I have avoided looking at remake villains on my blog for some time mostly because I thought I’d have nothing interesting to say. The only other remake villains I’ve looked at are The Duke and Lady Tremaine from the 2015 Cinderella. The villain movie villains don’t count. To say the remakes are hit-or-miss would be a massive understatement. However, I did enjoy last year’s Little Mermaid remake. It respected the original while adding elements that TLM fans knew about that were cut from the animated film.
Oh and fyi, if you have an issue with Halle as Ariel, there’s the door. I’ll admit I was a little disappointed when I learned Melissa McCarthy would be playing Ursula as I was hoping the role would go to a drag queen. Turns out it did, as McCarthy did drag in her past.
Now, I don’t think it makes much sense to use the typical categories for this entry as McCarthy’s Ursula hues so close to Carrol’s. I don’t think it is bad and clearly nothing will ever top the original. One of the more interesting aspects of McCarthy as Ursula is that usually Ursula in live action has been played by Black women but here with McCarthy as Ursula and Halle as Ariel, it highlights a power dynamic of white women holding power over people of color. Yes, Ariel is a princess and Ursula was exiled from the royal family but in terms of the deal, Ursula is the one holding the power.
Admittedly, I do think they do go a bit overboard with adding the detail of her adding an element where Ariel forgets she needs to kiss Eric. As much as I like this movie, this is overkill. This is one area where I think sticking closer to the original movie would’ve been fine.
Now, I mentioned that they added in other elements that were cut from the original movie. One of the biggest being Triton and Ursula were siblings in the early script. This is a major point of contention for Ursula in the remake as she believes it’s her birthright to to rule over the seven seas.
This is a change I’m okay with as again it’s something longtime TLM fans are familiar with and adding it back in feels like a nice touch.
What about her version of Poor Unfortunate Souls? Well, it’s a good cover and I’ve noticed some new lyrics that caught me off guard when I first heard it. After a time, it washes over. But it’s noticeable the first time you hear it.
Again, it’s a fine cover but it’s hard not to compare it to the original. I will say, it’s a bit unfortunate that Flotsam and Jetsam don’t do much in the remake.
As for her defeat, I’m okay with it. People often complained that Ariel didn’t seem proactive in the takedown in the animated movie, I don’t know that I agree but Ariel driving the sunken ship she was exploring at the beginning is a cool idea and I like how Eric is so willing to go underwater to help Ariel fight the sea witch is a nice touch.
In all, I think Melissa McCarthy is a fine Ursula. Again, it’s hard to take the original Ursula out of your mind but I think she played the role wonderfully.
Join me next time as I close out my look at witches with
Agatha Harkness
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