Disney's live-action new film "The Little Mermaid" was released simultaneously in China and the United States.
Not surprisingly, this version of "The Little Mermaid" basically meets the expectations of the Chinese people at the domestic box office.
Its national box office of the zero point field is only a measly 8161 yuan, setting a record for the lowest number of Hollywood new films in China.
On the first day of release, the box office of "The Little Mermaid" was only a measly 3.63 million, accounting for only 5.3% of the box office.
Before its release, "The Little Mermaid" was a one-sided criticism whether it was foreign or domestic.
However, after the premiere, different voices appeared, supporting the views of the new version of "The Little Mermaid", there are probably three of them:
1. The first one, saying that disgusting the black version of "Little Beauty", is "aesthetic bullying".
There are big Vs who hold this view and put forward their own sufficient "reasons".
He believes that the film not only "skillfully breaks down prejudices and barriers", but also has "simple beauty and love".
The big V believes that the Little Mermaid in the film is portrayed as a black image with non-mainstream aesthetics, and the villain princess is chosen as a good-looking white actor, which has the meaning of breaking prejudice and encouraging everyone not to be confused by appearances, and being kind and deserving of love.
In the argument with netizens, the big V also personally came down, not only saying that he thought the little mermaid was "beautiful", but also believed that our netizens' remarks on the black version of the little mermaid were "biased", not only a discriminatory behavior, but also "ignorant".
For the domestic audience's general opinion that "The Little Mermaid" is too ugly, Big V bluntly said that it is "aesthetic bullying".
2. Second, some people think that no one has ever stipulated that "The Little Mermaid" cannot be black.
But in fact, when the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen wrote "Daughter of the Sea", although she did not say that she was not black, it can be basically determined from the fairy tale description that the little mermaid is not dark-skinned.
For example, from the description of the following two paragraphs, it can be seen that the skin color of the hands and legs of the little mermaid is white.
"Then she found that her fish tail was gone, and she got a pair of the most beautiful little white legs that only a girl has."
"Then the little mermaid raised her beautiful, white hands, stood on tiptoe, and danced lightly on the floor."
3. The third is to regard "The Little Mermaid" as a pioneering film with Disney's aesthetic diversity, and even more as a cultural phenomenon.
Some people said that the new version of "The Little Mermaid" is an important effort made by Disney to combat aesthetic bullying and is a manifestation of "insisting on beauty, kindness and justice".
Some people also think that "The Little Mermaid" is projecting ordinary people, and it is proving that even if we are not beautiful, we can become the protagonists of our own story, which is a beautiful story closer to ordinary people.
More movie big V also supported this film, saying that the important thing in "The Little Mermaid" is not "beauty", but to find your own voice.
Obviously, in order to argue against the new version of "The Little Mermaid", some people have raised this live-action fairy tale movie to a height that it should not have.
These points seem to make sense; But on closer inspection, many of these views and statements have unexplained loopholes in them, which is a kind of sophistry that is not based on facts.
Tomato Jun's point is clear: I just don't like the new version of "The Little Mermaid", I don't need others to teach me what is the right aesthetic and what is multiculturalism, I just want to see a beautiful, fantastic fairy tale movie.
And the three reasons why I don't like it can explain the loopholes in these previous views.
1. The first point, identifying with the beauty you think and opposing the beauty you don't agree with, is not only not aesthetic bullying, but precisely the embodiment of aesthetic freedom.
Some people think that Chinese audiences don't like the "black mermaid" and ridicule her appearance as "aesthetic bullying", which Tomato Jun is actually more puzzled and disgusted.
Aesthetics, like beauty itself, have diversity, aesthetics will vary according to culture, ethnicity, history and living habits - the Tang Dynasty used fat for beauty, modern for thin for beauty, Asian culture favored gentle women, European and American culture preferred maturity and confidence...
There is no definition of beauty, let alone a specific explanation.
So, when our audience sees a mermaid who doesn't look good, why call her "beautiful" against our will? Is only a lie that violates one's own aesthetic laws a correct aesthetic?
Some viewers said well, beautiful or not, I have my own standards and don't need others to teach me.
Respecting diverse aesthetics and respecting the audience's recognition of the actor's aesthetics is itself a respect for "beauty".
Nowadays, in order to praise the good movie, even the normal aesthetic must be defined as "bullying", isn't this a clear aesthetic PUA?
Take another 10,000 steps back and say, is Harley Bailey, who played "The Little Mermaid", really the beauty that ordinary people understand?
Look at the photos of her walking the red carpet, although the costume is added and the makeup is exquisite, it can be said that she has characteristics and high recognition, but it is really not related to "beauty".
Although the special effects makeup is done in the movie, even in the aesthetic context of Europe and the United States, it is by no means "beautiful".
Most audiences, in fact, do not refuse black actors to play "The Little Mermaid"; But the reason why "Little Mermaid" is not "Little Mermaid" is because of the word "beauty"!
There are many beautiful black actresses, why can't they choose to play the mermaid?
For example: Halle Berry;
For example: Beyoncé Giselle;
Another example: Paula Button.
Each of the above gives a pleasing feeling.
In fact, Hollywood's aesthetic degradation over the years is already an indisputable fact.
In addition to the Little Mermaid, countless "face values" in classic works have been destroyed by Hollywood aesthetics in the new version.
Including but not limited to Snow White, Elf Prince, Cinderella, and more.
Even if these are not mentioned, the dragon family in the newly launched "Game of Thrones" derivative drama looks like this;
Look at the dragon mother before, high judgment...
Hollywood, which is aesthetically degraded, uses an actor who does not conform to the role of the Little Mermaid, and also has to block the mouths of the people, and even use the language of "aesthetic bullying" to choke the audience, what kind of heart is An?
2. Second, it is very important to respect the original culture, and malicious tampering is a blasphemy against the original author.
Our "Journey to the West" is very famous, but the Japanese, American and Vietnamese versions of "Journey to the West" have all been complained about by Chinese audiences.
Why? Because they didn't respect the original at all, didn't respect our culture.
Even in the Japanese version of "Journey to the West", Tang Monk became a beautiful young woman.
Of course, we have no objection to foreigners filming "Journey to the West", but to adapt our famous book, we should at least respect the setting of the original work, rather than make random changes.
The filming of "The Little Mermaid" is exactly that.
Disney's "The Little Mermaid" was originally adapted from Hans Christian Andersen's "Daughter of the Sea", and in the original book, Ariel was described as "delicate skin like rose petals, eyes as clear and pure as seawater".
Probably what it looks like in the animated version of "The Little Mermaid".
Moreover, the classic image of "The Little Mermaid" has long become the collective memory of a generation or even generations.
Destroying these memories in this way today will naturally not be accepted by the public.
I found a black actor who is not beautiful to play the role of the mermaid in "The Little Mermaid", and insisted that everyone say that it was good-looking, and the reason is not to say that everyone knows.
And these praise of "The Little Mermaid", if the characters in our classic stories, such as Mulan, find an unsuitable actor to play, will you still think this is normal?
It is foreseeable that if Disney continues like this, it will only get farther and farther away from children who like fairy tales.
3. The third point is that movies are just movies, especially fairy tale movies, don't treat it as a tool.
You can think that the new version of "The Little Mermaid" shows the so-called freedom, equality and diversity, you can think that it provides a model for ordinary people's stories, you can think that it is an effort to fight against aesthetic bullying, and so on.
But the premise of all this is based on the fact that it is a fairy tale movie for children.
In the eyes of children, there are not so many big ideas, only stories, beauty and innocence.
But how should the Chinese parents who took their children to watch this movie explain that the little mermaid in the movie became a "black mermaid"?
They can't understand the advanced theory, and the simple truth cannot make a reasonable answer, which can only make the new version of "The Little Mermaid" fall into a strange circle: suitable for parents and children in a specific group to watch.
After all, in foreign countries, black children are still very excited to see a princess with the same skin color as themselves.
But in this case, how should parents answer that the skin color of other princesses is not black?
You can tamper with one fairy tale, you can't tamper with all of them, how should these little children feel when they grow up, or when they see the real "Little Mermaid" protagonist?
This contradiction, no matter how you raise the height of "The Little Mermaid", cannot be explained or solved.
Therefore, when these reasons that everyone knows quietly infiltrate into fairy tale movies for children, it is very scary. This means that the aesthetics, cognition, and values of a generation will be changed.
When this kind of thing really happens, isn't it a sadness for children?
Ending: Movies are just movies and should not be a tool for any purpose, especially children's films
At this point, the new version of "The Little Mermaid" makes a big counterexample.
Although Tomato Jun does not know whether those who gave it a platform are telling the truth.
But such a movie, I will not choose to take my children to watch, because it goes against the most basic film adaptation principles and goes against the original intention of telling stories to children.
You know, even the "mermaid" in the comedy is very beautiful.
But "The Little Mermaid" can't even do the minimum "beauty".
(Movie Rotten Tomatoes Editorial Office: Miao Miao)