It香蕉视频直播檚 not Rob Marshall香蕉视频直播檚 fault that Disney香蕉视频直播檚 latest live-action retread doesn香蕉视频直播檛 really sing. 香蕉视频直播淭he Little Mermaid,香蕉视频直播� a somewhat drab undertaking with sparks of bioluminescence, suffers from the same fundamental issues that plagued 香蕉视频直播淭he Lion King,香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播淎laddin香蕉视频直播� and 香蕉视频直播淏eauty and the Beast.香蕉视频直播� Halle Bailey might be a lovely presence and possesses a superb voice that is distinctly different from Jodi Benson香蕉视频直播檚, but photorealistic fins, animals and environments do not make Disney fairy tales more enchanting on their own.
The essential problem is that the live-action films have prioritized nostalgia and familiarity over compelling visual storytelling. They try to recreate beats and shots from their animated predecessors, defiantly ignoring the possibility that certain musical sequences and choices were enchanting and vibrant because they were animated, not in spite of it.
There was, in the 1989 film, a sparkling awe to everything. The underwater castle. The mermaids. Eric香蕉视频直播檚 ship. Even Ariel香蕉视频直播檚 bright red hair. Combined with the wonderful songs and lyrics by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, it香蕉视频直播檚 not hard to understand why it helped fuel a Disney Animation renaissance.
Anyone who has gone through the recent Disney香蕉视频直播檚 live-action library would be right to approach 香蕉视频直播淭he Little Mermaid香蕉视频直播� with caution. Still, there香蕉视频直播檚 excitement as the camera takes us underwater to give us our first glimpse of the mermaids 香蕉视频直播� even after a somewhat ominous quote from Hans Christian Anderson that begins the movie (香蕉视频直播淏ut a mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers much more香蕉视频直播�). You can香蕉视频直播檛 help but be hopeful. But the first mermaid that comes into focus doesn香蕉视频直播檛 so much evoke wonder as it does a flashback of Ben Stiller香蕉视频直播檚 merman in 香蕉视频直播淶oolander.香蕉视频直播� The technology is better, sure, but the result is about the same. Worse, as we spend more time with them, following Ariel香蕉视频直播檚 multicultural sisters as they gather around their father King Triton (Javier Bardem), it香蕉视频直播檚 hard to shake a distinctly uncanny valley feeling. It香蕉视频直播檚 like gazing in on roundtable of AI supermodels with fins.
For all its pizazz, everything about this 香蕉视频直播淟ittle Mermaid香蕉视频直播� is just more muted. Miranda香蕉视频直播檚 new songs are odd, too, and don香蕉视频直播檛 seem to fit. Prince Eric香蕉视频直播檚 (Jonah Hauer-King) makes sense, maybe even Ariel香蕉视频直播檚 in-her-head anthem after she gives her voice to Melissa McCarthy香蕉视频直播檚 Ursula, but did Scuttle really need a song, too?
Speaking of Scuttle, the cute cartoons that stood in for Ariel香蕉视频直播檚 seagull, crab and fish friends have been replaced with horrifyingly accurate depictions of said animals. Awkwafina香蕉视频直播檚 comedy charms can only go so far while looking like an actual seagull who might be after your chips at the beach. Close-ups of its beady blue eyes are unsettling, though it was probably a good call to go blue over gold, which looks a bit demonic even in the cartoon. Sometimes it seems as though the editor is trying to minimize the unpleasantness by quickly cutting away from Scuttle. Flounder (Jacob Tremblay, who also voiced Luca) doesn香蕉视频直播檛 have this problem as much, mainly because once they go out of the water he香蕉视频直播檚 essentially hidden under the surface. Daveed Digg香蕉视频直播檚 Sebastian gets off easy, looking the most pleasantly cartoonish. But then there香蕉视频直播檚 that Jamaican accent that they decided to carry over (and this in a movie that adds a line about consent to 香蕉视频直播淜iss the Girl香蕉视频直播�).
Visibility is a problem for more than just Flounder, too. Sometimes 香蕉视频直播淭he Little Mermaid香蕉视频直播檚香蕉视频直播� underwater sequences just look too underwater. Things are cloudy and dull and hard to see, once again probably in the name of authenticity, but straining to see what Marshall and the scores of VFX teams have labored on for years is not a pleasant experience. This could be a projection issue 香蕉视频直播� I wasn香蕉视频直播檛 in an especially high-tech theater with color enhancing upgrades. But that also means anyone without access to things like Dolby Vision around the world will have this issue, too. When Sebastian brings out the most colorful fish he can find for the 香蕉视频直播淯nder the Sea香蕉视频直播� number, you even start to empathize with Ariel a little bit. It is the exact opposite of the 香蕉视频直播� Avatar: The Way of Water 香蕉视频直播� experience.
香蕉视频直播淭he Little Mermaid,香蕉视频直播� a Walt Disney Co. release in theaters Friday, is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association for 香蕉视频直播渁ction/peril, some scary images.香蕉视频直播� Running time: 135 minutes. Two stars out of four.
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MPA Definition of PG: Parental guidance suggested.
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