Memorial Day Weekend

I saw the new Little Mermaid last night. Halle Bailey was great, and they even gave her an extra song, a sort of inner monologue while she doesn't have a voice. I didn't really care for Prince Eric's song though, I guess 'cause I didn't like him falling in love instantly with the mystery girl who sang to him. I think I would have bought it more if he was just intrigued and grateful, that he was searching for her just because he wanted to thank her and reward her for saving his life. But I guess they were saying that her mermaid song was magical enough to make him fall in love instantly, even dazed and half conscious.

Eric's backstory is that he's a shipwreck orphan who was raised by the king and queen of the island. But we only see the queen, not the king, and there's no explanation for that, nor do we know where exactly the island is. It seems to be Caribbean though because the villagers seem to be dressed colorfully, and Eric mentions Brazil on a map. King Triton also mentions that his queen was killed by humans, but we don't have more information on that. There's a new wrinkle to Ursula's spell; she makes Ariel forget that she needs to get a kiss, even when reminded by Sebastian. So she doesn't feel any urgency to rush things, and just enjoys getting to know Eric as they explore the island and meet people. Meanwhile Eric is conflicted because he likes Ariel, but he's still pining for the mystery girl in his memory, so that's a logical reason why he wouldn't try to kiss Ariel during the romantic boat ride. I liked how Vanessa's enchantment of Eric left him confused but he still missed Ariel. Also they didn't rush into holding a wedding; they were just having an engagement party on that third day, which is all Ursula needed to delay Ariel for.

Overall, an enjoyable film with interesting touches. But the climactic sea battle with Ursula wasn't as spectacular as I hoped. It was too much dark CGI and muddled storm I guess. At the end I also wondered why Triton didn't even ask Ariel if she wanted to be human permanently; he could have discussed with her whether she wanted to be able to change back and visit him in the future, before he did the magical transformation. But they did show him visiting Ariel and Eric after they got married, so it seems she won't have to completely forsake her merfamily and friends in her new life.

Also tonight I'm going to watch a murder mystery play at my local theater. Hope it's good. I really need this holiday.