Disney's most recent and possibly one of the best live-action adaptations of a beloved animated classic, The Little Mermaid, has made a splash in theaters worldwide. But amidst the excitement, fanfare and the film swimming to the top of the box office, the movie has fallen victim to review bombing. For those not in the know, review bombing occurs when organized campaigns are started aiming to generate a mass of dislikes for a movie or propriety, usually driven by dissatisfaction with the content or casting in an effort to make it one of the most disliked or worst reviewed movies. It’s a technique we have seen used in the past with female-led superhero movies. Despite this, popular movie sites have taken a stand against the current wave of negative ratings the Halle Bailey-led film has been receiving.
If you look closely at the user ratings on the popular Internet Movie Database for The Little Mermaid, a staggering 40% (over 13k) of the votes are one-star ratings. This overwhelming surge of negative feedback has raised eyebrows and sparked concerns about the integrity of the review system. In response, IMDb has implemented measures to address the issue and ensure the reliability of their rating mechanism. The site issued the following warning:
