Film Review: Aladdin (2019)

Sexuality/Nudity No Objection
Violence Acceptable
Vulgarity No Objection
Anti-Catholic Philosophy Acceptable

I am not someone who is opposed to the concept of live-action remakes.  In fact, I am one of the few people who think the modern Beauty and the Beast is an improvement on the animated version.  But with Aladdin, there is an incredibly big problem with any attempt to recapture the magic: Robin Williams.

Williams once said that Aladdin was a Looney Tunes cartoon in "Disney drag," meaning that even though it was under the Disney name it had an insane aesthetic like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.  But that is only true with Williams as the Genie.  Without him, you are left with a pleasant and enjoyable fairy tale, but far from a classic.

Aladdin is the story of the title character (Mena Massoud) who falls in love with the strong-willed Jasmine (Naomi Scott), but he is forced into the Cave of Wonders by the evil Jafar (Marwan Kenzari) where he finds and befriends the Genie (Will Smith).  Most of the story follows the original, though writer John August and co-writer/director Guy Ritchie are much more efficient at introducing the characters and setting up the story.

The big question is whether or not Smith can replace Williams.  The answer is a simple "no."  But that isn't really fair to Smith, who is not trying to mimic anything about William's mad comedic genius.  Instead, the Genie is a hyper-stylized version of the Will Smith persona.  In this way it absolutely works.  It isn't nearly as funny, but Smith has enough charisma to keep us watching.  Underneath it, he actually layers some of the more heartfelt moments with some actual depth.  But it is his swagger and magnetic personality that make his anachronistic style work so well on screen.

The other performances are decent.  Massoud has near-perpetual smirk on his face for most of the film that is more annoying than endearing.  But the further the film goes, the more you get used to him.  The chemistry between him and Smith as well as him and Scott is excellent.  Scott is wonderful as Jasmine, sharp and strong.  But they go a bit overboard in the script to emphasize the "girl power" aspects of her character.  Kenzari does a nicely understated Jafar, making him intelligent a little bit cool.  Nasim Pedrad is a nice addition as Jasmine's handmaid Dalia and provides some nice comedic moments.

The best parts of the movie are the song and dance numbers.  If you put up a sceptical wall when going to see this film, that barrier will melt away once "A Whole New World" starts.  The beauty of the song and the nostalgia factor, along with some nice staging, cannot help but lighten the heart.  Ritchie also wisely hired an excellent choreographer in Leah Hill, who infuses the live-action musical numbers with some great spectacle.  This is also evident in the chase scenes that feel very balletic and whimsically light of foot.

There is one exception to this.  For this version of the movie, they gave Jasmine her own solo power ballad: "Speechless."  While it is from the original composer of Aladdin, Alan Menken, it just doesn't seem to fit.  It feels like a 2nd-class Demi Lovato song.  The song is supposed to represent Jasmine's struggle with being taken seriously in a Middle Eastern society a thousand years ago.  But the placement of the song, especially the refrain, is less empowering and more cringy.

I found myself enjoying this film more than I expected, which is a compliment to the filmmakers for winning me over.  While it cannot match the unique magic of the original, it is a fine and enjoyable children's musical.