The new version of The Little Mermaid, an animated classic inspired by the story by Hans Christian Andersen, begins with a sentence from the author. “A mermaid has no tears, which is why she suffers so much more.”heralds the appointment with a density that never quite materializes in this adaptation with the actors of that cartoon that started the rebirth of Disney at the end of the last century.
The study has started review the animated classics of that period, such as Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King, in a photorealistic version, which fits the underwater universe of Lto the little mermaid.
Director Rob Marshall manages to make this aquatic world attractive, even if it lacks the audiovisual impact of the recent one Avatar: The Path of Water. The director dives The little Mermaid without straying too far from the previous versionlike someone who needs to swim close to shore to feel safe, but finds his way by adding nearly an hour of film to the original 83 minutes.
Love story and musical numbers
The story is pretty much the same and most of the musical numbers repeat themselves. Ariel (the little mermaid) ignores the warnings of her father Triton his fanaticism for humans and, in an attempt to win over Prince Eric whom she saves from a shipwreck, she ends up bewitched by her aunt Úrsula, who gives her legs and takes away her voice.
The main changes concern adapt the story to the times.
If the sinister tone of the original tale has been noticeably faded in the 1980s version, This adaptation is responsible for further purification of the waters. There’s just that Ursula, played by Melissa McCarthy, to impose a little melancholy among so many colors. And the actress achieves it without giving up that camp tone of the villain inspired by the iconic drag queen Divine.
Marshall adds a rap between new songsstops at Ariel’s genuine interests beyond her love for the prince, eliminates the chef Louis stereotype and includes a black queen as the mother of prince Eric, who is obviously no longer that alpha male of the late 80s and today needs protagonist rescue twice.
Director of Chicago It conveys a certain lack of imagination by forcing too much some of these issues, especially when we focus on the moral background that runs through the film.
The confrontation between men and sea creatures immediately transcends speciesism to become a metaphor for racism and xenophobia. Ariel’s teenage angst is suddenly transfixed by the contemporary social gaze, wearing what felt like a coming-of-age film centered around father-daughter conflict.
Halle Bailey she does what she can as Ariel, who by losing her voice exposes the limitations of the actress.
Javier Bardem, on the other hand, seems to be comfortable playing the overprotective Merman who watches over humanity. The actor wears a wig and beard in a look that’s even more ridiculous than that cupped cut There is no place for wimpsBut the shot of her final appearance, with all that fake hair in an obvious pool, conveys more reality than the elaborately textured CG mermaid tails.
Sebastian the crab could be the most forced character in that search for realistic credibility in the image.
This visual falsehood has its most attractive point in a multicolored hope ending with an inclusive messagewith a concept of his ideal identity destined to become cult within the trans community, but at the antipodes of the darkness conveyed by Christensen’s sentence with which the film begins.
File
The little Mermaid
Qualification: Regular
Fantasy/musical. United States, 2023. 135′, ATP L. From: Rob Marshall. With: Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Awkwafina. Rooms: Hoyts Abasto, Cinemark Palermo, Belgrano showcase.
Source: Clarin
