Just about every acclaimed franchise is bound to provoke a range of emotions whenever it’s significantly changed for a new audience, as co-writer and director Guy Ritchie has with the new live-action Aladdin movie for Disney. We grow up with these movies, television shows and games with fixed ideas and images of what they are, so the amount of online outrage over new interpretations can be a strong indicator of how beloved a property is- which says a lot about the legacy of the 1992 animated feature from John Musker and Ron Clements.
This new version I feel lacks some nuances the original movie had that elevated it, but the effort of the cast and affection they have for Aladdin is still pretty apparent.
Of the many shocked reactions over new character designs we’ve witnessed, the furor over the reveal of Will Smith’s design as the iconic Genie was among the most vociferous. Fans cried “oh, no! Who’s the smurf?” at the more realistic blue behemoth. It should be noted the first teaser trailer, as is common with movies in post-production, contained unfinished CGI work- so Smith’s final version looks far more polished and pleasing to the eye. He wisely doesn’t try to copy Robin Williams’ performance beat-for-beat, instead offering his unique tangibles to the character.
Neither Williams nor Smith were/are what I’d call traditionally great singers, but much like Robin it’s the power of his personality that carries his dialogue and musical numbers. The new “Friend Like Me” isn’t quite as eye-popping with real people and CG as the straightforward animation is, but it’s directed with a ton of energy and is still pretty fun in its own right.
The chemistry between Genie and the titular hero was a major factor in what made the first Aladdin so charming, and luckily Mena Massoud shows some considerable charisma as the young wily thief. He’s slick and confident when being himself, but as the titanically hyped Prince Ali he’s a stuttering, awkward mess who isn’t sure how to socialize with Agrabah’s elite at the palace party (so it’s up to Genie to control his body for some wild but impressive dance moves).
Ritchie’s Aladdin follows most of the beats of the original movie as the “diamond in the rough” sparks a relationship with Naomi Scott’s Princess Jasmine. Perming a new song “Speechless”, she has more agency this time as she doesn’t just want to marry a man of her choosing, but also to succeed her father (Navid Negahban) as the Sultan.
This doesn’t jive well with the scheming vizir Jafar, played by Marwan Kenzari with a larger degree of seriousness than Jonathan Freeman’s original performance. He’s more upfront about the political reasons he wants to be in charge, and he kidnaps Aladdin to the Cave of Wonders in order to get the magical lamp inside. Alongside the sassy flying carpet, Aladdin and Abu hit it off with the wacky cosmic wish-granter, and they craft a first wish to disguise the street rat as the prince to end all princedom in hopes of courting Jasmine.
Throughout the movie, if you’ve seen both versions you’ll have a hard time keeping yourself from comparing shared scenes. A key problem with Disney’s live-action remakes is that it’s impossible for a live actor to capture the same kind velocity and visual momentum an exaggerated cartoon can, at least without the aid of extensive computer work.
Some of Aladdin’s parkour moves and the famous magic carpet ride feel a little off at points, and it’s often thanks to the charisma of the actors some scenes work as well as they do. The “Prince Ali” number has some awesome color schemes and set work, but still comes off toned down from the work of the animators in the 1990’s.
Still, the entertaining dynamics between Massoud’s Aladdin, Scott’s Jasmine, Smith’s Genie and Dalia the handmaiden (a sweet Nasim Pedrad) elevate much of the humor, and Ritchie directs the general story with an undercurrent of camp to it. At times this new Aladdin comes off a bit Broadway-ish, but much like Scott Weinger and Robin Williams, the Genie and Aladdin still have an appealing connection. You can tell how much the cast is enjoying themselves in the production, especially in a Bollywood-esque number before the closing credits.
At no point did I feel the 2019 Aladdin surpassed the 1992 version, and there are some notable technical issues as well as some moments that come off flatter. But many people exiting my theater were laughing, smiling and humming the classic songs after applauding at the end. There’s an audience out there for this movie that’s going to love it, and I imagine many kids will grow up enjoying this version.
Perhaps they won’t be into it as much as the Clements and Muskers film, but it’s still got a healthy amount of warmth and energy. A lot of thanks goes to Smith’s considerably great work as Genie, wisely developing his own fun incarnation instead of following exact blueprints.
If you’re absolutely not sold on these new versions, this probably won’t convert you, but I felt there was plenty for me to enjoy. As a different incarnation that tries to maintain the lighthearted aura of the first, I’ll recommend it to families and younger audiences in particular. If you’ve flown your carpet to your local theater for a ticket, as always head to @Official_FAN and share your thoughts!