The Little Mermaid (2023) (1 Viewer)

[Edwin-S]

From that standpoint, but there is money to be made.

Yes, from a financial standpoint it makes sense, especially since it appears to being making plenty of that based on the opening B.O. it is too bad that that is what everything has been reduced to now.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Yes, from a financial standpoint it makes sense, especially since it appears to being making plenty of that based on the opening B.O. it is too bad that that is what everything has been reduced to now.

It's been that way for decades. At times, I think we're blind to that financial reality.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Cutting out the Chef scene only proves why this thing should have never been made.

I don't think I would go as far as to say this shouldn't have been made. I'm on record in this thread as not being a big fan of this film. I think there are some strange creative choices with regard to the adaptation that undermine the movie's potential. Scaling back on the fantasy elements in order to focus on a realistic approach when the movie is about a mermaid and a sea witch is one of those choices.

But I'm also not mad this movie exists. There are enough interesting elements in it for me to see that there was more potential here than was realized.

The casting is one of the things they got right. Halle Bailey is so good that her performance is almost worth the movie existing on her own, and it's a shame that the movie around her isn't up to her level.

 

[Joe Wong]

It's been that way for decades. At times, I think we're blind to that financial reality.

This is it!

I’ve said in many other threads over the years that film studios are, ultimately, a business.

We may or not agree with the artistic direction or intent of the studios, whether they be these live action Disney versions or superhero films or franchises, but as long as people see them, and there’s money to be made, they’re going to churn them out.

 

[benbess]

Saw this for the second time in XD 3D with my daughter, who is home from college. We both agreed that the 3D is fantastic. And of all this Disney remakes, this is the one both of us like the best. It's the most emotional, and the one that for us was the funniest. Spectacular production all the way through. The fairly large audience, with lots of kids, clapped at the end of the show. There were also laughs in the theater throughout during humorous bits by Ursula and Sebastian.

 

[Tino]

Decided to give this one a shot. Low expectations. Seeing it in Dolby Cinema 3-D now.

Will I be on team Jake or team Jason?.

 

[Tino]

Just got out. I guess I’m team…..me!

I like it more than Jake but not as much as Jason. I thought it was fine with great effects and good performances. Nowhere near as good as the animated classic but I didn’t expect it to be.

 

[jayembee]

Since we here in NH are going to get serious rain this weekend, my wife won't be able to work on her garden, which means it'll be an opportune time to see The Little Mermaid. Which seems appropriate as we'll be trying to get out from under the water.

 

[Tino]

Btw the 3-D was spectacular in Dolby Cinema. Especially the underwater scenes. And the sound too. My seat was rumbling with every explosion during the action scenes!

 

[Mike Frezon]

Will I be on team Jake or team Jason?.

One of those universal dilemmas...

 

[Jason_V]

Just got out. I guess I’m team…..me!

I like it more than Jake but not as much as Jason. I thought it was fine with great effects and good performances. Nowhere near as good as the animated classic but I didn’t expect it to be.

Team Tino...or TT...or T Squared...works!!

 

[benbess]

The Man Reimagining Disney Classics for Today’s World

Sean Bailey is in charge of live-action remakes of films like “The Little Mermaid.” It’s a job that puts him in the middle of a partisan divide.

www.nytimes.com

 

[benbess]

This is a recent 8-minute profile of and interview with Melissa McCarthy.

 

[jayembee]

Since we here in NH are going to get serious rain this weekend, my wife won't be able to work on her garden, which means it'll be an opportune time to see The Little Mermaid. Which seems appropriate as we'll be trying to get out from under the water.

We didn't get around to it. Saturday, my wife had other plans, and we were feeling too lackadaisical on Sunday.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I like it more than Jake but not as much as Jason.

I'm glad it worked better for you. I'm certainly happy for other people to enjoy it. I wish I had liked it more. I would agree with it being "fine," but I don't particularly feel a need to revisit it. As I said before, Halle Bailey is the best thing about it.

I think it has been out long enough now to discuss one of the changes that really bothered me and that is

Spoiler

Ursula putting the memory spell on Ariel. I thought this made no sense as a plot point and only served to make Ariel much more inactive and passive in the second act of the movie because this way she doesn't have a concrete goal to achieve while she's on land. She's just kind of going around with Eric by accident? That didn't work for me and really reduced Ariel's agency in the film.

I also thought Disney requesting the lyric changes to Kiss the Girl were really odd in this context. In the original animated version, there is nothing creepy about that song because Ariel wants the kiss to happen. She has been actively trying to get the kiss all day. She knows she needs it and wants it because it will fulfill her deal with Ursula. There's no question of Eric forcing himself on her. But in this version, because Ariel doesn't know she needs the kiss, that changes the context of the song. Disney asked for the lyric changes in order to prevent the idea that Eric would force himself on Ariel. But that idea wasn't present until they made the change that she can't remember that Eric has to kiss her. They made it weird for no reason to the film's detriment.

 

[Jason_V]

I didn't care an iota some words or a verse were left out. I know some will disagree with me, and that's fine. Just like I don't care if the Millennium Falcon gets a slightly lighter or darker exterior color between movies or the Enterprise in Strange New Worlds has its nacelle pylons at a 45 degree angle and not a 49 degree angle.

 

[Jake Lipson]

 

[Jake Lipson]

I didn't care an iota some words or a verse were left out.

For me, it's not just about words being adjusted or left out. It what happens to the story as a result of changes being made. Ariel not being able to remember her deal with Ursula takes away her own personal agency in her own story because she doesn't understand the situation she is in and therefore can't help herself. That seems reductive and backwards. It also re-contextualizes Kiss the Girl in an uncomfortable way regardless of the lyric changes.

 

[Jason_V]

For me, it's not just about words being adjusted or left out. It what happens to the story as a result of changes being made. Ariel not being able to remember her deal with Ursula takes away her own personal agency in her own story because she doesn't understand the situation she is in and therefore can't help herself. That seems reductive and backwards. It also re-contextualizes Kiss the Girl in an uncomfortable way regardless of the lyric changes.

But that also gives her friends-who know what is going on-the impetus to help her when she can’t help herself. It happens all the time in life: sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees and our friends have to kind of lead us, or someone else, to help in a certain manner.

 

[Jake Lipson]

But that also gives her friends-who know what is going on-the impetus to help her when she can’t help herself.

Yes, but the movie isn't named for Flounder, Scuttle or Sebastian. Ariel is The Little Mermaid. She should be allowed to be proactive in her own story.