Headscratchers / The Little Mermaid (2018)

• This movie does a really poor job explaining its own plot and just how its magic works. ^note To make my questioning clear, I'm not expecting this movie, or any movie, to literally spell out every minor detail. However, mermaid lore can differ wildly with nearly every story about them, so you can't just assume what the "rules" of its world are. You have to find a way to explain things. Considering Cam and Elle know almost nothing about "real" mermaids, Elizabeth had an excuse to litter the movie with exposition to explain why things were happening the way they were.
  • The movie opens with a reworked version of the classic fairy tale. This implies heavily that Elizabeth needed Locke's magic in order to gain the ability to transform at low tide. However, the grandmother immediately says the story isn't quite accurate. Also, when Elle and Cam first see Elizabeth in human form, Elizabeth says mermaids get their legs at low tide. This would imply transforming is a natural ability of mermaids. Later, when Elizabeth explains to Cam about being bound to Locke, Elizabeth simply says he tricked her. She doesn't say anything about him giving her the ability to transform, nor does she say just what he promised her to get that piece of her soul. It's possible the "trick" was he didn't tell Elizabeth her human form had limited time, so when she went to her love she transformed in front of him, driving him away in fear. Still, some clarity on that would have been nice. More confusion about Elizabeth's transforming comes at the end. When Thora tells her it's time to escape, Elizabeth says she can't at looks at her tail. Thora casts some spell restoring Elizabeth's legs, but warns that high tide is coming soon. Elizabeth is shocked that Thora can even do that. Does this mean Locke had to cast a spell every time Elizabeth wanted to walk around as a human? That seems unlikely given how possessive Locke is of her.
  • Even if regaining Elizabeth's soul removes her ability to transform at low tide (though this is not explained at all), Thora shows she can grant Elizabeth the ability to transform. Why doesn't Thora just give Elizabeth a permanent spell of some kind?
  • During the chase at the end, Elizabeth is struggling and growing weaker after turning back into a mermaid. Does she need to be in water in order to survive as a mermaid? It makes sense, but, again, the movie never explains it.