Disney’s newest live-action remake, The Little Mermaid, is better than it has any right to be. The film still has issues, but its pros certainly outweigh its cons.

Going into this, I had very low expectations, because quite frankly, this really didn’t seem like my kind of movie. Mix that with director Rob Marshall’s filmography, I wasn’t really looking forward to seeing it. Marshall’s filmography has been hit or miss, but it appears his stronger abilities fall into musicals, which is a genre that I am the most critical on. Honestly, I even forgot that this was a musical. To my surprise, the film worked as a musical. Even though it is not entirely a musical, it still works for the most part from beginning to end.

From the film’s opening shot, the cinematography appeared to be extraordinary, and it never stopped there. Every moment that the opportunity strikes, the cinematography is gorgeous and unlike any other Disney live-action remake I have seen. From POV shots to breathtaking exterior shots, I was blown away at how well this aspect was.

Moving on, the film’s other biggest standouts are with Halle Baily as Ariel, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, and Javier Bardem as King Triton. Bailey was truly wonderful in this role as Ariel. Not once did I ever feel cringed by her performance. Even when she has to act without talking while also serving as the main character has to be one of the most impressive feats that this film accomplished. Baily truly embodied and became Ariel. Diggs has to be my favorite in the film though, which is another impressive feat. To have an actor become a favorite through voice work alone is something that will help carry this film. Finally, Bardem stood out to me due to the detail of realism of him playing as a caring father. There is also a nice sentiment moment towards the end with him that honestly even got me a little emotional.

The action is quite impressive, and was not one that I would have taken away from seeing it. It’s exciting and fresh. The last action scene, without spoilers, felt like a nice throwback to the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. What’s even more impressive is the fact that Marshall was able to recreate this better than his work on the franchise’s fourth entry, one that I did not care for.

The other half of the supporting characters were not really my favorite though. It felt like the humans on land did not have enough attention to direction, resulting in cringey performances. The performances of Eric & his mother were the most unconvincing compared to the relationship between Ariel & King Triton. Even Sir Grimsby felt unrealistic, annoying, and his character changed way too often throughout the movie (take a shot every time he says sire). Melissa McCarty was fun to certain extent, but she didn’t really standout to me as much as the other characters.

The one issue that I can agree with what other people are saying is the fact that this film is way too long. Even at an hour in, I felt like the movie was finally getting the plot going. I appreciate the fact that the film was trying to be different compared to the original, but I can see where kids would start to zone out & become bored from time to time.

Finally, the CGI was noticeably bad at times. It’s not something that I believe was a weak point, but there were moments where I could notice it. It’s probably at its worst when humans are interacting with underwater creatures like the fish such as Flounder. Even more, the underwater scenes are not always great. It is clear that Bailey is interacting on a green screen, which did take me of the experience at times.

Overall, while the film is impressive and better than expected, it’s not something that I think is close to perfect. If you are looking to be transported to a fantasy world, I really do think the film really did a good job of doing that. The underwater scenes are at its best in terms of acting & action, while the land scenes are its best in terms of cinematography, so take that as you will. The people in my audience clapped, which might be a good indicator that it will please people.

VERDICT: 3.5/5 (Pretty Good)