Rating: G
Run Time: 2 hours
Summary(imdb.com): Sabrina travels to Australia's Great Barrier Reef with her best friend Gwen, a fellow witch from England, for a week-long vacation where they try to help protect a hidden mermaid colony whose habitat is threatened by ocean pollution, and by a local marine biologist, Dr. Julian Martin, determined to find the colony as his claim to fame. While Sabrina finds romance with Barnaby, a "merman" from the mermaid colony, Salem the cat finds a possible romance with another witch-turned-into-a-cat, named Hilary, but finds Sabrina's problems interfering with his plans.
My Review:
A pinch of magic, a hilarious black cat, and one classic teenage witch: what can go wrong? Sadly, there were great mermaid performances in this movie, but the ending had some problems and plot holes.
Gorgeous Green Tails and an Adorable Merman:
The movie begins with beautiful underwater scenery of coral reefs and ocean life, transporting the viewer into the merfolk world. This oceanic theme is also incorporated into the setting detail and conservation themes, which will be discussed later.
I can't discuss Sabrina the Teenage Witch without talking about Salem! He is so hysterical. All he wants to do is chill out near the pool with his shades, be pampered, and flirt with a pretty white Persian kitty.
Another one of my favorite characters was Barnaby the merman. He's very innocent, sweet, and shy, almost reminding me of a gender-bended Ariel! He's also curious about human and develops a crush on Sabrina. The actor who played him also adapted to the tail really well.
Another mermaid character is Barnaby's sister, Fin. She is a beautiful example of a classic mermaid: long red hair and a gorgeous green tail. The actress was an okay swimmer, but she let out too many bubbles, which detracted from the realistic detail. Contrary to Barnaby, she is suspicious of humans. These two merfolk were my favorite parts of the movie. Also, check out this amazing mer-colony!
Evil Marine Biologist, Plot Holes, and Strange Ending:
A movie confuses viewers when a seemingly good character suddenly shifts into the antagonist without any warning or transition. The marine biologist in this movie seemed so dedicated to preserving sea life and rescuing dolphins. He even rescues a reef fish that was going to be sold. As soon as he learns about the merfolk, he instantly turns greedy and wants to sell them to an aquarium! When he does manage to catch Barnaby for a brief period, he dumps the merman into a chlorinated pool. As a scientist, you should understand that ocean life is very sensitive and this stupid choice seemed out of character and unprofessional.
Fans of Sabrina know that even though she is a teenager, she can cast some powerful spells. To prevent the mer-colony from being discovered, she casts a storm spell, but gets struck by lightning. Now, I know this is a Disney movie, but the scene is ridiculous. She doesn't show any sign of damage, not a hair out of place, and her friends don't take her to the hospital!
i wished they mentioned pollution as the major problem against dolphins and merfolk. I also think the plot would've made more sense if the marine biologist and Sabrina worked together.
If you want to see a movie with beautiful merfolk to get some artistic inspiration, perhaps this movie is a good choice. However, if you want to watch a good mermaid movie, choose something else from my blog list. I give this movie (***) 3 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie