To say that the entire world is waiting with bated breath to experience Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid would be a complete understatement. From early reviews suggesting Halle Bailey carries the project with absolute grace to folks coming around to appreciate Flounder’s redesign, it’s hard to imagine the Disney flick has a large pile of detractors nitpicking at the smallest issues. Then again, a recent half-a-star review on Letterboxd, unfortunately, showcases the corniest reason for such a horrid rating.
The aforementioned rating, which was eventually shared to the public on Twitter, outlines a Letterboxd user giving the film a half-a-star rating not for the fact that Ariel is Black, but because Awkwafina recites rap lyrics written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Given the unfortunate amount of trolls and racists criticizing the anticipated live-action, the OP oddly stating that they weren’t rating the movie poorly because “Ariel is Black” feels like a backhanded way of announcing that they aren’t racist in some sort of quirky attempt to save face.
The truth of the matter is, feeling the need to include a statement like that in an official movie review appears incredibly distasteful. In fact, the mere sentiment expressed in that review almost feels as if the Letterboxd user is simply trying to be funny by picking apart an innocent movie that is made for children.
That being said, it’s probably for the best that try-hard comedians on Letterboxd keep their material to themselves — seeing as being normal about a children’s movie seems to be too tough a task. Instead, folks should sit back, relax, and enjoy Halle Bailey’s inevitable rise to stardom.
The Little Mermaid swims into theaters this Friday, May 26.