I watched the movie “The Little Mermaid”, as the whole Internet is talking about. It would be better if he didn’t

The screening of one of the most controversial Disney films of recent times, The Little Mermaid, has started at the Russian box office.

Many fans were unhappy with the casting and animation of the fish. The first trailers really did not inspire much hope, although they were staged beautifully.

We have already reviewed the novelty and are in a hurry to share our impressions. Spoiler: it’s more undesirable that it’s medieval with the classics.

A familiar story told differently

What is the movie about: The new little mermaid is a remake of the famous and prestigious cartoon from 1989, which in turn is an adaptation of a collection of fairy tales by the Danish monarch Hans Christian Andersen.

The plot of a prostitute – the little mermaid Ariel falls in love with a human prince. To be with him, she goes to meet the witch Ursula. She gives her legs, but takes her voice in return.

Before we share our impressions of the new childhood of the beloved cartoon, we will talk a little about the idea of ​​Disney predictions. This is probably not so critically perceived by the reboot of the Mermaid and, perhaps, not so critically happening to the cardinal changes in similar traits.

A little background

The audience saw the first serious remake of the classic at the beginning of the past experience. The film “Alice in Wonderland” turned out to be interesting and exciting. Tim Burton in the director’s chair, extraordinary Johnny Depp as the Hatter, with a lot of high special effects and memorable visuals. The picture received a couple of Oscar statuettes and a billion dollars at the box office.

Then two remakes of cartoons came out at once, which received a completely new cool vision. The snapshot of the fairy tale “Grimm’s film about Little Red Riding Hood and Snow White” differed from the original cartoons. The dark color scheme, violence and general tone of the painting were coolly received by the audience and received low ratings.

Note that these two films weren’t remakes by Disney. Most likely, the producers of the studio simply would not have let a story with such a gloomy mood into production.

However, Disney decided to give it a try. “Maleficent”, released in 2014, received a remake of “Sp Beauty” and received a completely different angle. The viewer saw the famous fairy tale and the representatives familiar in it from a completely different angle. Disney did much better than the participants with Little Red Riding Hood and Snow White. There was no longer a negative look. Perhaps many did not even realize that it was a remake, but in a different reading.

And yet, further down the trend, Disney has made the decision to have original phenomena, making only minor minor changes and sometimes adding sharply social trends to the plot.

So a new baby elephant Dumbo was born with an incredibly cool cast and an impeccable script. Nauseatingly insipid “Cinderella” with a scenario of respect. Visually gorgeous The Jungle Book.

Excellent “Aladdin” by Guy Ritchie with blue enchanting Will Smith and a feminist line. Extremely boring “Beauty and the Beast”, which is simply overflowing with tinsel of special effects and literally frame in frame is repeated after cartoon. And, finally, everyone’s favorite “The Lion King”, which collected at the box office over $1.5 billion.

All these pictures happened once – original story directors. Creativity in details is appropriate here and nothing more. Disney almost never took risks when choosing the main roles of actors who were fond of those whom the viewer visited in cartoons.

In other words, Disney used almost all the services of the classics. This approach to the company for a decade of earnings on remakes over $7 billion! Suggestion factories found, play on nostalgia and no risk.

And suddenly a black mermaid. What?! Why did the studio take such a risk? A modern social agenda or is it still a conscious courage that has nothing to do with the BLM movement?

The very first trailer for the remake of The Little Mermaid, which features African-American actress and singer Halle Bailey as a mermaid, even spawned the racist hashtag #NotMyAriel. An indicative attitude to such tricks from the studio.

“The Little Mermaid” is still the same copy of the original, like other Disney game remakes. Here, the familiar Ariel interacts with a free-spirited, inquisitive and rebellious teenager, the embittered body-positive Ursula with tentacles and the classic melodies of Alan Menken, which form the heart and essence of the film. Everything is in its place. You can even state the fact that the picture is deprived of ownership.

And this, despite the fact that the screenwriter seriously expands the story of Prince Eric: It will last a lot longer than the original. Due to the better reflection of the character, his story looks more realistic.

The hero even gets his own musical number and adequate motivation. He can help his island kingdom catch up with the technology of the outside world. Logical and reasonable.

This point also leads to the serious use of timekeeping. The film runs for 2 hours and 15 minutes, and this length can tire the child. Still, a film about field fish should not exceed the two-hour mark! The remake is almost at the time of the original’s existence, and not to say that it goes to the use of the film.

Other characters played their part. Javier Bardem plays the role of a caring father, and Melissa McCarthy, who performed the slippery Ursula, is not enough in the magazine. Other characters in general are never rememberedand evaluating the acting skills of a restless crab and a husky seagull, I will not risk it.

To some, their dialogues appeared funny, to others insipid and obtuse. The characters themselves write a little freaky and scary with their dead eyes and crude animation.

The visual is lame, but the sound is excellent

The biggest asset is Halle Bailey’s vocals. The actress expanded remarkably with musical numbers and with the biggest hit of the soundtrack “Part of Your World”. If you set up The Little Mermaid just like a musical, and not a remake of a children’s cartoon, everything is fine here. Lyrical and sweet.

I note that even in the naturalness of Russian voices and songs do not hurt the ear. The vocals do not reach the “Frozen Heart”, but in general it is pleasant to listen to the songs. In addition to rap, which caused only bewilderment.

But here visual special effects are too cartoonish and weak. Director Marshall certainly knows how to make spectacular musicals (he was nominated for an Oscar for the musical Chicago), but he bifurcates in spectacular action scenes.

The picture is spoiled by sharp and amazing camerawork and shredder-style editing. The bright flickering in the frame is a dubious merit of the people responsible for the picture.

Underwater movement looks unrealistic, especially in the context of what we saw in the second season of Avatar.

The graphics specialists just didn’t meet the feeling underwater. Beautiful, colorful, but without revolution and fantasy. The movie still looks like a cartoon and that’s more of a problem.

What in the end

Has the black Mermaid really ruined everything, and soon the heads of the producers will fly from their shoulders? You will be surprised, but no.

The idea of ​​a black actress taking on the role of a mermaid is quite an interesting bold move. The trailer discusses a lot and for a long time, and as a result, Halle Bailey has excellent vocal skills that reveal exclamations of “out of canon”! Some will say miscast, others will like this choice.

The audience did not boycott films, and already on the first weekend of home rental in the United States, the picture collected almost $100 million. An excellent indicator that nostalgia is not an appearance in the head, but a fairy tale story as a whole. Skin color is secondary, the main thing is to sing well.

After all, after all, “The Little Mermaid” is, first of all, a musical. Even if it is secondary and without a soul.