69
Metascore
16 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90Los Angeles TimesMartin TsaiLos Angeles TimesMartin TsaiCrass and macabre, yet big-hearted, it makes a wonderfully adult bedtime story.
- 88RogerEbert.comSimon AbramsRogerEbert.comSimon AbramsThe Mermaid will make you laugh. It doesn't matter if you don't like subtitles. It doesn't matter if you've never heard of the director. It doesn't matter if you've never seen a Chinese movie in your life. It will make you laugh. Guaranteed.
- 80The New York TimesGlenn KennyThe New York TimesGlenn KennyWhile second-guessing the marketing strategies of movie conglomerates is happily not the concern of this reviewer, it does seem a shame that this exhilarating, bizarre, good-hearted, blatantly obvious sci-fi-fantasy-slapstick eco-fable isn’t getting wider fanfare.
- 80New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriNew York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriMermaid is a very, very funny movie, but its caustic swipes at China’s nouveau riche, combined with its despairing look at the devastation of the country’s environment, suggest a filmmaker trying to find ways to reconcile his buoyant sense of fun with deeper, darker themes.
- 75The Film StageMichael SnydelThe Film StageMichael SnydelWhile the story doesn’t always hold together, it remains moving.
- 70Screen DailyJames MarshScreen DailyJames MarshNewcomer Jelly Lin brings a delightfully quirky demeanour to her literal fish out of water.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterElizabeth KerrThe Hollywood ReporterElizabeth KerrWith no time for allegory or parable, the fantastical Mermaid delivers its message without a shred of subtlety (and is unapologetic about it) but with considerable charm, wit and darkness to make up for it.
- 70VarietyMaggie LeeVarietyMaggie LeeStephen Chow’s The Mermaid defies the time-worn nature of its material, concocting pure enchantment with the director’s own blend of nutty humor, intolerable cruelty and unabashed sweetness.
- The Mermaid is at its best when it embraces the ridiculous, no-holds-barred, farcical comedy that Chow has become known for, thanks to films like Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer.
- This live-action cartoon finds Stephen Chow (Shaolin Soccer) elevating a Disneyish set-up – ruthless developer is mollified by the mermaid inhabiting the lagoon he’s plundering – with more of his usual good-to-inspired sight gags.