The Little Mermaid (2023)

"Nice casting can’t cover up the ugly visuals and lack of creative risk."

"A sparkling, enchanting new spin..."

"A live-action remake done well."

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

"A thoroughly pointless cash grab of a thing..."

"Buy a ticket, or two or five to see this movie."

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

"Slow pacing, often-overwrought emotion and (an) undeniably outdated story..."

"This live action reworking can’t match the magic of the 1989 classic..."

"Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy erase any doubts about this remake’s see-worthiness."

"As lifelike as a faux-aquarium screensaver..."

"Halle Bailey is the reason... The Little Mermaid shines at all."

"What works best are the elements it takes from the original..."

"The Little Mermaid shines, thanks to Halle Bailey and a warm wave of nostalgia."

"It’s visually confusing, if not altogether aesthetically unappealing."

"It serves as a handsome homage while persuasively making the case as its own discrete entity."

"Disney betrays its own lack of imagination..."

"The few differences seem motivated less by a spirit of imagination than one of joyless anxiety."

"Suffers from the same ailments almost all of these remakes have: Being "progressive" while also creatively uninspired."

"Overall the film is lush, larger than life, and a true adventure."

"(The original's) most iconic moments are borrowed and copied wholesale..."

"Another magic-free live-action Disney remake."

"A star-making turn from newcomer Halle Bailey and some poignant subtext... elevates this latest Disney live-action remake."

"Like two-hour-plus cosplay with the texture and gravitas of a Disneyland sideshow."

"Bailey keeps it all together, but... longer runtime has watered down the effect."

"While not everything goes swimmingly, Halle Bailey splendidly buoys (the remake)..."

"Bailey gives a glowing performance of effortless starshine..."