Directed by:
Guy RitchieCinematography:
Alan StewartComposer:
Alan MenkenCast:
Mena Massoud, Will Smith, Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari, Navid Negahban, Billy Magnussen, Nasim Pedrad, Numan Acar, Alan Tudyk, Frank Welker, Jordan A. Nash (more)VOD (3)
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A street rat frees a genie from a lamp, granting all of his wishes and transforming himself into a charming prince in order to marry a beautiful princess. But soon, an evil sorcerer becomes hell-bent on securing the lamp for his own sinister purposes. (Disney / Buena Vista)
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If the main character and the main villain weren't such bland and uninteresting misfits, this could have been a reasonably enjoyable musical, because unlike Tim Burton's Dumbo, which I turned off after fifteen minutes, I didn't have such a problem with Aladdin. It's good to see that everything about the cast isn't digital, but that the filmmakers went to some trouble with sets and set design in general; Will Smith is very good as the genie (even in his much-criticized blue form), and the story was quite interestingly developed. And a great job by Alan Menken, who made his own excellent music for the animated Aladdin even better. However, if it weren't for the credits, I wouldn't have thought for a second that Guy Ritchie directed this.
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The thief Aladdin would like to seduce the princess, but ends up in the hands of the villain Jafar, who wants to use him to bring him a magic lamp. But Aladdin discovers a Genie living in the lamp who grants him three wishes, and he decides to pursue the princess with his help. But Jafar doesn't give up... Guy Ritchie directs a brisk and visually arresting family fairy tale that brilliantly combines humour, suspense and romance and features a very likeable cast. The problem is that it's too similar to the animated original and doesn't bring much new to the story. How much of a problem that is is for everyone to figure out. But the craftsmanship is more than good.
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Aladdin lags behind the animated version in many ways, but even so, watching the film is mostly a pleasant experience, particularly thanks to the expensive and colour-rich spectacular expedition with a slightly inconsistent concept, influenced by just about everything. The film’s Arabic elements are joined by Bollywood influences (including a dance number at the end) and the aesthetics of Brazilian carnivals. Unfortunately, the film also has breakdance and beatboxing. In terms of plot, it is not an exact copy, as several passages and two new songs have been added, and in some scenes their order has been reversed and their content changed (sometimes for the better, sometimes worse). Will Smith manages to be playful, funny and touching in the role of the Genie. Compared to Smith, Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott in the roles of Aladdin and Princess Jasmine have a more difficult time gaining audience sympathy, and with his leather expression and lack of charisma, Marwan Kenzari is downright tragic as the villain in the role of the Sultan's advisor, Jafar.
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The mere mention of a live-action version of Aladdin has long terrified me. It is not an inspired story, but a retelling of the classic Disney story, which is a completely useless endeavor. And yet all it needed was a little more and we would have gotten an equally interesting new fairy tale adventure, like in Alice or Maleficent. But wouldn’t you know it, even with such poor prospects, Guy Ritchie managed to make a crazy colorful film that rushes by very quickly and almost amusingly toward its prescribed happy ending. It is not something I would recommend to anyone, but it’s also not the expected disaster.
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The anticipated failure turned out to be a commercial hit, praised by audiences and critics alike, and apparently no one expected that. Guy Ritchie has the direction firmly in hand and serves up the fairy tale of my childhood with an excellent Will Smith as the Genie (quite possibly the best performance of his career), a beautiful Princess Jasmine with a voice like Adele, and a very likeable Aladdin. It's beautifully colourful, suspenseful, fun and most importantly for the whole family. The dance numbers and songs are reminiscent of the best of Bollywood. Disney is making me happy this year. 80%!
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