Disney strikes again with their newest and perhaps boldest attempt yet at turning one of their most beloved animated films to live action with Guy Ritchie's
Aladdin. Beginning first with 2014's
Malificent, Disney's strategy of turning their most successful animated films into live action for the most part has worked out pretty good with 2015's
Cinderella, 2016's
The Jungle Book, and 2017's
Beauty And The Beast turning out to be massive successes of their own. Taking a two year break almost, the live action Disney films have returned with Tim Burton's
Dumbo being released along with Guy Ritchie's
Aladdin. Whereas Burton's
Dumbo film received heavily mixed reviews and performed modestly well at the box office, more pressure and expectation were placed upon Guy Ritchie's film to deliver a live action adaptation that somehow captures the magic and nostalgia of the original. That was always going to be a huge burden as well as a serious challenge for the cast and crew of the new film as they didn't have Robin Williams to reprise the role of The Genie this time around. The films production was plagued by heavy controversy with Will Smiths casting as the new Genie prompting massive backlash from fans along with the criticism of the films CGI work on his character. The film also was criticized for the revealing of caucasian actors faces being painted to make them look middle eastern as extras in the film.
Aladdin's road to the big screen as a live action film was by no means an easy task for Guy Ritchie and his team but for the most part, they succeed in delivering a worthy remake of the original film that pays homage to the past while upgrading the story for a new generation of audiences adding new twists and turns to the story.
The plot for the 2019
Aladdin remains exactly the same as the original with a young street thief named Aladdin coming across a lamp that allows him to free a Genie that grants him all of his wishes while transforming him into a charming prince in order to marry a beautiful princess named Jasmine whom he met on the streets of Agrabah. While Aladdin and Jasmine meet and fall in love, an evil sorcerer named Jafar becomes hell-bent on obtaining the lamp for his own sinister purposes. With the live-action version of
Aladdin, Ritchie keeps the same storyline from the original intact but chooses to expand on the development of certain characters such as Will Smiths Genie while also improving on Jasmines character from the original film, making her more of a central figure in the story. Despite the character changes, Ritchie keeps intact much of the fun spirit, action, and heart of the original while utilizing his own over the top directing style that strangely enough fits the story with some impressive slow motion sequences. The films opening sequence is a nice addition to the story with Smiths character opening up the films narrative with a clever revival of the classic Arabian Knight song. Those moments along with the introduction of Aladdin being chased through the streets of Agrabah as a thief with Abu on his shoulder provide powerful yet effective moments of nostalgia for those who grew up watching the original film. Other great moments in the film that drive home that nostalgia and are terrific to see in live-action are Aladdin coming across the lamp and his introduction in the streets of Agrabah as Prince Ali further helped by Will Smiths impressive musical number. The new key moments that weren't present in the original film but work in the remake are Princess Jasmines
Speechless scene which is absolutely stunning to watch (Even if the guards fading out in the scene gives audiences PTSD from watching
Avengers: Infinity War). The one biggest sequence in the movie that would either make or break the whole film depending on how Guy Ritchie directed it is the iconic
A Whole New World carpet flying sequence. That moment is without question the most anticipated sequence out of the whole film for audiences going into the live-action film and happily enough, it doesn't disappoint. Its beautifully filmed and acted by the main leads with the new scene delivering chills to the audience who experienced it as kids three decades prior, and now are letting their own children experience that moment of magic for the first time. The whole scene almost feels like one big torch passing moment from one generation to another with the way its brilliantly handled.
In terms of casting and acting performances, the cast for
Aladdin for the most part is spot on and genuinely feel like they truly fit the roles. Mena Massoud is perfectly cast as Aladdin turning in a charming performance, that makes him appealing to audiences which is essential to the movies success. Naomi Scott proves to be a great choice as Jasmine with a terrific singing voice, audiences will also like what Disney does with her character. When Will Smith isn't on the screen, she steals the show easily and shares great chemistry with Massoud. As far as audiences is concerned, Will Smith beats the odds as Genie and proves to be a great casting choice and successor to Robin Williams in the iconic role. Smith succeeds not because he tries to copy Williams performance (He doesn't), but that he honors the work that came before him while doing his own thing with the part. His performance literally feels like a cross between
The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air and
Hitch which makes the combination of the two appealing for the part of Genie. Smith knows the shoes he's stepping into and plays it smart by making the role his own rather as that was his only chance of success. Despite the strong performances of the three main leads, the films biggest disappointment lies with the depiction of the character of Jafar played by Marwan Kenzari who often feels miscast for the part. While his performance itself isn't terrible, its not the Jafar that audiences were expecting going in and isn't sinister enough. One can only imagine what someone like Ben Kingsley, Oded Fehr, or Patrick Stewart who lobbied for the role could've done with the part. Another disappointment was the lack of usage for Alan Tudyk as Jafars parrot companion Iago. Tudyk isn't bad in terms of his voice acting but feels underused for the most part and not effective enough to leave a strong impression with audiences. Nasim Pedrad and Navid Negahban deliver solid performances as new character Dalia and Sultan, breathing new life into their respective roles though both feel as if they were a bit shortchanged in regards to their screentime. Despite the miscasting of Jafar in the main villainous role, the cast as a whole is strong and deliver great performances with the material given to them.
Written by John August and Guy Ritchie and directed by Guy Ritchie,
Aladdin appears to fit as one of Ritchie's films as he excels with characters who turn out to be thieves within their respective storylines much like Tim Burton does great with exploring characters who appear to be outsiders in their respective stories. Ritchie brings the same over the top style to this film that he brought to his
Sherlock Holmes films and previous work in general, one can feel his enthusiasm for telling this story as he appears to go to great lengths to make sure the film looks and feels authentic as a live action adaptation of the original. The film is in no short supply of energy and excitement that makes the overall experience even more compelling. In terms of adding more backstory to the film, Ritchie supplies the live action
Aladdin with a more feminist-friendly message regarding the character of Jasmine, who wishes not just to be a simply free-minded princess but also a Sultan to her own people with her ready to take on the responsibilities of leadership. With these new additions, the character of Jasmine as a whole feels more fleshed out and developed into the story more fully. The romance between her and Aladdin doesn't feel as forced and rushed but comes more naturally this time around since the writers have more time to flesh out the story. Genies story arc is expanded on with the friendship between him and Aladdin remaining intact with Genies humanity and human side further explored within the story with a rewarding payoff.
On a technical aspect, the new
Aladdin looks absolutely stunning with breathtaking Cinematography, Costume and Art-Set Decoration. The score by original composer Alan Menken still remains one of the films strongest points with the new musical numbers mainly performed by Jasmine being worthy additions. The films editing is good and moves the story along at a fast pace given its two hour running time. There is enough time for the main characters to develop with the middle version of the movie feeling like a spin off of
Hitch with Genie coaching Aladdin on how to hook up with Jasmine that gives immediate flashbacks to that film. This is where the film truly works as both the story and characters feel more organic and have time to be fleshed out in comparison to the original. The interplay between Aladdin and Genie is one of the films strongest highlights with the two main actors demonstrating great chemistry and making it extremely fun to watch. The addition of Genies love interest is a clever twist that wasn't in the original but works great here because like the film
Hitch, it puts Will Smiths characters knowledge and advice to the test in his own scenario. As far as special effects go, much has been said about the physical appearance of Genie but in all honesty, he doesn't look so bad especially when it could've came out much worse. On a technical note,
Aladdin is near perfection and brings the Disney world of Agrabah to life in breathtaking fashion. As far as a Guy Ritchie film goes, this is one of his boldest and bravest attempts and here he pulls it off with the barrels blazing.
Aladdin 2019 may not please every fan of the original as fans will have issues with some of the films elements such as Jafar's casting and may disagree with Guy Ritchie's choice as director with his over the top style but truthfully its not a bad movie and is full of charm and heart to make it a worthy live action adaptation of a childhood classic. Its entertaining, its flashy, its funny, its heartfelt, and most importantly, its honorable. Smith not only managed to live up to the expectations placed upon his performance as Genie but exceed them on his own terms. The main actors Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott not only deliver terrific performances but demonstrate real talent making the audience hope that this will help push them towards more stronger roles. The costume and set decorations are terrific bringing a genuine feeling of realism to the film. For audiences that grew up with the original film, seeing the original story brought to film in live action mode is a treat and powerful nostalgic experience. Guy Ritchie's
Aladdin never loses focus of what its trying to accomplish with bringing its story to life and does so with enthusiasm, passion, and a sense of hope that audiences can recapture some of the magic they felt when they first saw the animated film 27 years prior. For fans of the original film, Guy Ritchie's live action adaptation is worth seeing even if the end result isn't perfect. Bring on Jon Favreau's
The Lion King
Final Verdict: SEE IT
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