The early critic reviews of The Little Mermaid are finally in and they have all hailed Halle Bailey for her performance in the lead role.
The highly anticipated live-action remake of the 1989 original had its star-studded premiere in Los Angeles on Monday (May 8) and two additional open screenings in the UK (May 15) and Australia (May 22).
The special occasions were attended by the 23-year-old singer and actress who portrays Ariel, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, and Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric.
The movie is directed by Rob Marshall and will feature a soundtrack by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Alan Menken - the man who wrote the score for the 1989 original movie - along with four new original songs.
Watch The Little Mermaid trailer below:While the audience won't be able to watch the film until Friday (May 26), several critics were given the opportunity to review the movie first. One thing they all seemed to unanimously praise was Bailey's performance as the red-haired beauty.
The Guardian's Ellen E Jones commended that the 'Ungodly Hour' singer is "the best thing about this film" and its "only unmitigated triumph," while The Times' film critic Kevin Maher penned that she "knocks all naysayers into place with an innately charismatic turn and full-throttle vocal powers".
The journalist also said Bailey gives a "star-making turn," which was a phrase used by The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey in their review.
In addition to this, Digital Spy applauded the young actress in their 4* analysis, writing: "The Little Mermaid retains the heart and spirit of the animated classic, while adding new elements that offer a fresh perspective on familiar events. Thanks in large part to Bailey's outstanding performance, this adaptation has the potential to captivate a new generation of Disney fans."
Furthermore, The Hollywood Reporter was so impressed with Bailey that they hailed that her portrayal "adds edge to what is ultimately a serviceable film," adding: "Whether she’s belting out a newly arranged Part of Your World or silently observing her less than charming prince (Jonah Hauer-King) navigate his own social constrictions, her charisma radiates off the screen.
"The Beyoncé prodigy and the other half of the Grammy-winning duo Chloe x Halle gracefully presents her own Ariel: The character is still sweet and sharp-tongued, but there’s a touch more bite to her defiance. Her voice, the narrative’s raison d’être, sounds ethereal, too," they added.
The verdicts come after the casting of a Black actress as the mermaid was met with vitriol on social media. For example, the teaser trailer for the movie went on to amass over two million 'dislikes' on YouTube and #NotMyAriel began trending shortly after that.
Bailey herself addressed the racist backlash during an interview with The Face magazine, in which, she explained that she wasn't surprised by the comments being made about her casting.
"As a Black person, you just expect it and it’s not really a shock anymore," Halle told the publication. "Honestly, when the teaser came out, I was at the D23 Expo and I was so happy," she said, adding: "I didn’t see any of the negativity."
Nevertheless, the Grammy award nominee also explained why it is important for her to embrace the role of the velvet-voiced mermaid, saying: "I want the little girl in me and the little girls just like me who are watching to know that they're special, and that they should be a princess in every single way.
"There's no reason that they shouldn't be. That reassurance was something that I needed," she continued on her YouTube channel. "It was an inspiring and beautiful thing to hear their words of encouragement, telling me, 'You don't understand what this is doing for us, for our community, for all the little Black and brown girls who are going to see themselves in you.'"
Bailey added: "What that would have done for me, how that would have changed my confidence, my belief in myself, everything. Things that seem so small to everyone else, it's so big to us."
The Little Mermaid will be released in USA and UK cinemas on May 26.
