Aladdin (2019) – Review

With Disney’s new strategy of remaking their classic animated movies into live action, it was a matter of time before they would get to Aladdin. It’s unfortunate though that this remake has faced the largest up-hill battle out of all of their projects, especially with whoever they cast to play the Genie, a role synonymous with the late Robin Williams. The trailers hadn’t been great and pictures of the actors in costume made people nervous. After seeing the remake I can say that Aladdin is a fun time at the theater, even though it doesn’t live up to the original, and a lot of it is due to pacing issues, strange editing decisions, hit or miss special effects, changes to the story that didn’t quite land with me and a laughably pathetic Jafar.

For those of you that don’t know the story of Aladdin, it looks at a street rat who falls in love with the princess of Agrabah but unfortunately, she can only marry a prince. Aladdin then takes a deal with the evil Jafar to enter a mysterious cave of wonder and retrieve a magic lamp with an all-powerful genie awaiting inside. After being trapped in the cave, Aladdin awakens the genie who grants him three wishes and tries to win the love of Princess Jasmine and stop the evil Jafar. There’s a lot more going on in this compared to the original but for the most part, the story stays the same. There was however some changes to the story that didn’t quite work for me, as the first interaction between Aladdin and Jasmine didn’t have that same feel as the animation did and left me wondering certain motivations going forward. Also, the final act of the movie is so completely underwhelming as Jafar never really uses his magic to the full potential as shown in the animated movie. Making Iago bigger and creating a windstorm doesn’t really invoke fear into the viewer that it would be difficult to stop him. There are other minor changes but it’s not worth mentioning.

There were some things about the characters that were added into the remake that I actually liked. They fleshed out Jasmine a bit more, having her desire to be Sultan and really striving to have her own voice instead of having others speak for her although I feel they set up that problem better in the animated movie. I big part of that comes down to the weird pacing and that this movie rushes through things at a breakneck pace. The movie starts with Jasmine already having escaped the palace and we’re just supposed to know why if you already know the story. I also liked the little backstory they gave Jafar as being a thief like Aladdin before he became vizier to the sultan but I feel like they could’ve expanded even more on it. A lot of the other character motivations stay the same with some slight changes to the Genie and what he wants to do with his freedom which I liked.

The performances are pretty good for the most part with Will Smith as the Genie being my favourite part of the movie. There was no way he could be Robin Williams so he had to make it his own and he absolutely did. He brought charm and swagger to the movie and the movie instantly gets better whenever he was on screen. But of course, the movie wouldn’t work if the title character wasn’t portrayed well and the chemistry between Aladdin and Jasmine isn’t good and I can happily say the portrayal is great and chemistry is great. Mena Massoud brings a heart and charm that makes you want to cheer for him despite his flaws in learning to become his own person. Naomi Scott plays Jasmine and she was great in the role, not being a doe-eyed princess and not afraid to show some strength. She can also sing really well and the new song introduced into the remake is excellent and works really well into the movie. The music all around is awesome even with slight lyric changes but Will Smith carries his songs well and so does Mena Massoud. I also liked Nasim Pedrad as Jasmine’s handmaid and the side story she has with Will Smith. The one performance I really didn’t like was Marwan Kenzari as Jafar. He lacks a menace and sinister nature and his voice never sounds angry. I don’t feel it was entirely a miscast and falls on a directing standpoint but I found him completely underwhelming as a villain, especially in comparison to the animated movie.

The movie was directed by Guy Ritchie and there were some things I liked and quite a bit that didn’t work. Once again with the movie being rushed through certain points. The special effects just don’t look good at points and you can really tell when the actors are standing behind a green screen but there are other points when the special effects look great like the Genie actually worked and had some great detail on him. The movie is very colourful and appealing to the eyes in that way. There was also some really weird editing choices where people will either be dancing or moving in a hyperspeed while still singing a song and it looks unnatural. Also, why do people look so clean all the time if they live in a desert, especially Aladdin? There are some people covered in dirt but the clothes are clean. Like I understand Aladdin is supposed to be a “diamond in the rough” but not in that way. I will say though the set design and costumes look really nice and help make Agrabah feel like a real place.

Aladdin (2019) is a fun a time at the theater thanks to the great performances and excellent music. The story is familiar and still a good time. It also helps the movie is pretty funny but it picks up once Will Smith enters the movie. It’s unfortunate that Jafar is an underwhelming villain and a lot of the problems with editing and special effects fall on director Guy Ritchie who probably wasn’t the best choice for this kind of movie. Kids will enjoy the remake and if you’re a big fan of the original, you’ll have a somewhat good time with it.