Last Updated on July 30, 2021
PLOT: Aladdin (Mena Massoud), a cunning thief from the streets of Agrabah, gets the chance to rise about his station in life and win the hand of his dream woman, Princess Jasmin (Naomi Scott), when he’s granted three wishes by a wisecracking genie (Will Smith).
REVIEW: While they’re not at the level of their Marvel/ Pixar/ Lucasfilm brands, Disney’s had a lot of success in recent years turning their animated classics into live-action hits. This year, we’ve already had DUMBO, and this summer brings us THE LION KING, as well as MALEFICENT 2 in the fall, before another batch next year, including MULAN.
In terms of quality, they’re more of a mixed bag than anything else from the house of mouse, and it’s interesting to see what properties connect with audiences. While THE JUNGLE BOOK and BEAUTY & THE BEAST in live-action were huge, THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS was a flop, while DUMBO (despite being a good movie) underperformed. ALADDIN seems more likely to be one of their hits given how it’s a relatively recent classic, with the kids who grew up watching it the same audience that will now bring their own kids to see this re-telling.
However, it’s the cartoon’s popularity that may prove to hinder Guy Ritchie's big-budget remake, specifically the fact that the late Robin Williams isn’t around to reprise his iconic part as Genie. This actually makes ALADDIN a huge risk, as he arguably is what made the original so beloved, and even a figure as enduringly popular as Will Smith will have a hard time recapturing even a bit of Williams’s manic energy.
As a result, Smith’s performance is already under more scrutiny than the young stars playing the bigger parts, with his look as the blue genie coming up for especially harsh criticism. This is earned, with the CGI used to put him in the part via motion capture frequently come up short. They would have been better off just painting him blue. This is no doubt why Smith is only the blue genie for part of his screentime, with him conveniently adopting a human disguise for most of the film — which is when his performance really sets itself apart from what Williams did. When he’s singing the songs and doing schtick, he’s doing an okay Williams imitation, but when he’s allowed to bring something of his own to the role, such as his yearning to be free or his romance with one of Jasmine’s handmaidens (SNL’s Nasim Pedrad) he does quite well.
The choice of Guy Ritchie as the director also led many to scratch their heads, but he’s very toned down here, directing this in a straightforward way that tries to be faithful to the cartoon. Perhaps he’s too faithful as whenever they break from the cartoon, the effect is jarring, and none of the new songs hold up as well as the originals written by Alan Menken, Tim Rice, and the late Howard Ashman.
The unknowns playing the leads are a mixed bag as well. Mena Massoud is handsome but also seems a little inexperienced to really nail the lead. He’s never bad, but he occasionally comes off as a little bland, as does Marwen Kenzari as Jafar, who lacks menace. Of them all, the one who really pops is Naomi Scott as the newly liberated Jasmine, who’s gotten a feminist make-over, which works well in updating the story for a modern era.
As such, this live-action ALADDIN is inconsistent. It’s never a disaster, but too often it feels padded out to make its 130 minute running time. The original was a fast-paced romp. By comparison, this feels slow. It’s a bright and cheerful film that is fine for the whole family, but, for me anyway, it doesn’t hold a candle to the original, making this a fine if ultimately unnecessary remake.
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