Off Topic: Disney's "Aladdin" (2019)
I think that everyone was skeptical about Disney's newly released live action remake of their animated classic, Aladdin. In the days, weeks, and even months, leading up to the film's release, my Twitter feed was filled with, "I don't know about this film" and "This looks weird," every time a trailer was released. Personally, I never had strong feelings about any of the trailers one way or the other. I am automatically excited for just about anything that Disney or their adjacent studios release. I was less concerned with the quality of the trailers and more concerned with the fact that I have not liked quite a few of Disney's most recent releases. As a result of this, I was afraid that this new Aladdin was just going to add to the streak of disappointing Disney films from the past 6 months. I am happy to report that this was not the case. The new version of Aladdin is an incredibly satisfying film with a strong cast, visuals, soundtrack, and energy.
This Aladdin follows many of the same beats as the original, but is not a shot per shot or line per line remake. I think this film holds it own against the original animated film very well. Having said that, what I loved most about the film was the nostalgia. It is no secret that I cry, or come extremely close to doing so, in every single film that Disney releases. The emotional weight that each of their films carry never fails to invoke a sentimental feeling that absolutely nobody else can make me feel. This film did that to me, just as I expected it too. Not only did I find tears welling in my eyes during "A Whole New World," but there were a few moments in Alan Menken's stunning score that had me rather misty eyed.
The film begins with a mariner (Will Smith), his wife, and his children, on a small boat. The mariner sits down with his children and begins to tell them the story of Aladdin and the Princess of Agrabah. This is a nice change of pace from the traveling salesman we know and love from the original animated film. Smith kicks off the film with the number "Arabian Nights," which captures the spirit of Agrabah and the style of the film beautifully. Guy Ritchie does a great job setting up the world of Agrabah and ensures that the pace of the film is smooth and seamless. Through the opening number, we begin to meet the citizens of Agrabah and we see the people who we will be spending the next two hours with. Despite this, the film does lack a little bit in exposition, but for the most part, the film is very well written, directed, and filmed
Mena Massoud fits the role of Aladdin beautifully. He was quite charming and believable as the diamond in the rough. Aside from being the protagonist, you can tell that there is something about his Aladdin that makes him stand out among the pack. I did feel that when Massoud sang, that there was effort behind his singing, meaning that singing wasn't something that Massoud did naturally and that he had to work a little bit harder to reach some of the notes. However, I did think that the sound and tone of his voice worked quite well for the role.
Naomi Scott was perfect as Princess Jasmine. In incredible singing voice and fierce persona, Scott's Jasmine's has been expanded beautifully from the original animated film and she is a true role model for not only little girls everywhere, but for people everywhere. I've always felt that Jasmine could use a little bit more character and the writers of this film more than delivered in making Jasmine a ferocious, fierce, and fabulous Disney Princess. The chemistry between Massoud and Scott was flawless. When they returned to the palace after "A Whole New World," I quite seriously imagined the two of them growing old together. Even at the beginning of the film, I immediately felt something special between the two of them.
Before seeing the film, everyone mostly agreed that the casting of Will Smith as the Genie would make or break this film. Robin Williams was iconic in the original animated film, so many people had certain reservations on someone else taking on the role on film. Thankfully, Will Smith is completely delightful in the role. Smith makes the role of the Genie completely his own and his Genie can hold its own against absolutely any other Genie. Smith had many delightful bits with Massoud's Aladdin that had me rolling in my seat with laughter. Vocally, Smith isn't the strongest but he works very hard to sell his numbers and succeeds in doing so, making him a delight to watch whether he is singing, performing physical comedy, or granting wishes.
Unfortunately, Marwan Kenzari does not make much of a splash in the role of Jafar, who is one of the ultimate Disney Villains. Kenzari is not bad in the role by any means, but he does not make much of an impression on the film until the last half hour, but by that point, the film is slowly starting to wrap up. I think that the writers did not give Kenzari much to do, which is most of the reason that the audience doesn't leave the movie theater thinking about Jafar. Due to the amount of material that Kenzari has to work with, Jafar feels like a prop in the film who exists only to give the characters obstacles, rather than the maniacal villain who feels present, even when he is not on screen. It also doesn't help that Kenzari is not costumed to look evil enough, while the original animated Jafar just screams evil in both looks and fashion.
Similar to the recent remake of Beauty and the Beast, the screenplay (by John August and the film's director, Guy Ritchie) takes a few liberties with the original material and expands upon some of the already existing plot elements. Unlike Beauty and the Beast, the writers did not try too hard to fill any plot holes (that's not to say that they didn't) that might have existed in the original. August and Ritchie simply followed the story that we all know and love, while adding in certain plot points and giving more dimension to the characters. One of my favorite additions is the character of Dalia, Jasmine's delightful handmaiden, who is portrayed by the eccentric Nasim Pedrad.
There is one new song, entitled "Speechless," that serves as a power ballad for Princess Jasmine. The song has music by Alan Menken, and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. The song works well in the context of the film and Scott sings it masterfully, but as a song, it's only just okay. I think the reason why the song works at all is because of Scott's interpretation of the song. I did think that the music in the film was mostly well done. However, I did not like the musical arrangement for the song "One Jump Ahead," but I liked all of the music in the film after that song.
Although costumes are something I always notice in movies, this film is one of what must be very few times where I was completely blown away by the work that the costume designer (Michael Wilkinson) did on the film. All of Scott's dresses were completely gorgeous and nearly everyone in Agrabah was dressed to the absolute nines. Although I am no expert when it comes to the Oscars, the Academy MUST pay some sort of respect to Wilkinson's extraordinary work. Those were some of the most beautiful costumes that I have seen on screen in a very long time.
Nearly everything about this movie is wonderful. The cast, the music, the writing, the costumes, and simply all of it. There were a few other differences that I wasn't super keen on while watching the film, but I ultimately do not have a problem with those changes. There were certain things in the film that I was not expecting, so once I set down my critical lens and simply watched this film as if I were seeing this story told for the first time, I accepted those changes. The film is similar to the original animated film, but this film brings that story to new audiences in a fresh way that will fuel our imaginations and bring us joy, just as Disney sets out to do.
Disney's ALADDIN
Screenplay by JOHN AUGUST and GUY RITCHIE
Music by ALAN MENKEN
Lyrics by HOWARD ASHMAN and TIM RICE
Lyrics by BENJ PASEK and JUSTIN PAUL
Directed by GUY RITCHIE
Cinematography by ALAN STEWART
Edited by JAMES HERBERT
Production Company- WALT DISNEY PICTURES and RIDEBACK
Distributed by WALT DISNEY STUDIOS MOTION PICTURE
The principal cast of Disney's ALADDIN consisted of:
Mariner/The Genie- WILL SMITH
Aladdin- MENA MASSOUD
Princess Jasmine- NAOMI SCOTT
Jafar- MARWAN KENZARI
The Sultan- NAVID NEGAHBAN
Dalia- NASIM PEDRAD
Prince Anders- BILLY MAGNUSSEN
Hakim- NUMAN ACAR
Omar- JORDAN A. NASH
Omi- AUBREY LIN
Jamal- AMIR BOUTROUS
Iago- ALAN TUDYK
Abu/Rajah/The Cave of Wonders- FRANK WELKER
This Aladdin follows many of the same beats as the original, but is not a shot per shot or line per line remake. I think this film holds it own against the original animated film very well. Having said that, what I loved most about the film was the nostalgia. It is no secret that I cry, or come extremely close to doing so, in every single film that Disney releases. The emotional weight that each of their films carry never fails to invoke a sentimental feeling that absolutely nobody else can make me feel. This film did that to me, just as I expected it too. Not only did I find tears welling in my eyes during "A Whole New World," but there were a few moments in Alan Menken's stunning score that had me rather misty eyed.
 |
| Naomi Scott (Princess Jasmine) and Mena Massoud (Aladdin) in the 2019 live action remake of Disney's Aladdin. |
The film begins with a mariner (Will Smith), his wife, and his children, on a small boat. The mariner sits down with his children and begins to tell them the story of Aladdin and the Princess of Agrabah. This is a nice change of pace from the traveling salesman we know and love from the original animated film. Smith kicks off the film with the number "Arabian Nights," which captures the spirit of Agrabah and the style of the film beautifully. Guy Ritchie does a great job setting up the world of Agrabah and ensures that the pace of the film is smooth and seamless. Through the opening number, we begin to meet the citizens of Agrabah and we see the people who we will be spending the next two hours with. Despite this, the film does lack a little bit in exposition, but for the most part, the film is very well written, directed, and filmed
Mena Massoud fits the role of Aladdin beautifully. He was quite charming and believable as the diamond in the rough. Aside from being the protagonist, you can tell that there is something about his Aladdin that makes him stand out among the pack. I did feel that when Massoud sang, that there was effort behind his singing, meaning that singing wasn't something that Massoud did naturally and that he had to work a little bit harder to reach some of the notes. However, I did think that the sound and tone of his voice worked quite well for the role.
Naomi Scott was perfect as Princess Jasmine. In incredible singing voice and fierce persona, Scott's Jasmine's has been expanded beautifully from the original animated film and she is a true role model for not only little girls everywhere, but for people everywhere. I've always felt that Jasmine could use a little bit more character and the writers of this film more than delivered in making Jasmine a ferocious, fierce, and fabulous Disney Princess. The chemistry between Massoud and Scott was flawless. When they returned to the palace after "A Whole New World," I quite seriously imagined the two of them growing old together. Even at the beginning of the film, I immediately felt something special between the two of them.
 |
| Mena Massoud (Aladdin) and Naomi Scott (Princess Jasmine) in the 2019 live action remake of Disney's Aladdin. |
Before seeing the film, everyone mostly agreed that the casting of Will Smith as the Genie would make or break this film. Robin Williams was iconic in the original animated film, so many people had certain reservations on someone else taking on the role on film. Thankfully, Will Smith is completely delightful in the role. Smith makes the role of the Genie completely his own and his Genie can hold its own against absolutely any other Genie. Smith had many delightful bits with Massoud's Aladdin that had me rolling in my seat with laughter. Vocally, Smith isn't the strongest but he works very hard to sell his numbers and succeeds in doing so, making him a delight to watch whether he is singing, performing physical comedy, or granting wishes.
Unfortunately, Marwan Kenzari does not make much of a splash in the role of Jafar, who is one of the ultimate Disney Villains. Kenzari is not bad in the role by any means, but he does not make much of an impression on the film until the last half hour, but by that point, the film is slowly starting to wrap up. I think that the writers did not give Kenzari much to do, which is most of the reason that the audience doesn't leave the movie theater thinking about Jafar. Due to the amount of material that Kenzari has to work with, Jafar feels like a prop in the film who exists only to give the characters obstacles, rather than the maniacal villain who feels present, even when he is not on screen. It also doesn't help that Kenzari is not costumed to look evil enough, while the original animated Jafar just screams evil in both looks and fashion.
 |
| Will Smith (The Genie) and Mena Massoud (Aladdin) in the 2019 live action remake of Disney's Aladdin. |
Similar to the recent remake of Beauty and the Beast, the screenplay (by John August and the film's director, Guy Ritchie) takes a few liberties with the original material and expands upon some of the already existing plot elements. Unlike Beauty and the Beast, the writers did not try too hard to fill any plot holes (that's not to say that they didn't) that might have existed in the original. August and Ritchie simply followed the story that we all know and love, while adding in certain plot points and giving more dimension to the characters. One of my favorite additions is the character of Dalia, Jasmine's delightful handmaiden, who is portrayed by the eccentric Nasim Pedrad.
There is one new song, entitled "Speechless," that serves as a power ballad for Princess Jasmine. The song has music by Alan Menken, and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. The song works well in the context of the film and Scott sings it masterfully, but as a song, it's only just okay. I think the reason why the song works at all is because of Scott's interpretation of the song. I did think that the music in the film was mostly well done. However, I did not like the musical arrangement for the song "One Jump Ahead," but I liked all of the music in the film after that song.
 |
| Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine in the 2019 live action remake of Disney's Aladdin. |
Although costumes are something I always notice in movies, this film is one of what must be very few times where I was completely blown away by the work that the costume designer (Michael Wilkinson) did on the film. All of Scott's dresses were completely gorgeous and nearly everyone in Agrabah was dressed to the absolute nines. Although I am no expert when it comes to the Oscars, the Academy MUST pay some sort of respect to Wilkinson's extraordinary work. Those were some of the most beautiful costumes that I have seen on screen in a very long time.
Nearly everything about this movie is wonderful. The cast, the music, the writing, the costumes, and simply all of it. There were a few other differences that I wasn't super keen on while watching the film, but I ultimately do not have a problem with those changes. There were certain things in the film that I was not expecting, so once I set down my critical lens and simply watched this film as if I were seeing this story told for the first time, I accepted those changes. The film is similar to the original animated film, but this film brings that story to new audiences in a fresh way that will fuel our imaginations and bring us joy, just as Disney sets out to do.
 |
Disney's ALADDIN
Screenplay by JOHN AUGUST and GUY RITCHIE
Music by ALAN MENKEN
Lyrics by HOWARD ASHMAN and TIM RICE
Lyrics by BENJ PASEK and JUSTIN PAUL
Directed by GUY RITCHIE
Cinematography by ALAN STEWART
Edited by JAMES HERBERT
Production Company- WALT DISNEY PICTURES and RIDEBACK
Distributed by WALT DISNEY STUDIOS MOTION PICTURE
The principal cast of Disney's ALADDIN consisted of:
Mariner/The Genie- WILL SMITH
Aladdin- MENA MASSOUD
Princess Jasmine- NAOMI SCOTT
Jafar- MARWAN KENZARI
The Sultan- NAVID NEGAHBAN
Dalia- NASIM PEDRAD
Prince Anders- BILLY MAGNUSSEN
Hakim- NUMAN ACAR
Omar- JORDAN A. NASH
Omi- AUBREY LIN
Jamal- AMIR BOUTROUS
Iago- ALAN TUDYK
Abu/Rajah/The Cave of Wonders- FRANK WELKER
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