Aladdin (1992, Ron Clements/Jon Musker) is one of the standout animated movies of the Disney Renaissance that took place in the '90s. With hit songs, like A Whole New World, and a Performances from Robin Williams (Hook, Good Will Hunting) as the Genie. And now, with Disney producing Live-action of their animated classics, a Live-Action Aladdin seemed inevitable. But with Guy Ritchie directing (Rock'N'Rolla, Sherlock Holmes) having something a spotty track record at the box office, and with his last movie King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword being bashed by critics. Not to mention the lacklustre first reactions to the promotional material of this movie. Should Disney be concerned with how this performs with critics and the box office? Or will this movie's nostalgia factor be enough to get it through all that?
Initial Thoughts
I really enjoyed this movie! From the trailers and TV Spots, this movie kinda looks like a shallow reimagining of the animated original. But that's not the case! This is a lot of fun, looks so beautiful and is incredibly energetic. The performances are great and the musical numbers, whilst not beating the original versions, are definitely living up to that standard.
Mena Massoud/Aladdin
One of the biggest surprises was how good Mena Massoud (Open Heart, Run This Town) was as Aladdin. From the promotional material, he came off a little wooden and bland. But I feel like he embodied very well. From his kind-hearted nature to his cunning trickery. I thought he did a great job of becoming Aladdin. I will have to say he doesn't give as strong of a performance as his co-stars. But he still does a good as the character.
Naomi Scott/Jasmine
Obviously, the breakout star of this movie is Naomi Scott (The Martian, Power Rangers) who steals the show as Princess Jasmine. She is incredibly beautiful and likeable in this role and has an amazing voice to back it up. Her new song Speechless being quite an empowering moment that was handled brilliantly, which Scott did a great job at performing. I also liked how they updated Jasmine, with her desire to be more of a political figure more interested in matters of state, compared to her animated counterpart which was a very good motivation for her character not wanting to get married and quite a timely update of the character. Yes, Jasmine is much more of an active character in this movie and Naomi Scott is incredible in this role.
Will Smith/Genie
The role of the Genie is a difficult one to tackle. After Robin Williams gave such an iconic performance in the animated movie that it feels like no one can top. And whilst Will Smith (Independence Day, Bad Boys) doesn't top the original performance he still does make it his own. He is very funny, a little bit sassy, and loads of fun to watch. And his chemistry with his co-stars is very good, particularly with Mena Massoud. The two make a very good comical duo. Although I do have to say, the animation on Will Smith, whilst looks better than the first look at him, doesn't always look very good. There are a few moments where it looks a bit off. Like it's Will Smith's face on someone else's body and it doesn't quite fit. But this won't stop audiences from loving this version of the Genie.
Marwan Kenzari/Jafar
This is, unfortunately, one of the more weaker performances in the movie. While Jafar in the animated movie is more of a fun and energetic kind of villain. While in this one they decided to make him more serious and a bit sympathetic, which I think was a mistake because he comes off as bland and annoying. I get what director Guy Ritchie and Marwan Kenzari (The Mummy, What Happened to Monday) were trying to do with Jafar. But I don't think it works. Especially when compared to the animated version of the character.
Story
The story is more or less the same as the animated movie. Which is good. If it ain't broke don't fix it. But the movie does change and add a few things which I think make this movie stand out. Such as the relationship between Aladdin and Jasmine, in terms of how they meet, I think tweaked and updated rather effectively. Additions like Jasmine's handmaiden, Dhalia (Nasim Pedrad) were really great to watch. So whilst this movie doesn't completely change the movie it does tweak a few things to give it its own voice.
Songs
The songs are alright in this movie. Some of them don't really live up to the originals. But there were a couple of standouts. Like Arabian Nights, Friend Like Me and A Whole New World, which I felt was performed rather well. With A Whole New World being THE standout song of the movie. I thought Meena Massoud and Naomi Scott did a great job with that one. Not just with their singing, but also their on-screen chemistry. It was a really great moment in the movie.
Conclusion
In conclusion, you will like this movie. As both a newcomer to Aladdin or a fan of the animated movie. It's full of fun, energy and heart. And stands fairly apart from its original counterpart with a few tweaks and updates that give it its own voice. This is definitely worth seeing in cinemas!
So that's my review of Aladdin. What did you think of the movie? Do you or disagree with anything I said? Please leave a comment down below. And, if you liked this review then you can follow this blog for more content. Thank you for reading!
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