disappointed. Don't let the positive reviews the film has been receiving gaslight you into thinking that these awful cash grab live-action remakes that Disney has been producing are okay. The truth is the film fails to capture the magic and charm that made the original film so beloved, which is on par with all the other Disney remakes.

It's hard to rate

[DanteSwordX · 6/10 · 26 May 2023]

I went to see this movie with the attitude that it's gonna be the worst Disney Live Action movie.

As I was watching it, I noticed that I don't hate it, but there is also a lot of things that don't work.

Sebasitan and. Flounder look hideous, I have no idea what they were thinking. Straight up CGI fish and crab.

Songs are bad. Halle Bailey has great voice, and can sing, but other than that, the songs are terrible. A lot of times actors singing go out of tune or lose rythm mostly because the line doesn't really fit the music.

Scuttlebutt song made my ears bleed, I also wanted to scratch my eyes out and this scene just wouldn't end.

Visuals are good, but everything is washed out and dark that you can't really appreciate the CGI which is surprisingly good for an disney movie.

Some things are taken straight from the original and some are changed to make more sense because they wanted this movie to have more diverse cast, and at least these changes are made to make it fit.

But still it's not as good as the original, some new things added don't recompensate the things that were cut out.

Had like 4 laughs, but nothing to write home about.

Could've been better.

Dark and Gloomy

[mark-156-845817 · 29 May 2023]

No excitement or joy. Maybe the movie was rushed, but no real story line either. Poorly done.do not recommend. Most of the kids in the theater were bored and playing. Others were on third iPad or phones. Kinda sad!

I wish it was more for kids. Seemed like a social statement rather than a movie for kids. Disney needs to get back to the children, where is the laughter and joy?

I would have left early but fell asleep. Several folks slept through it as well. Sad indictment of the movie. Heard lots of folks talking about the positivity of a lead African American actress but even they said the movie was not good. Good effort - poor delivery.

I'm just not sure

[sarahjane365 · 6/10 · 5 November 2023]

I wouldn't say I hated it but I just feel like this remake wasn't necessary.

The original Triton obviously loses his temper but this Triton just felt so cold even at the end when he turns her human himself there was just no warmth, he might as well have been a stranger to her.

There was no chemistry between Ariel and Eric either. Eric's solo just didn't need to happen and the whole thing just felt a bit cringy.

I love The Little Mermaid and I wouldn't say I'm against the remakes as such I actually really enjoyed the Beauty and the Beast one but I just feel like LM didn't need to happen. I put off watching it for so long and perhaps I didn't need to watch it at all, I won't be watching it again, it had none of the charm of the original one and as my daughter grows up it will be the original that I show her.

Skip

[britbanka · 3/10 · 8 October 2023]

Disney needs to give up the live action remakes. They keep getting worse and worse. The CGI of the non-named sea animals are stunning. The named ones, not so much. The acting of the characters seriously lacks the soul of the original. Melissa McCarthy is the possible worse choice. Triton was more fathery and less Kingly but still wasn't worth more then a throw away character.

Eric was the only thing that in my opinion was done better then the animated version. I didn't mind that he had a family, it added more.

Ariel was ok. She could sing but when she sang Part of Your World, it lacked. She can sing, she can act. She just isn't for Ariel. I'm glad that a whole new generation can look up to her but she isn't Ariel.

The added songs weren't worth it. They didn't add anything. They took away from the experience.

Over all, skip it. If you are a fan of the animated version chances are you'll be disappointed.

Some things are better left alone

[krisssannn · 6/10 · 26 May 2023]

I'll start with this, Halle Bailey was fantastic. She was cast perfectly as Ariel with her tender voice and childlike charm. I think the entire cast did well given what they had to work with. My issue is that in most cases I feel these live action remakes are not able to capture the essence of their original counterparts. Little Mermaid is no exception, it was fun and colorful to watch but again I felt like something was missing. By the second half of the film I was counting down the time I'd be able to get to my bed. The film just never connected with me. And I almost feel like I would have been perfectly fine without this remake.

Unpopular Opinion Incoming

[Mermaidcountrybiscuit · 3/10 · 7 October 2023]

Let's start with the good. I loved the new music, I enjoyed Jonah Hauer King as Eric, but his performance felt very theatrical in parts. I enjoyed the under water animation and world, though some parts were very CGI looking. I enjoyed the voice actors, and Melissa McCarthy as the villian. I also really adored the final send off scene, it was emotional and the first time that you as an audience member felt like the story wasn't being forced.

For the bad, the acting felt very film in some places and very theatre in others. It didn't mesh well. The chemistry between Jonah and Halle was NOT there. Jonah was able to channel the passion needed for scenes, but Halle did not. Halle left a great deal to be desired. Whether it was the writing, the editing, or the acting - Ariel made me cringe. The character was portrayed immature, air headed, and the expressions/movement looked predictable. I know the character is supposed to be naïve, but even that wasn't portrayed properly. The acting didn't feel natural and I truly felt like I was watching someone act for the first time. I was disappointed in the quality of some of the animation, underwater scenes, and almost all of the water scenes. It looked low budget.

The quality and the main character did a disservice to a staple Disney classic. More time, consideration, and care needed to be taken out of respect to people who grew up watching the original.

I was suprise how it was!

[wojtekkozlowski-40281 · 9/10 · 6 September 2023]

Very good remake! To all who were sceptical toward main actress, I must say.hold your horses!!!Hally Bailey has turned out to be a great actress!!! I loved her portrey of Ariel. She gave her character sensitivity. Bailley, successfully, played a girl who wanted more, than her life could offered. She had a great chemistry with. Jonah Hauer-King who played Eric. Also, Eric's character was given more.depth. He wanted more sea and Ariel wanted to be a human. How poetic. Also Melissa Mccarthy deserved a.honour. Mccarthy's Ursula was brilliant. I like new songs and extended plot. All in all, I was suprised that this movie was so good. I will rewatched it soon!

Another live-action remake that doesn't quite live up to the original.

[nickryan-44535 · 6/10 · 5 June 2023]

Let me start off by saying I was impatiently awaiting this movies' arrival. I bought my tickets 1 week in advance and was ready! However, during the film I nearly feel asleep half way through as did the other guests who attended with me. Not to say that this is a bad movie, it just doesn't hold as much magic as the original does and it is not nearly as captivating. It felt that the new elements and songs that were added took up a lot of time and then the parts that I was waiting for felt rushed. For instance, Vanessa's arrival and the ceremony that follows felt like they lasted only 5 minutes and there was no big pay off and I felt the same with Ursula's final scene.

I thought that Hallie and Melissa did a good job. I believe my favorite characters were the side characters such as Flounder, Sebastian, and even Scuttle (they should think about removing the rap from the DVD).

Maybe that's an impossible expectation to compare it the original? Seeing as I personally feel that non of the Disney remakes have added any substance or reason for needing a remake. But when taking the original out of the equation it is an overall decent film.

An insult to the orignal

[rupert-ian · 3/10 · 1 June 2023]

This movie just wasn't good... They added something like 50 minutes but it didn't improve the movie one it, it only made it drag on.

The CGI is poorly done and the tone of the film is dark and gloomy, not bright and colorful as it should be.

The animal characters look terrible. The changes to the songs are ridiculous, the original lyrics weren't problematic in the slightest.

Scuttle's voice is really jarring and the added song is just bad.

The changes made to the ending make the story worse, not better. They didn't need to make Eric weaker to build up Ariel.

The best thing about the movie was Ursula. At least they didn't ruin her.

Amazing spin on the original

[mdsufyan-10334 · 8/10 · 14 June 2023]

I don't remember much from the original except for the songs and main plot points, but I know for certain Eric didn't have as much of a character development he did in this movie. As much as this was Ariel's movie, it was also Eric's, which I appreciated.

The movie took the source material and added positive value with new plot lines and songs. And I honestly thought they improved on many aspects that the original lacked like Ariel being able to write (fixed by getting her to use her scales) and Ariel's corrupt intentions once she got her legs (to kiss Eric, fixed by making her forget about the kiss).

All in all, amazing adaptation. Cinema hall was packed and people were laughing and crying throughout the movie.

Only qualms are Flounder's design and Triton. I'm pretty sure most of those giving negative reviews didn't even watch the movie. People need to stop preordering their prejudices...

Original is Better

[rexmatthewj · 6/10 · 26 May 2023]

The Little Mermaid (2023) is a live-action adaptation of Disney's 1989 animated classic, based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. It tells the story of Ariel, a mermaid princess who longs to explore the human world and falls in love with Prince Eric, a sailor she rescues from a shipwreck. To pursue her dream, she makes a deal with Ursula, a wicked sea witch who takes her voice in exchange for human legs.

The Little Mermaid (2023) is a mediocre film readaptation that pays tribute to the original film while also adding some new twists and depth. It is not perfect or groundbreaking, but it is good and nostalgic. However, it could have been better if it had followed the same aspects of the original.

Another pointless remake that's worse than the original

[Ajaquai · 1/10 · 1 June 2023]

The latest in Disney's attempt to cash in on all their old IPs instead of making something new and originals has finally hit the screens and it's bad.

A far cry from the bright captivating colors of the original, this ocean is dark and muted. Have the animators even visited a coral reef before? Or are they just trying to hide imperfect CGI by just turning down the color and brightness? Perhaps they should watch Avatar 2 to see how to do a live action amazing underwater world right. The live action aspect actively hurts the film due to making the non-human characters unexpressive at best, uncanny valley at worst.

The run time is bloated, and although they have added some extra things in to fill the time, you kind of wish on the whole that they didn't. The rap song is particularly awful and doesn't feel like it fits at all with the rest of the music in the film.

Like many that have gone before, there's no particular reason for this live action remake to exist apart from being nostalgia bait. Give it a miss and watch the original instead. It's cheaper to watch and a much better movie.

Kind of liked, kind of didn't, kind of fell asleep towards the end.

[tuckhead · 6/10 · 20 June 2023]

I took my two daughters to see this and thought it would be a good forty dollar nap. It was not as bad as I thought it would be and I thought the girl that played Ariel was really good. Surprisingly, Melissa McCarthy was pretty good as Ursula. But, the dude who plays Prince Eric sucked. I mean his acting wasn't bad and he kind of looked like the cartoon guy, but his song hurt, it felt like I was listening to an 8-track of Ben Stein singing the hits of Mariah Carey in my grandfather's old Mercedes. And the bird, I am not sure who thought it was a good idea to have that abomination rap/sing but there have been better rappers in after school specials and D. A. R. E videos. What could have fixed all of this is having the world's greatest thespian play all the roles except Ariel, Ursula, and the Queen, Billy Zane could have single handedly saved the whole movie. I fell asleep right after the whole Ursula on the patio part and didn't wake up until they were getting ready to leave, so I am not sure how it actually ends, but my daughters liked it, so it must be appealing to young girls who think ketchup is a main course.

No Disney Magic

[Pom_Flavor · 1/10 · 31 May 2023]

I took my children to watch this over the Memorial Day weekend on Saturday. This does not have the magic of the original Disney cartoon. The actress who played Ariel sings very well but that's about it. There was nothing really memorable about it. I could tell my children, ages 4 and 6, were not enjoying the movie because they kept fidgeting and asking to go to the restroom every 15 minutes and stared longingly at the arcade games as we were walking back. This is in stark contrast to when they are watching the original at home as they will laugh and sing along. My wife was staring at her phone and I almost fell asleep.

More modern but empty version of the little mermaid

[emilylovesmovies · 6/10 · 12 June 2023]

This movie is like a more empty version of the original

Yes it is stunning visually and has good actors and perfect looking for Eric and Ariel but the whole script and idea lacked depth. For a movie so much longer then the original there should have been more in the story not less. Also cgi was kinda bad especially under water for such a rich company and the animals like flounder and sebastian and scuttle looked weird. I did think there were some good added things such as how eric realised her name but they were very minimal.

Ive always been such a big fan of the little mermaid and i think both Eric and Ariel were perfect for the role just the overall creativity and passion was lacking. Remakes are so unnecessary and it would be good to experience the disney magic again with a whole new story and more passion in the project.

Uninspired, disappointing.

[tired-sparrow · 2/10 · 31 May 2023]

I saw this movie openining night. I have always loved The Little Mermaid and I was really holding out hopes that this one would surprise me in a good way.

Unfortunately it's as bland and unmagical as the other recent live action remakes. There is no color, no heart, no care in this movie. It's an insult to the original and it does nothing new or fresh to define itself. The things it does try to do new, are at complete odds with its own worldbuilding.

I enjoyed Sebastian and Ursula, but overall I regretted going to see this. I have never walked out of a movie before, but this one tempted me to leave multiple times.

People were checking their phones. Children were talking and wandering around the theatre. What else do you need to know that this movie was downright boring?

There's no excuse for such sloppy movies. And yet here we are, once again, with another boring remake. I honestly never want to watch this movie again. The reviewers aren't being harsh or unfair. This movie was legitimately bad.

Missing Ariel

[arielascott · 15 October 2023]

This new Mermaid doesn't quite live up to what I was expecting from live remake. There are parts that don't quite make sense. Also I don't care for the scenes where they talk about the engagement. That song was not the greatest. It could have been put together better to make more sense.it is lacking in terms of enough action. I didn't like how the didn't do the part where they are all at the performance and Ariel is missing. I think they could have done more with when she changes from being a mermaid to being a human. I'm glad I waited and didn't see this in theaters. It was not worth paying top dollar to see.

Best Disney reboot to date!

[musiqliblessed · 8/10 · 14 August 2023]

I'm definitely the original film's generation kid. So it had a lot to live up to. And I can be pretty critical. I was delighted the entire time. I loved the cast. And while the film stuck very closely to the original, the cast managed to deliver some of the most famous and favorite moments flawlessly and yet with their own excellence, no regurgitations, no pandering.

Halle's voice was beautiful. But, of course! Her vocal reputation has preceded this film. She was also endearing in her portrayal of our title character.

Bardem was also unsurprisingly excellent and delivered a heartfelt portrayal of our king.

Aquafina as Scuttle was just a joy. She brought the laughs Scuttle should, but perfectly in her way.

So colorful, vibrant, lively. Under the Sea was beautifully animated and choreographed.

I was definitely fighting the urge to sing along for the sake of my daughter having her first Little Mermaid experience from scratch.

Loved "The Scuttlebut"!

Loved Sebastian and Scuttle's back and forth. Daveed and Aquafina were a great pair and brought new comedy that distinguished this iteration from the original film.

Poor Unfortunate Souls was EXCELLENT! So surprised by McCarthy. She embodied the role perfectly. The only thing I missed was the "Body language" line. Not sure why that was cut.

My criticisms:

Eric's solo song was overly dramatic and long. Melodically it failed to really go anywhere, perhaps due to peaking too early and plateauing musically/emotionally. Was the weakest musical moment as well as the weakest scene in the entire film. I skip it when we listen to the soundtrack. Oh yea! We listen to the soundtrack often.

Ariel's new song was also a tad lackluster but not a bad song at all. Just doesn't measure up to the originals for sure.

Missed "Les Poisson". But they didn't have a chef character at all. Unfortunate, but if they couldn't pull it off, they couldn't pull it off.

I missed the chorus of singing sea creatures and background vocals, but this is a nostalgia-based statement. Not a critique on the excellent re-arrangements of the music. I was here for the ride. If or when I need to hear the originals, Disney+ and Apple Music are there to provide.

I felt like the finale fell a pinch flat. It was kind of visually obscured. Made me think maybe they were unable to carryout the animation in a way that they could vibrantly showcase. Big Ursula was super dark and her audio was just kind of low...I'm not sure what happened there.

But overall, they told the story and it reached it's satisfying conclusion, with an added heartfelt touch to the final scene. And the musical renditions (apart from exceptions stated above) were delightfully executed.

I loved it and it was awesome getting to see my daughter introduced to the story for the first time, and with a mermaid who's skin looked like hers. I didn't have that growing up.

The not-so-great Disney Revision strikes again.

[Carycomic · 6/10 · 29 May 2023]

I was hoping that they wouldn't. But, they did! Disney made a half-live action/half-CGI remake of the film that launched their Great Renaissance in the late Eighties/Early Nineties. And it was just as I feared.

It was more lackluster than blockbuster.

Javier Bardem was suitably convincing as the temperamental King Triton. And Hallie Bailey (which, to be honest, sounds more like a stage name hodge-podged from Halle Berry and Pearl Bailey ) was suitably charming as Ariel. Although, only with the spoken dialogue. Because her rendition of the songs sounded more like she was lip-synching to the Jodi Benson originals. Just as Melissa McCarthy sounded more like she was lip-synching to Pat Carroll's songs as the original Ursula!

Then there were the needless attempts at character "development." Like making Ursula and Triton estranged siblings; or making Prince Eric an adopted son. What was even the point of the latter? Because all that made me do is think: "Are Ariel and Eric going to be ret-conned as long-lost twins?!"

The only reasons I don't give this just one star? The quaint charm of the two new songs...and the Hitchcockian cameo by Jodi Benson (the once-and-future voice of Princess Ariel).

Unapologetically mediocre

[Couchkik20 · 1/10 · 30 May 2023]

The Little Mermaid is like a Disney parade, a Bridgerton Broadway show, a Hallmark movie and an aquarium themed screensaver.

The most shocking in this film is the visual incoherence between the ocean world and the human world. The ocean is all horrible cgi hair and crazy psychedelic colors but it feels like a proper universe. On the other hand the human world is insanely cheap looking, a green screen studio Bridgerton with questionable colonial undertones. The market scene is appalling, so shiny and weirdly modern looking as if you were in a themed tourist trap. The studio lighting makes all the actors look like soap opera extras. I feel so bad for the Eric actor who had to deliver that embarrassing solo that reaches the highest levels of camp. And the edit is so stiff, the acting so stilted it seems the director was inspired by Gone With the Wind.

So sure there are some so-bad-it's-good campy moments like the mermaids group looking like a doll display in a kid's bedroom, or the OTT actress playing human Ursula. But oh boy Javier Bardem looks like an AI gone wrong. His out of the water shots had the whole cinema laughing as you could just imagine him shooting them in a tiny pool trying to look serious with that hobo beard and cheesy shell outfit.

At least Halle/Ariel delivered and Ursula was just what you expected from one of the best Disney villains. I wish the climax was a bit longer because those visuals were stunning.

This new remake won't age well at all as all those unapologetically mediocre cash grabs.

Surprisingly I really liked it

[MReed542 · 9/10 · 7 September 2023]

I'm not a fan of messing with classics and I was prepared to hate this but instead I actually really like it a lot. I even teared up at the end just like I did in the animated classic. I mean who isn't brought to tears by swelling Alan Menken music and the Prince and his love? I'm also not a Melissa McCarthy fan but she was excellent as Ursula. Excellent! I loved the colorful pallet throughout and I thought Halle was absolutely adorable as Ariel. Her voice was gorgeous and perfect for Ariel. A favorite new additional scene was Eric's study where he has a collection of sea stuff just like Ariel has her collection of human stuff. Stroke of genius idea there. One of my favorite scenes was "Kiss the Girl". They nailed every element with a perfect flashback to all the things that made the original a favorite scene. All the people complaining that the CGI was crappy or this and that was subpar? Get a grip. It was a really well done live action version of a beloved classic.

Just, Eh.

[jerryandlorilaws · 6/10 · 29 May 2023]

I came out of the theater just thinking, eh. Probably the most boring of all the live action remakes thus far. Felt like the actors were just reading from a script rather than true acting. Eric and King Triton were very poorly done. Mermaids tend to lean on the creepy looking side as opposed to being beautiful creatures. Most scenes were very dark and hard to see what was going on. I'm not a huge fan of all the changes made to the original story, but the most annoying change was scuttle, and the new scuttlebutt song was absolutely horrible. Melissa McCarthy was fantastic as Ursula, but they left out some of the best parts with her character.

Wasn't expecting much, but can't say I hate it

[banjercoco · 7/10 · 4 September 2023]

So I wasn't planning on watching this movie. The Little Mermaid was my favourite Disney movie growing up and I was extremely bummed to see it changed.

Now today I was bored and decided that I was going to watch it anyway, because why not. To my surprise this was actually one of the better Disney remakes that I saw. The stories are almost the same and I loved seeing my favourite story once again. Melissa McCarthy was amazing and stole the whole movie and the Under the Sea song was great. I loooooooved Sebastian!

Do I think that Flounder was creepy and could've been done differently? Absolutely. Do I think that Haille does a little bit to much riffs etc in her songs? Yep. Her acting isn't the best thing ever as well. It lacks some Disney sparkle and Ariel childlike vibe. Haille is nice, but I can't imagine there wasn't a better actrice for this role with more acting talent. Eric isn't a very good actor for me in this movie as well and his first song makes me feel like I am watching a boyband cover...

Overall decent ish film. Was fun to see some of my childhood faves again, but please Disney, stop making remakes... They are never as good as the original.