" The Mermaid", that stars Deng Chao, Lin Yun, and pop star Show Luo; had the highest grossing opening in Chinese history of films and went on to break numerous records at the Chinese box-office. I had heard nothing about this film until the dvd popped up in my local Wal-Mart and I stood right in-front of the dvd rack looking up the trailer to see more of what this film could be about.
A rich play boy meets a girl whois actually a mermaid that has come to assassinate him ignored to save her home and kind from being destroyed. The two form a relationship but outside side forces on both sides threaten to drive them apart.
Our plot seems like a serious one doesn't it? You would think that this film would come in with the flood gates ready to open as its waters swoops up the audience in a dramatic cyclone. Wrong. The plot goes completely south away from this feeling and tries to make the audience laugh with slap stick comedy that makes you wonder if you walked in and saw something that you shouldn't have. A good portion of the film goes from silly to hysterical while the scenes fly by. I had a hard time identifying who the main character's were in the beginning since the film has no problem introducing you to a whole cast of character's without any real back story. Many of the female actress also tend to look similar in appearance so much so that the film had me saying,"IS THAT THE FEMALE LEAD?" "IS THIS HER??" Films that attempt to balance different genres like comedy, romance, and action are fine if every genre has an equal stable balance. Starting off the film with mindless comedy may not have been the best choice in my opinion. It kept taking away from the seriousness of the bigger conflict at hand. The Mermaids are being killed in the ocean by man made machines and it needs to stop. Watching a rich guy and a very strange acting girl try to make you laugh for more than a few scenes is not helping the problem. Some aspects were funny but I was also jerked out of living truthfully in an imaginary circumstance every time the two character's found themselves in laugh out loud positions. A scene of them singing was thrown in there for a second and I started to pray that the film wouldn't turn into a musical. Films have pulled that less than interesting move in the past. Lets say it wasn't pretty. By the middle of the film all the funny bone have been shook out of the plot and things become a lot more serious as the conflict hits center stage like a deprived baby that was left in the house for hours by its mother. My eyes went from looking at my phone to being glued to the screen to witness some of the best special effects to come out of China in a LONG time. The action part of this film is what kept me watching while the romance was a side dish.
Performances based on acting ability is hard to address during the opening stages of "The Mermaid". Anyone could have done most of the scenes as you don't need real acting ability to play funny. You can be coached or even play off of whoever is acting with you just as long as your not stiff. The Mermaid scenes were the only scenes that showcased real acting ability with all the extras playing the mermaids along with the queen of the mermaid tribe and Show Luo playing the lone octopus. Show Luo's character was like the second in command who was so hyper active that I think if he got any more hyped up he would explode from the ADHD he never knew he had. This is Lin Yun's first film as a lead role. She has little to no acting experience but you can't really tell at all. Deng Chao and other actors she worked with handled her with the upmost care so she can bring out her character to the best of what she had. Not to mention all the actors and actresses had to act with CGI effects that they couldn't see at the time. Thats not an easy skill and I have to applaud everyone for performing to the best of their abilities.
Shooting for this film also had to been a hard stressful ordeal. If it rains then your screwed because there goes your beautiful shot of the ocean. I love how "The Mermaid" was shot like its trying to prove something to the viewers who witness the ocean or the rich life of the main male character. The camera makes sure to film from above to get a revolving view of the sea with straight forward conviction. You can just hear the shot saying, "Look at me". The audience is being taught that the ocean is to be enjoyed instead of destroyed without using words as well as an actor. CGI effects have to be discussed too. Mermaids in itself is an stand out concept even if it has been used constantly in other forms of story telling. You can never go wrong with using mythical creatures along with an original story concept. A great amount of good CGI was needed to make "The Mermaids" come to life on the big screen. The mermaid scenes used the most CGI wowing viewers into a state curiosity about the world of the characters. One of my favorite scenes in the whole film is when the battle for survival comes and the mermaids must protect themselves. It was so fun to watch to the point that I was on the edge of my bed.( not seat. B-E-D.)
I had a push and pull relationship with "The Mermaid" as a viewer. My teeth cringed a little bit while watching the first half of the film. I decided to turn the whole film off and watch at a latter date. A need to continue watching tugged at me thought. Maybe because the trailer was so good that I wanted to believe that the film might get better. Thankfully, "The Mermaid does get its act together and finishes strong enough that I would revisit the film again. I'm happy that I stuck out the film until that end. "The Mermaid" isn't a bad film by any means but juggling around three separate movie genres isn't a mermaid's forte.
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