Rob Marshall’s The Little Mermaid truly feels like the culmination of Disney live-action remakes from the last few years. But this remake once again reminds us how unnecessary they are.

What are you expecting from a Sony rendition of a decades old kid’s cartoon strip about a singing crocodile, adapted for the big screens for 2022 with Shawn Mendes taking the lead as the titular Lyle, the crocodile?

Once upon a time in Hawkins, Indiana, there lived a people chuffed with cliché. Their lives were a hit and their town never missed, what an unpleasant mess they’ve now found themselves in.

While the plot is largely predictable, following the tropes and clichés of dozens of films before it, Cudi’s presence firmly sells this product as something of his own.

What I was expecting from this night out at the theatre, was high energy, excitement, tenderness and maybe a few good one-liners. I can happily say, that’s exactly what I got.