Mermaid Review: A Creature Feature that goes real dark and weird

PLOT: A drug addicted Florida man finds a wounded mermaid at his lowest point. When word spreads about his secret, he’ll stop at nothing to protect her.

REVIEW: I’m of the belief that The Shape of Water really opened people’s eyes to treating monsters like something more than villains. It’s allowed for many different types of stories to be told, and adds different layers to a creature feature. But those hoping for a straight-up comedy should probably recalibrate those expectations as Mermaid is more of a dark character study than anything else. And it’s quite peculiar.

Mermaid follows Doug, a Florida man with a drug addiction, who randomly comes across an injured Mermaid. Only don’t think that this is Splash with a beautiful Daryl Hannah-like version, as the Mermaid is monstrous. But he finds a weird kinship with her, especially compared to those around him, whom he feels so alone with. He’ll do anything to protect her, but his secret gets out, and he has to break out of his comfort zone in order to save her. It’s a pretty interesting take and goes in some pretty unexpected directions. Despite some great creature work, the backbone of the film is really the performances.

Most, including myself, know Johnny Pemberton from his many comedic roles, but this is far more subdued. He’s a drug addict who is just wandering aimlessly in life. He doesn’t know how to properly socialize, and he’s disconnected from every single person in his life, including his daughter. There are times when I just want to shake him and wake him up. His priorities are consistently out of whack, but it all makes sense for the character and the journey he’s on. A normal person would not have gone to the lengths that Doug does to help a monstrous mermaid. We also get some fun performances from Robert Patrick, Kevin Nealon, and Kevin Dunn.

The creature effects are absolutely stunning, with the mermaid design looking incredible. I love how it’s so hideous, yet Doug is still able to see its beauty. For a moment, I thought he was actually going to have some kind of romantic thing going on with this fish. When it comes to the pacing, the story can drag a bit. Doug is drugged up on pills, so the movie reflects that aimlessness. It can be a little frustrating at times and won’t be for everyone. But the circumstances and characters themselves are darkly funny, especially given the situation.

I think we all have a certain opinion on Florida, and there’s a reason that “Florida Man” is a thing. It’s the bastion of weird behavior. It’s such a perfect setting for this story, and it feels so intrinsically important that I can’t imagine it taking place somewhere else. Whether it’s Doug himself or the many different characters he interacts with along the way, they don’t feel out of place or unrealistic. If there was ever going to be someone who befriends a scary mermaid, they’d be from the Sunshine State.

If you look at it on the surface, then it’s going to feel like it’s just trying to be strange for the sake of it but there’s clearly a great point. In many ways, Mermaid is a story about drug addiction and how it can make you numb to the world. But there’s always something that can bring you out of it. Doug needed a scary Mermaid. And with Pemberton’s fantastic performance, it makes for a memorable experience. There’s no denying that this is an extremely odd movie but it was right up my alley. It’s a quiet character study that relies on its performances and great creature work to tell a unique story with some funny moments thrown in for good measure.

Mermaid is playing in Select Theaters on April 8th, 2026.