The Little Mermaid Debuts With 71% on Rotten Tomatoes, Reviews Praise Halle Bailey

The questionable Disney live action remakes continue with this month’s The Little Mermaid, and the reviews are now in. So, has bringing the beloved tale of Ariel back to the big screen worked? Or is The Little Mermaid another lesser attempt to reignite a classic? Well, things are looking pretty good so far, with The Little Mermaid debuting with a fresh 71% on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. But let’s see what the critics have to say…

We begin with MovieWeb’s own Julian Roman, who heaped praise on Halle Bailey’s “star-making performance” in the lead and the diverse casting, and though he takes some issues with the script, could not get enough of Bailey’s “soaring vocals and radiant energy.”

“Race has nothing to do with their performances. It boggles the mind that prejudiced views based on a cartoon has become controversial. Thunderous applause followed Bailey’s powerful and heartfelt “Part of Your World”. She absolutely earned the right to play Ariel.”

Continuing with Variety’s Peter Debruge, retelling The Little Mermaid in live action has been well worth it thanks to what sounds like a stellar lead performance from actress and singer Halle Bailey.

“Halle Bailey is all the reason that any audience should need to justify Disney revisiting this classic.”

The praise for Halle Bailey continues courtesy of Maureen Lee Lenker from Entertainment Weekly, who calls her performance the best thing in any of the Disney live action remakes.

“With Halle Bailey, life under the sea is better than anything Disney live-action has done in nearly a decade.”

In fact, it seems to be that The Little Mermaid is well-worth seeing for Bailey alone, with Empire’s Helen O’Hara finding fault with the rest of the movie but declaring it “saved” by Bailey as Ariel.

“Another ‘live-action’ remake that’s darker and less compelling than the animated original, but it’s saved by Bailey’s charming performance, McCarthy’s sass and the story’s own eternal magic.”

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Sadly, and not unlike the ocean, we must always take the rough with the smooth. Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter continued to applaud Bailey, but did not find her to be quite enough to rescue The Little Mermaid.

“A ho-hum adaptation buoyed by a lovely lead turn.”

The Guardian’s Ellen E Jones felt similarly, giving The Little Mermaid a lesser score of 2/5, but did argue that Bailey is an “unmitigated triumph.”

“Bailey is both the finished film’s only unmitigated triumph and the best argument for this whole live action remake enterprise in one shimmering mermaidcore package.”

Another 2/5 was given to The Little Mermaid by The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey. Though they did also commend Bailey for her central performance…

“There’s a real stink of obligation to everything that exists around Bailey and her star-making turn.”

Total Film’s Molly Edwards felt quite the opposite, however, awarding The Little Mermaid a near-perfect 4/5 and, unsurprisingly, further praising the efforts of Halle Bailey.

“A sparkling, enchanting new spin that out-swims the original, with a pitch-perfect performance from Halle Bailey.”

Finally, Screen Rant’s Rachel LaBonte felt that the remakes flaws were washed away by Halle Bailey and the movie’s deeper approach to the beloved Disney tale.

“Led by a pitch-perfect Halle Bailey, The Little Mermaid is bolstered by deeper characterization and a grand scope, even as it grapples with flaws.”

Directed by Oscar nominee Rob Marshall, The Little Mermaid is a retelling of the beloved story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. The youngest of King Triton’s daughters and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea after falling for the dashing Prince Eric. Making a deal with the evil sea witch, Ariel gets her a chance to experience life on land but ultimately places her life in jeopardy.

Starring Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, Noma Dumezweni, Javier Bardem and Melissa McCarthy, The Little Mermaid is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States on May 26, 2023.