Review: Aladdin (2019)

As magical Disney tales go, Aladdin sits firmly near the top. The story of a poor thief that destiny pushes towards a princess and true love. Villains are well defined and humor is easily attained with talking and non-talking animals, not to mention a bombastic genie with god-like powers that allow for any comedy setup. This is a story we grew up with and love.

Now enters the live-action version, starring Will Smith as the Genie and some relatively unknowns playing Aladdin and Jasmine. Though you might recognize Jasmine, played by Naomi Scott, if you also happened to view the 2017 live-action version of Power Rangers (She was the Pink Ranger). And wrangling this whole affair is Director Guy Ritchie, known for directing films like Sherlock Holmes and King Arthur Legend of the Sword. Arthur most likely being why Disney entrusted him with a period piece like this with very memorable characters.

If you’ve viewed the cartoon, then you very much understand where the story and film goes. Disney does not veer from the cartoons, in fact, they most-times recreate shots from memorable moments. The cave of wonders, the genie, magic carpet rides and others all hold true. And this, is the saving grace with this film.

I’ll be honest, I went in to this film questioning not only Will Smith’s genie, but also the choice of Guy Ritchie as the director. So lets start with the good. Will Smith’s Genie works, for the most part, the character is bombastic and having Smith in the role allowed for relevant notions and dialogue that fit in with current times. The CGI version of him was still a little less palatable than I would like, but it worked enough to allow me to fall into the story. Other characters shined in their own ways, Naomi Scott belting out amazing songs, some with pro-female empowerment that worked to throw off many different shackles of oppression she faced. Mena Massoud was a charming Aladdin, delivering a jovial character with his pet monkey to the delight of the audience.

As for the bad, most of this lay with the direction of the film and the overall feel. Guy Ritchie’s brand of action and camera work has never been my favorite, but it always held true in a darkened landscape with gritty tones. All of which does not translate well into a bright film and a bursting city like Agrabah. Things felt jumbled at times, action was sped up for no reason with scenes feeling less like a big budget Hollywood film and more like a medium budget Disney Channel film. I’m not sure if it’s imagination or subtle creativity, but I wasn’t completely sold on his vision.

Having said that, I will say that this film can be fun at times. It starts very slow and feels lost, but quickly finds its way once we are introduced to the Genie. The audience laughed and sang along to songs and lyrics that built a generation. And at the end, I had to reevaluate what I really thought of the film. For me personally, I will always remember the cartoon and those characters and my Genie, empowered by the voice of Robin Williams. But for the younger generation, this will be their Aladdin and Will Smith will be their Genie. And from what I could see of their excitement, that seems to be a good thing. Kids laughing at the antics, booing Jafar and asking parents to buy the Blu-ray on the way out of the theater is a good gauge of enjoyment, for them, and for me.

Grade: B-
MPAA Rating: PG
Running Time: 2hr 8m