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)
Plots(1)
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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Reviews (11)
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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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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Who had the terrifying idea to turn Aladdin into a musical? It’s like watching a three-hour long Bollywood opus and enjoying how everyone is dancing and everything around is incredibly colorful. The only good thing about the movie is Will Smith, even though some people might protest that a genie shouldn’t be black. However, Will Smith is the only reason for which this film is even worth watching. All the rest (apart from the opening show jumping scene) is too horrible for words.
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Disney put it together like Bata's trainers, but it has nothing to do with full-blooded movies, the kind that appeal to me. This is nothing but CGI cartoon, tiresome, stupid, standing in a shop window next to a McDonald's burger and chicken strips from KFC. A factory product on demand that is far from proper craftsmanship. Its success is certainly a signal that Mickey will continue to delight us with this kind of digital mess, but I won't be there anymore. Artistic statements as well as mid-budget auteur ambitious films go to shit, they don't pay in theaters, Disney will buy us all. Honour the rare exceptions that make big money without having to compromise on their auteur vision (Villeneuve, Nolan, Fincher and others).
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Those modern western values involving strong women are quite weird in an Arabian fairy-tale, but here we are. Ritchie’s visually captivating version of the classic Disney movie moves along nicely, and the only weak point is the songs, which are more numerous than even in the animated original. Smith is great, Aladdin is quite a nice guy and Jasmine is a fox. P.S. Was the controversy because Will played the slave or or because the slave was blue?
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