Disney reunites Jodi "Ariel" Benson, Samuel E. "Sebastian"
Wright, Buddy "Scuttle" Hackett, Rene "Chef Louis"
Auberjonois and other vocal talents from the 1989 classic, The Little
Mermaid, to again explore why the seaweed always looks greener
on the other side of the reef.
The
happily-ever-after for Prince Eric and his newly bipedal mermaid bride,
Ariel, includes the birth of a daughter, Melody. But the happiness fades
when Morganna, evil sister of the vanquished Ursula, tries to kidnap the
infant as barter for King Triton's magic trident and dominion of the oceans.
Thwarting Morganna comes with a heavy price: Melody must be raised in
ignorance of her mer-heritage.
While the 12-year-old
Melody favors her father in dark good looks, she definitely takes after
her mother in the self-centered yearning to be something she isn't. She
confesses to Sebastian the hermit crab (again reluctantly pressed into
service as a nanny) that she often imagines her legs as fins. When Melody
accidentally finds a locket that raises questions about her ancestry,
her actions allow Morganna to again go after Triton's trident, using a
mermaid-ified Melody as the patsy.
Continuing a tradition
begun in 1999's award-winning Tarzan, The Little Mermaid
II: Return to the Sea provides an insightful porthole into parent-child
dynamics. In trying to be a conscientious and protective mother, Ariel
unwittingly fuels Melody's frustration about being denied access to the
sea. Through her trials, Melody must learn whom she should really trust.
And Ariel, transformed back into mermaid form, must not only find her
swum-away daughter but determine how to repair the damage wrought by her
own well-intentioned but ill-considered decisions.
From a technical standpoint,
Return to the Sea improves upon its direct-to-video predecessors
in its attention to detail and scripting. Parallels and anti-parallels
to The Little Mermaid abound, which I'll leave to the viewer
to discover, since they provide half the fun. Plenty of not-so-childish
humor also helps to hold adult interest. Children should be fascinated
by Melody's misadventures, though the youngest ones might find the wicked
Morganna a bit unsettling.
I knocked off a half-point
because most of the songs had a "filler" feel, and another half-point
because I prefer protagonists, such as Beauty and the Beast's
Belle, whose troubles arise from self-sacrificial decisions rather than
self-centered ones. But anything that can hold my flibbertygibbet five-year-old
enraptured through multiple repeat viewings gets a hearty thumbs-up from
me!
(Originally published in Crescent Blues. Reprinted with permission.)
From turn-of-the-13th
century Braveheart, Mel Gibson advances more than five centuries
to examine another hero reluctantly drawn into a fight for independence
from England, America's favorite national villain.
Retired French and
Indian War hero Benjamin Martin, widower and father of seven children,
found a measure of peace as a South Carolina plantation owner. Then the
Revolutionary War comes to call. Benjamin's oldest, 17-year-old Gabriel,
enlists in the fight for independence against his father's wishes. The
war hits even closer to home when a battle erupts on Martin's land, leaving
Gabriel wounded and turning the plantation house into a field hospital.
Enter the inhumane
villain, Colonel Tavington (Jason Isaacs), a British cavalry commander
of colossal arrogance obsessed with advancing his career, even at the
expense of non-combatant civilians. When Tavington shoots Gabriel's 15-year-old
brother for trying to rescue Gabriel from hanging, the war becomes personal
for the anguished Benjamin.
Will Benjamin and
Tavington duke it out during the final battle of the film? You bet. Three
guesses as to who wins, and the first two don't count.
However, Benjamin
Martin's journey to that final confrontation proves emotionally fascinating
as he battles not only the British but himself. Benjamin's previous combat
experiences against the French and Cherokee pushed him beyond the brink
of humanity. The love of Benjamin's wife redeemed him then, but who will
save Benjamin now that she's dead? Will Benjamin's faith in God be enough
to restore his humanity a second time? Can "The Cause" -- the
great fight for independence -- serve as turning point and salvation for
Benjamin as well as England's American colonies?
Other characters face
their own issues. The personal story of each man, woman and child poignantly
intertwines with Benjamin's. Rene Auberjoinois (Odo of Star Trek:
Deep Space Nine) deserves particular praise for his portrayal
of a minister-cum-militiaman ("Someone has to tend the flock--and
fight off the wolves.")
Naturally, some stories
receive more attention than others. For instance, I would have preferred
to see Benjamin do more "processing" with his youngest sons, who early
in the film witness Benjamin's grief-induced battle frenzy against the
unit detailed to transport Gabriel to the gallows.
The failure to provide
an on-screen closure for Benjamin's youngest sons, plus Tavington's one-dimensional
character and some minor logic disconnects make me wish I could knock a quarter-point from my rating. I give The Patriot full
marks, however, because its excellence far outweighs its flaws. Amazingly
accurate details abound, including Benjamin's guerilla exploits, based
upon those of Sir Francis "Swamp Fox" Marion and other renowned freedom
fighters. Mel Gibson also deserves a hearty "bravo" for delivering the
first non-animated film I've seen in decades that doesn't rely on profanity
and sexuality to titillate the audience. Nevertheless, I strongly caution
parents to preview The Patriot to decide whether they wish
to expose underage children to its extreme violence.
As a viewer I look
askance at anything labeled a "must-see." Therefore, as a reviewer I rarely
dole out such distinctions. But if you consider yourself a history or
warfare buff, a parent or a patriot you must see this film.
(Originally published in Crescent Blues. Reprinted with permission.)
