'The Little Mermaid' First Reactions Praise Halle Bailey, Live-Action Film as an 'Epic Watch'

Kelly Rowland was among the many individuals who expressed their love for the new live-action Little Mermaid on social media

The first reactions to The Little Mermaid are in — and they're overwhelmingly positive.

On Monday, the live-action retelling of Disney's 1989 animated film, led this time by Halle Bailey as Ariel, had its world premiere in Los Angeles, after which commentary began pouring in on Twitter.

Kelly Rowland called the film "truly AN EPIC WATCH!!!", praising the music especially and writing, "You laugh, you cry, you sing along!! I know I'm gonna be singing these songs For weeks to come!!!!!!"

John Nguyen of Nerd Reactor said The Little Mermaid "really surprised" him, and is his "favorite Disney live-action remake by far."

"Halle Bailey's voice is phenomenal, and Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric is charming," he added. "The rest of the cast is solid. The animals still look creepy but grew on me."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

RELATED GALLERY: All the Stars (and Their Cute Kids!) at The Little Mermaid Premiere in Hollywood

Felicia Wade of DiscussingFilm chimed in saying that while she believes the film "makes it pretty close to being the best live action Disney movie ... it still struggles in the villain department."

That being said, "Halle Bailey IS Ariel and I had literal chills throughout her performance," Wade added. "This is a little mermaid retelling like you've never seen before."

Film critic Michael Lee praised The Little Mermaid as "an enchanting reimagining that expands upon the story of the animated original with modern themes" and is carried by Bailey, 23, though he added that the movie feels "slightly overstuffed."

Additional reactions noted the film's "romantic" and "magical" feeling and praised it as everything from "charming" to "stunning," while others criticized it for being "spotty."

"It may look visually rough under the sea, but THE LITTLE MERMAID eventually recreates some of the original's magic through its timeless story & cast," Next Best Picture's Matt Neglia wrote. "Daveed Diggs & Melissa McCarthy are highlights but Halle Bailey is the one astonishes with her gorgeous singing & empathetic charm."

RELATED VIDEO: Why Halle Bailey Was "Sobbing" After The Little Mermaid: "I Had Come Out of This Cocoon with Ariel"

Alongside Bailey as Ariel and British actor Hauer-King, 27, as Eric, the cast also includes McCarthy, 52, as Ursula, Awkwafina as Scuttle, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Diggs as Sebastian and Noma Dumezweni in a brand-new role.

At Monday's premiere, Diggs, 41, called Bailey's casting "incredible" in a conversation with PEOPLE and added, "Obviously, it's important for Black and Brown kids and for kids of all ethnicities to get to look up on the screen and feel like the story is theirs, too. I'm so thrilled about that."

The Hamilton alum, who plays Ariel's tough-shelled crab mentor in The Little Mermaid, continued, "I'm also thrilled that it is Halle, of anybody. She's wonderful."

"This is the only person who should be playing this role," he said.

The Little Mermaid swims into theaters May 26.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.