Aladdin Review

Needs more Fortnite and Marques Brownlee.

Aladdin (1992) for many people is seen as the greatest Disney movie ever made. Released at a time when Disney still cared about making originals. Aladdin had it all. A plucky titular character who we all rooted for. A Disney princess who was more than a plot device.  A villain who is up there with cinemas best. A romance that didn’t feel contrived or forced. Songs that everyone still loves today. Despite all these memorable elements of the film. Aladdin is remembered mainly for one man. Robin Williams as the Genie is a legendary character. Williams is my favourite comedian of all time. If you go back and watch Aladdin, he will bring you joy. That’s what Robin did. No matter how you were feeling. If you needed a smile after a day with none. Robin was able to ignite your body with fits of laughter. It’s been 5 years since we lost him and not a day goes by where I don’t think of one of his jokes. No matter how you feel about this Aladdin remake. Remember the reason why you loved the original. Remember Robin. We miss you chief.

Aladdin tells the story of Aladdin (Mena Massoud), a young street urchin whose life changes forever when he finds a magic lamp. With his new friend Genie (Will Smith) by his side. Can Aladdin and Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott) unlikely relationship work? Or will the evil Jafar (Maren Kenzari) spoil the party? We’ve all seen Aladdin a million times. It has a place in our hearts that will never go away. That’s okay! All I’m asking for is that you give this new Aladdin a chance. There’s a lot of hostility in the air. Everyone seems to hate this before they’ve even seen it. Don’t feel embarrassed, I was in that majority too. I rolled my eyes at the thought of a lifeless rendition of one of my favourite films. I declared Will Smith as being horrendous casting before I even seen him in the film. This Aladdin remake is good. It has many flaws and still feels unnecessary in the grand scheme of things, but there’s a lot to like about this Aladdin.  It’s one of the better attempts that Disney has made at paying tribute to the original. Let’s put down the pitchforks and give this film a chance.

The film opens at a breakaway pace. The opening 10 minutes of the film flies through parts that the original spent more time with. It hooks you in from the offset. The world of Agrabah is brought to life in the opening rendition of “Arabian Nights”. Instead of setting up the mythology of the lamp and the kingdom.  The film chooses to focus on the relationship between Aladdin and Jasmine. It’s a decision that has its pros and cons. On one hand, Aladdin and Jasmine’s relationship in a highlight of the film. On the other hand, not giving Jafar time to be evil undermines what is already the reboots weakest attempt at bringing over the magic of the original. After the brief change in the first act. Aladdin has the same plot as the original. It’s a lot of fun. The songs don’t feel like mere rehashes. Alan Menken returned to make sure his classic songs weren’t destroyed. The cinematography adds colour and vibrant images to the screen. Cinematographer Alan Stewart, who normally works in the camera and electrical department, did a tremendous job at making the live action as beautiful as the animated. The difference between the two is the running time. The original Aladdin ran at a smooth hour and a half. This Aladdin runs longer at 2 hours and 8 minutes. This additional half hour is noticeable. Portions of the film feel dragged out for no apparent reason. I checked my watch a few times which is never a good sign. The guy beside me fell asleep. It wasn’t that long, but a trim down would have possibly put this on par with The Jungle Book (2016).

Mena Massoud faced a difficult task in playing the titular character. The original Aladdin is a surprisingly enough cartoonish. More so than many Disney leading characters. Aladdin is goody, childish and exaggerated. He’s my least favourite thing about the original. Massoud did a damn good job as Aladdin. Massoud is a likable leading man who you want to succeed. At times he falls victim to the writing, but he pulled together a strong performance. Massoud is a young actor who we should keep an eye on in the future. This guy has the potential to go far. Naomi Scott is magnificent as Jasmine. Scott it better than the original Jasmine. Instead of just wanting to escape confinement, Jasmine wants to be the Sultan. This minor change added layers to the character. Jasmine in the original just wanted a husband. A power-hungry Jasmine is fascinating to watch. Scott will leave you floored in her performance of new song “Speechless”. I had Goosebumps listening to her. It’s a star making performance by the young English actress. I expect big things for Scott. More so than anyone else, she doesn’t just match the original. She tops it.

Will Smith as the Genie is what we all came to this film to see. Smith against all the odds delivers his finest performance in years.  Smith was never going to copy and paste William’s Genie. That would have been disastrous. Instead, Smith chooses to be himself. Normally I complain that Will Smith is always Will Smith in a movie. Yet, Robin Williams was Robin Williams in Aladdin. Why wouldn’t Will Smith be himself? If you look back at his last 2 blockbusters Bright and Suicide Squad, 2 messy movies, he was the best part. Maybe we were hating on Smith when it wasn’t his fault. Smith as the Genie is tremendous. The jokes all landed. “Friend Like Me” is the films finest moment. Smith uses his music experience to add a new flair to the classic song. The Genie gets his own subplot where he falls in love with Jasmine’s handmaiden (Nasim Pedrad). This subplot is a strong highlight. Smith and Massoud are electric together, the Genie and Aladdin’s friendship is believable. Anytime he wasn’t on screen I was waiting for him to come back. Smith knocked this out of the park. He could have easily phoned it in, but he chose not to. Smith has made Williams proud.

By far the worst thing about Aladdin is its villain. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about the original. Jafar in the original is cunning, menacing and downright evil. The character design and the voice work by Johnathan Freeman merged together to create an iconic villain. Marwen Kenzari is woefully miscast as Jafar in the remake. Gone is the magnificent outfit. Gone is the memorable grin that lit up Jafar’s face. Gone is the film’s pitch perfect villain. Kenzari is lifeless as Jafar. There’s no threat about him.  You won’t believe that he is able to manipulate those around him. In the original Jafar was always joined by his parrot Iago. Freeman and Gilbert Gottfried bounced off each other in every scene. It gave Jafar someone to talk to when he was scheming. Here, Iago is voiced by Alan Tudyk. Instead of being able to talk like a human. Iago is related to squawking random phrases like a normal parrot. Kenzari was in desperate need of someone to help him out. Alan Tudyk would have been perfect for this. Sadly, he’s left to squawk every few minutes. If you were to edit in the original Jafar it would still feel more believable than Kenzari.

Guy Richie was certainly an unexpected choice for director of Aladdin. Imagine going back in time to when Snatch was released and telling people that this director would remake Aladdin. Richie has faced a difficult few years in trying to escape the gangster genre.  It started well with his two Sherlock Holmes films. However, his last two films have been box office disasters. The Man From U.N.C.L.E was a fun spy film that no one seen. It’s worth a watch if you haven’t checked out. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword was another good film that no one seen. Richie had to go to Disney to get a sure-fire box office hit. Another flop and we might not get another big Richie original. Richie’s direction on Aladdin is hard to notice. It doesn’t feel like a Richie film. None of the director’s stylish trademarks are to be found. It’s as if Disney made the film and slapped Richie’s name on it to get his fans into cinemas. It’s the same problem I had with Dumbo. Tim Burton was the director, but was he really? Are these directors being allowed to direct. Or are they being attached for marketing reasons? I don’t think Richie would have let that blue CGI Genie on screen. The effects weren’t finished. An esteemed director like Richie wouldn’t normally release a film with sloppiness. I’m straying into conspiracy theories; I just don’t believe that Richie would bring bland direction to the board. This is not a Guy Richie film. This is Disney showing fans that they want their money by giving them the same thing they loved as a kid. Nostalgia sells.

Aladdin is a successful reboot. It’s by no means perfect. After all it’s given a flawless villain to use and decides to give him a makeover. Yet, there’s something about this film that clicks in a way that many of these reboots haven’t. The leading heroes are giving there all which always makes a film watchable. The world itself is beautiful enough to justify remaking it. There is heart in this Aladdin. So many reboots don’t seem to care. They arrive, make their money and leave again. Aladdin is a film that is rewatchable. In a world where these Disney reboots come and go. It’s refreshing to have another that does justice to the original. It may not be a whole new world, but it’s a fun one to be in.

Liam’s Summary of Aladdin

Best Moment: “Friend Like Me” is glorious.

Worst Moment: The realisation that Iago is going to suck.

Best Character: This Jasmine is better than the original. What more can you ask for?

Worst Character: Jafar is as menacing as a digestive biscuit.

Other Remakes That Worked.

The Jungle Book (2016): The undisputed champion of Disney reboots.

Ocean’s 11 (2001): It boggles my how few people know this is a remake.

Cape Fear (1991): Wondering why De Niro is the greatest actor ever? Watch this.

Overall Rating: 3/5