Aladdin (2019) - Review: It May Not Be a Whole New World, But It's Definitely One Worth Experiencing Regardless
Release date (US): May 24th, 2019
Starring: Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Will Smith, Marwan Kenzari, Nasim Pedrard
Starring: Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Will Smith, Marwan Kenzari, Nasim Pedrard
**DISCLAIMER**: This is a subjective, opinionated article that does not have, nor should have any effect on your opinion. As such, my opinion is entitled to change over time and whatever is written here at this point in time may not and should not be held to me in the future. You are not meant to agree with me 100 percent of the time, because the nature of subjectivity is we see everything differently. If there is something you happen to disagree with, I absolutely respect your point of view if you will respect mine. Please keep this in mind.
The Review
Out of all the Disney films that they could have remade, Aladdin would not have been on the top of the list. I knew eventually that this one would be remade, but in the same year as The Lion King? I thought there were perhaps three or four other choices for a film to be turned into a live-action spectacle. But regardless, Disney decided to go with the Arabian street-rat-turned-prince that charmed both Princess Jasmine and audiences all across the globe in the 90s.
But the film didn't get off to the best start when hiring Guy Ritchie, who has a very distinctly un-Disney style, and Will Smith as the Genie. The Will Smith casting, unfairly in my humble opinion, was greeted with hate, especially after the first trailer was released. Now, I will be the first to admit (and you can scroll through the archives of this website to find my trailer reviews) that I did not like the trailers for this movie. BUT, there's a difference between not liking the trailers and not liking what I saw IN the trailers. I told everyone, over and over again, the trailers are not bad because of the content; I thought the content looked spectacular (Naomi Scott's voice was stunning). I thought the editing team was squarely to blame, for not cutting an actual trailer, but cutting a montage of "best of" shots from the movie.
Regardless, I went into the movie with relatively high hopes. And for whatever combination of reasons and mixture of elements that this film conjured, I loved this film. I had one of the best theater experiences of my life watching this movie.
Let me preface this by saying, as blasphemous as this might be, that I haven't seen the original, or at least, not recently enough to remember anything about it. It must be ten years or more since I last saw the animated classic. So I went into this movie only knowing some very, very general things (like A Whole New World, Friend Like Me, and the basic main characters). Whether or not that made me enjoy this movie more, or less than I would've if I had seen the original, I'm not sure. But regardless of those external factors, I had an amazing time with Aladdin.
The film wouldn't work without two well-cast leads. There was a lot riding on the shoulders of Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott, not only to deliver a performance worthy of the original, but to carve their own space in the Disney-verse. And they both did an excellent job. I was less worried about Naomi Scott; from what I saw in the marketing, Scott was everything that Jasmine seemed to be in the original, just grounded in reality. Her singing voice is outstanding. She sings with an air of confidence and authority that rivals any other Disney female lead. But Mena Massoud was more of a wild card for me. From the marketing, it almost looked like they were trying to hide his lines and his dialogue.
Which is extremely odd to me considering the fact that I found Massoud to be as good of an Aladdin as they could have gotten. He had a rougeish charm that was necessary for a character who spent his life on the streets. And yet, he mixed just the right amount of gold-hearted protagonist to be the star of the film. While he doesn't sing nearly as well as Scott does (when they're singing duets, it's noticeable), he's a good singer in his own rights and does well in his solo numbers, like the beginning of A Whole New World and One Jump.
And let's talk about Will Smith for a second shall we? Smith was easily one of the most controversial parts of the marketing and promotional campaign, there is no denying that. From the poor CGI in the trailers to the noticeable Will Smith-isms, people were scratching their heads, wondering whether or not he was the right choice to take the mantle of the irreplaceable Robin Williams. But despite all of that, watching the movie for what it is, Will Smith stole every single scene that he was in. Was he "Will Smith" in a lot of the scenes? Absolutely - there's no denying that he has a certain brand of charisma that's almost unmistakable. But then again, so was Robin Williams. What's great about both is that they both put their unique stamp on the character.
Aside from the performance, yes the CGI isn't great. What they gave us in the trailers is essentially what you get in the movie. It's not good, and I would wager at times, it's even bad. It looks like Will Smith painted blue (a shade lighter than he should be, to where it almost looks fluorescent) on a green-screen background. But CGI is only "detrimental" to me when it's distractingly bad. If a film has an overabundance of CGI that takes you out of the movie, then it's worth noting. But for Will Smith, while yes the CGI was not good, it never once took me out of the film. When he first entered the movie, it was a little distracting for the first five seconds, but then my eyes settled and got used to him, and from there, it was smooth sailing.
What also surprised me about the film was the charm and the humor that it had. Each of the characters have an amazing chemistry with each other. Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott's interactions are worthy of the original; you can tell their connection is real and palpable. Naomi Scott in particular acts so incredibly well in the movie, and you really get to see the evolution of her character. Massoud and Smith also have some great interactions. Will's charisma and charm bounce off of Aladdin's stubborn, naive personality that make for some great lines and moments. There's one in particular in the middle of the film that had me laughing for a few minutes - I'm fairly certain that it wasn't in the original, but it worked so well with these characters and the setting.
But how can we talk about Aladdin without talking about the music and the dance sequences. They were all absolutely fantastic. A Whole New World showcases the leads and their voices match so nicely together. The backdrop behind them is reminiscent of the original without the "cartoon"-ish nature of it all. It feels like they're really on a magic carpet, touring Agrabba. Some other great musical numbers were Prince Ali and Friend Like Me. Smith's Friend Like Me is so respectful of Robin Williams' performance and song, while putting his own little flair in it. It was wonderful; Will Smith doesn't necessarily have the best singing voice, but the movie doesn't call for it anyways - Robin Williams himself wasn't a professional singer, and it still worked wonders.
There is one new song in the film, written by the brilliant duo of Pasak and Paul (songwriters for La La Land and The Greatest Showman) called Speechless. It's a solo feature for Naomi Scott that's split into two throughout the film. What I will say about the song itself is that it's brilliant; it showcases Scott's range and singing abilities, while also incorporating some signature compositional choice from Pasak and Paul. But on the whole, while the song itself is amazing, when she started singing it in the film, there were a couple moments where I felt the song and the lyrics were a little too modern and American. The other songs, especially songs like Arabian Nights and Prince Ali have a charm and a tone to them that fit the Middle-Eastern setting. This song felt like it was taken directly out of American Idol, which in itself is not a bad thing, but it is noticeable nonetheless.
Before the film was released, we got our first look at Jafar in the new iteration of the film. It was certainly a departure from the original; the original saw Jafar as an evil, older sorcerer who was trying to pry the throne from the Sultan. This Jafar is younger, around the same age as Aladdin and Jasmine, and he's a little more cunning. Marwan Kenzari plays the character a little monotone admittedly; there isn't much emotional range from the character, and he never really becomes believably evil at any point. You know in your head that he's the antagonist, but it never quite registers in your mind. Regardless, he does a decent job; if there was ever a weak spot in the performances, it would probably be him.
Having not seen the originals, I was not aware until after the film about some of the major changes that the live action film made to the original. Without spoiling anything, once I realized what they omitted and added, there is a certain sequence that might make fans of the original a little confused and upset. It glosses over a major part of the original, and while I personally thought it worked, it may irritate some. The film relies on the fact that the audience knows the general premise of the movie, but even if you don't, you'll be able to pick up on it extremely quickly.
Ultimately, this is a film that honors the original in a very, very respectful way, while adding its own flair. There are a couple points where it feels like it may be downright trying to copy the original animated film, but there are many others where it feels fresh; where the actors are allowed to make thees characters their own. For the most part, the new additions to the film only add to it; there weren't many creative choices that they made that I would have disagreed with if I were in charge of the movie.
In Conclusion: Again, not having grown up with the original, I have no nostalgia for it. Thus, I really didn't have much to compare this film with. I knew the basics; but aside from that, I went in clean. And maybe that impacted the way I saw the film, but nevertheless, I enjoyed this movie immensely. From start to finish, I felt invested in the world and it had such a charm that was irresistible. From around the halfway mark, I was waiting for the movie to do something that would cause it to stumble, because I was just having that good of a time with it. But it never really did. It's a feel-good film that will appeal to almost every age, every demographic; while not the whole new world that some may have wanted, Aladdin is absolutely worth watching.
But the film didn't get off to the best start when hiring Guy Ritchie, who has a very distinctly un-Disney style, and Will Smith as the Genie. The Will Smith casting, unfairly in my humble opinion, was greeted with hate, especially after the first trailer was released. Now, I will be the first to admit (and you can scroll through the archives of this website to find my trailer reviews) that I did not like the trailers for this movie. BUT, there's a difference between not liking the trailers and not liking what I saw IN the trailers. I told everyone, over and over again, the trailers are not bad because of the content; I thought the content looked spectacular (Naomi Scott's voice was stunning). I thought the editing team was squarely to blame, for not cutting an actual trailer, but cutting a montage of "best of" shots from the movie.
Regardless, I went into the movie with relatively high hopes. And for whatever combination of reasons and mixture of elements that this film conjured, I loved this film. I had one of the best theater experiences of my life watching this movie.
Let me preface this by saying, as blasphemous as this might be, that I haven't seen the original, or at least, not recently enough to remember anything about it. It must be ten years or more since I last saw the animated classic. So I went into this movie only knowing some very, very general things (like A Whole New World, Friend Like Me, and the basic main characters). Whether or not that made me enjoy this movie more, or less than I would've if I had seen the original, I'm not sure. But regardless of those external factors, I had an amazing time with Aladdin.
The film wouldn't work without two well-cast leads. There was a lot riding on the shoulders of Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott, not only to deliver a performance worthy of the original, but to carve their own space in the Disney-verse. And they both did an excellent job. I was less worried about Naomi Scott; from what I saw in the marketing, Scott was everything that Jasmine seemed to be in the original, just grounded in reality. Her singing voice is outstanding. She sings with an air of confidence and authority that rivals any other Disney female lead. But Mena Massoud was more of a wild card for me. From the marketing, it almost looked like they were trying to hide his lines and his dialogue.
Which is extremely odd to me considering the fact that I found Massoud to be as good of an Aladdin as they could have gotten. He had a rougeish charm that was necessary for a character who spent his life on the streets. And yet, he mixed just the right amount of gold-hearted protagonist to be the star of the film. While he doesn't sing nearly as well as Scott does (when they're singing duets, it's noticeable), he's a good singer in his own rights and does well in his solo numbers, like the beginning of A Whole New World and One Jump.
And let's talk about Will Smith for a second shall we? Smith was easily one of the most controversial parts of the marketing and promotional campaign, there is no denying that. From the poor CGI in the trailers to the noticeable Will Smith-isms, people were scratching their heads, wondering whether or not he was the right choice to take the mantle of the irreplaceable Robin Williams. But despite all of that, watching the movie for what it is, Will Smith stole every single scene that he was in. Was he "Will Smith" in a lot of the scenes? Absolutely - there's no denying that he has a certain brand of charisma that's almost unmistakable. But then again, so was Robin Williams. What's great about both is that they both put their unique stamp on the character.
Aside from the performance, yes the CGI isn't great. What they gave us in the trailers is essentially what you get in the movie. It's not good, and I would wager at times, it's even bad. It looks like Will Smith painted blue (a shade lighter than he should be, to where it almost looks fluorescent) on a green-screen background. But CGI is only "detrimental" to me when it's distractingly bad. If a film has an overabundance of CGI that takes you out of the movie, then it's worth noting. But for Will Smith, while yes the CGI was not good, it never once took me out of the film. When he first entered the movie, it was a little distracting for the first five seconds, but then my eyes settled and got used to him, and from there, it was smooth sailing.
What also surprised me about the film was the charm and the humor that it had. Each of the characters have an amazing chemistry with each other. Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott's interactions are worthy of the original; you can tell their connection is real and palpable. Naomi Scott in particular acts so incredibly well in the movie, and you really get to see the evolution of her character. Massoud and Smith also have some great interactions. Will's charisma and charm bounce off of Aladdin's stubborn, naive personality that make for some great lines and moments. There's one in particular in the middle of the film that had me laughing for a few minutes - I'm fairly certain that it wasn't in the original, but it worked so well with these characters and the setting.
But how can we talk about Aladdin without talking about the music and the dance sequences. They were all absolutely fantastic. A Whole New World showcases the leads and their voices match so nicely together. The backdrop behind them is reminiscent of the original without the "cartoon"-ish nature of it all. It feels like they're really on a magic carpet, touring Agrabba. Some other great musical numbers were Prince Ali and Friend Like Me. Smith's Friend Like Me is so respectful of Robin Williams' performance and song, while putting his own little flair in it. It was wonderful; Will Smith doesn't necessarily have the best singing voice, but the movie doesn't call for it anyways - Robin Williams himself wasn't a professional singer, and it still worked wonders.
There is one new song in the film, written by the brilliant duo of Pasak and Paul (songwriters for La La Land and The Greatest Showman) called Speechless. It's a solo feature for Naomi Scott that's split into two throughout the film. What I will say about the song itself is that it's brilliant; it showcases Scott's range and singing abilities, while also incorporating some signature compositional choice from Pasak and Paul. But on the whole, while the song itself is amazing, when she started singing it in the film, there were a couple moments where I felt the song and the lyrics were a little too modern and American. The other songs, especially songs like Arabian Nights and Prince Ali have a charm and a tone to them that fit the Middle-Eastern setting. This song felt like it was taken directly out of American Idol, which in itself is not a bad thing, but it is noticeable nonetheless.
Before the film was released, we got our first look at Jafar in the new iteration of the film. It was certainly a departure from the original; the original saw Jafar as an evil, older sorcerer who was trying to pry the throne from the Sultan. This Jafar is younger, around the same age as Aladdin and Jasmine, and he's a little more cunning. Marwan Kenzari plays the character a little monotone admittedly; there isn't much emotional range from the character, and he never really becomes believably evil at any point. You know in your head that he's the antagonist, but it never quite registers in your mind. Regardless, he does a decent job; if there was ever a weak spot in the performances, it would probably be him.
Having not seen the originals, I was not aware until after the film about some of the major changes that the live action film made to the original. Without spoiling anything, once I realized what they omitted and added, there is a certain sequence that might make fans of the original a little confused and upset. It glosses over a major part of the original, and while I personally thought it worked, it may irritate some. The film relies on the fact that the audience knows the general premise of the movie, but even if you don't, you'll be able to pick up on it extremely quickly.
Ultimately, this is a film that honors the original in a very, very respectful way, while adding its own flair. There are a couple points where it feels like it may be downright trying to copy the original animated film, but there are many others where it feels fresh; where the actors are allowed to make thees characters their own. For the most part, the new additions to the film only add to it; there weren't many creative choices that they made that I would have disagreed with if I were in charge of the movie.
In Conclusion: Again, not having grown up with the original, I have no nostalgia for it. Thus, I really didn't have much to compare this film with. I knew the basics; but aside from that, I went in clean. And maybe that impacted the way I saw the film, but nevertheless, I enjoyed this movie immensely. From start to finish, I felt invested in the world and it had such a charm that was irresistible. From around the halfway mark, I was waiting for the movie to do something that would cause it to stumble, because I was just having that good of a time with it. But it never really did. It's a feel-good film that will appeal to almost every age, every demographic; while not the whole new world that some may have wanted, Aladdin is absolutely worth watching.
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