Aladdin (2019)
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Aladdin Movie Review
Aladdin is a 2019 fantasy musical film directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott and Will Smith. It’s a pretty good, satisfactory Disney remake.
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“I made you look like a prince on the outside,
but I didn’t change anything on the inside.
Prince Ali got you to the door,
but Aladdin has to open it“
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First and foremost, this is no 1992’s ‘Aladdin’, not by a mile. The original remains so superior, but that was to be expected, and I had never at all expected a better or similar-quality movie, I just wanted a good, not bad adaptation which is exactly what we got here. This is in the line of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ where it’s less changed and more copied, but unlike that movie, there are quite a lot of genuine changes to the source material here and I honestly liked most of them which is very important.
Making the Genie human I really liked and his backstory was great. Adding the character of Dalia was a terrific move as she is not just a forgettable friend of Jasmine’s, but a genuinely funny, incredibly likable personality who shines in all of her scenes. I also loved the relationship between her and the Genie, even if it led to less bromance between him and Al.
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The addition of a Scandinavian prince was unnecessary and that character is too silly to be taken seriously. I also liked some of the changed action in the third act, it was changed to the more realistic side which suits the live-action environment, but overall this particular material does not suit the medium best as there are simply too many comedic, cartoony moments and fantastical elements. They did the best they could, but sometimes the cartoon in it was apparent.
I have to talk about the feminist overtones in this movie. Well, not just overtones, but forceful feminism to be precise. I did not expect Jasmine to be this powerful of a female character as the animated version is already one of the stronger Disney princesses when it comes to girl power, but the live-action version is taken to the extreme which I in the end liked.
So basically in the end she becomes the first ever sultan and thus she can easily decide to marry Al. That changed ending was thus modernized while still retaining the soul of the original. And by adding her that thirst for knowledge and rulership, they made her a strong, very well fleshed out character. And I personally am all up for provoking the Muslim people as they really need to change their ways and this should come as a message film for them.
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So Jasmine is an excellent character and I loved a stronger emphasis on her, but Aladdin himself is also great and Mena Massoud actually played him stupendously. He genuinely became the character which was unexpected to me, but he really should be commended for his strong, charismatic performance. Naomi Scott is even better though as she not only excelled at her emotional scenes, but also sang the hell out of her numbers.
Will Smith as Genie is actually terrific and was a very good casting choice for this role. He made the character new and fresh as he did not just copy Robin Williams and that was crucial in making him fun and funny again. His interactions with everyone are great. Dalia is excellent as I said above, Hakim is also pretty memorable and The Sultan is more realistic here. Iago is not as memorable and was unfortunately underutilized, but Rajah is a lot of fun, Carpet is so good and Abu is not only very amusing, but also incredibly cute.
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And now I have to talk about Jafar. This is a controversial issue and I can see that almost everyone is trashing Marwan Kenzari for his performance here, but I honestly thought that wasn’t the problem at all. I do think that he is probably not a bad actor as even here he was pretty good in some scenes, but he seemed very silly and unbelievable in many other scenes and it wasn’t his fault, but entirely the director’s fault as his direction for this character was all wrong from the start. Yes, it’s more realistic, but too subdued and simply not powerful enough which is why I never found him as menacing as the original version was.
Let’s talk about the soundtrack. Aladdin literally adapts the whole soundtrack from the original with every of the five songs being used here which was great to witness, but it still made it seem like a copy. I actually really liked what they did with Arabian Nights and how they made it epic and a powerful opening. One Jump Ahead is also very good, but Mena’s voice definitely is shaky at times.
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Friend Like Me is solid and a whole lot of colorful fun. Prince Ali I found amazing as it was just as entertaining as it was in the original and very catchy and energetic. A Whole New World is actually pretty good! It was slightly changed, but not ruined at all and Scott’s voice is so great. It still remains the most romantic part of the movie. As for the new song Speechless, it’s a powerful moment for Jasmine, a very feminist number and actually a rather good addition in the vein of Evermore from ‘Beauty and the Beast’.
Aladdin looks terrific. The production design is awesome, the visual effects are pretty good and the costumes are mesmerizing throughout. Guy Ritchie was such a bad choice for the director, and even though he didn’t ruin it, all of the problems stem from him. But the dialogue is pretty good, the added historical/political elements worked for me and the changes mostly worked too. The score is excellent and in particular the Bollywood-inspired dances were breathtaking.
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Aladdin is a pretty good Disney remake which is of course nowhere near the quality of the original, but it’s a satisfactory, solid flick in its own terms. Guy Ritchie was a pretty bad choice for the director and in particular Jafar doesn’t work, but not because of the actor, but mostly because of the poor direction when it comes to his character. However, Naomi Scott is terrific as Jasmine and she sang the hell out of her numbers, Mena Massoud became Aladdin as he was so well cast and Will Smith didn’t just copy Robin Williams, but he made Genie his own. Abu is so cute himself, Dalia is such a fun new character and the humor is strong throughout. The musical numbers are solid with the new one Speechless being pretty strong, the costumes are beautiful, the feminist spin on the ending is effective and in particular the highlights are its Bollywood-inspired, infectious dances as well as the romance as the movie is so incredibly romantic and charming.
