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| Scene from Aladdin (2019) |
Every day it feels more and more inevitable that every animated Disney classic is going to have a live-action counterpart. With director Guy Ritchie's Aladdin marking the second of three adaptations released in a four-month span, it feels like it should be among the more cynical, lazy films to follow this model, even as it seems like the most plausible to get this treatment. After all, Aladdin borrows heavily from Middle Eastern mythology and stands a chance to turn the musical into a Bollywood-style spectacle that highlights something new to western audiences. Unfortunately, the film falls just short of achieving that by hiring British action filmmaker Ritchie, though what he brings to the film is an impeccable gift for action and humor that ends up salvaging a lot of the film in entertaining ways. While it's far from perfect - falling just short of the inspired ingenuity of Tim Burton's Dumbo - it's a solid family film full of fun reinventions of a beloved classic that is fun to watch... so long as you don't think of the original.
In a bold decision that both helps and hurts the film, Will Smith sings the opening song "Arabian Nights" as the camera pans over the fictional town of Agrabah. On one hand, it introduces audiences visually to the landscape that they will inhabit for the next two hours. It's majestic, even if Smith's autotuned voice feels off and the new lyrics (penned in part by Dear Evan Hansen stalwarts Benj Pasek and Justin Paul) will prove to be a mixed bag. Still, the camera's movement takes audiences through what amounts to the first half hour of the animated film in a matter of minutes. On one hand, it helps to get to the point faster. However, it also raises the question as to why this film needed to be so long, especially if key information and iconic scenes aren't perfectly placed within the film to enhance the audience's perspective into this world.
The difficulty, as with the majority of these Disney films, is being able to separate the originals from what the live-action films are going for. Ritchie is more obsessed with realism, even in a world defined by mysticism. On one hand, it doesn't hurt key animal characters like Bengal Tiger Rajah and monkey Abu that always felt grounded even as they were expressive. However, beloved parrot Iago's quips are greatly reduced and in the process become less interesting. Where Gilbert Gottfried made the character memorable with his countless jokes, the modern version (played by Disney mainstay Alan Tudyk) is more about loyalty and keeping to a "Yes sir" mentality that is less fun. In the visual landscape, audiences expecting some of Disney's greatest 90's animation to come to life will be greatly disappointed, especially as the palace's exterior shots aren't nearly that impressive, especially as it blends in with the city as opposed to standing out as this lavish piece of luxury.
So, what works about the new Aladdin in 2019 if it can't visually compare to the original? While it's true that the color pallet seems more muted, there's plenty to love about Agrabah's landscape, especially in "riffraff, street rat" Aladdin's (Mena Massoud) opening number "One Jump." The song may again be too polished and bordering on a disconnected Broadway vibe, but Massoud's physicality shows a dedication to the role that saves the film. The scene of him escaping from guards is everything that audiences have been led to expect, complete with parkour sequences and clever use of landscape. It's also a chance to show off the brilliant costume design, whose colorful pallet makes it one of the most beautiful-looking Disney adaptations since Cinderella. Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott) is especially attractive as her outfits shine, even as she has to remain inconspicuous in the city.
For purists, the film is a dicey affair. "A Whole New World" is an underwhelming number that never makes the outside world seem as appealing as Aladdin and Jasmine looking down at Agrabah from the flying magic carpet. Similarly, those with too much heart for Robin Williams will find an issue with Smith's Genie just on the principle. As much as Smith shifts to a more 21st-century style of humor that deconstructs film than merely reference pop culture, his success at jokes are hit and miss. It's maybe that Smith's ability to keep up the manic joke ratio is impossible, especially at his age. However, this is one of his most enjoyable blockbuster performances in quite some time. For the first time in a while, he feels like he's having fun and it's projecting perfectly on the screen. Again, Genie's performance isn't nearly as flawless as Williams', but to Smith's credit, his choice to not just make a carbon copy helps the film massively, especially as it progresses into the differences from the original.
The biggest plot rewrite of Aladdin is the choice to have Aladdin learn to be confident through the Genie. Massoud is great at the physical portion of the film, but his commitment to playing the socially awkward outcast makes him far more endearing, especially as he begins to pitch woo to Jasmine. Another part of Smith's impeccable performance is his ability to evoke confidence as Genie, especially as he serves as the most magical wingman in history. It's fun to watch these two play off of each other, and it makes the sometimes meandering and redundant elements play better, especially as the interior of the palace features beautiful set design and costumes that elevate this film above many of Disney's remakes that look a tad uglier. It doesn't always work, but considering the impact that this cast brings to the film, it more than makes up for the flaws, even as the third act features some nightmare fuel imagery that proves that part of villain Jafar's (Marwan Kenzari) appeal was always that he wants to traumatize your kids.
On one hand, this is another disappointing remake because it never quite lives up to the original all the way. The Cave of Wonders sequence may be perfectly realistic, but the animated landscape was far more wondrous and exciting. It's an unfortunate loss, even as the film works around it through amping up the action and humor in all of the right ways. If taken out of context from the delightful original, it's a film that serves as a fun family action film with some of Disney's strongest costume and set design in quite some time. The only thing that would've made it more interesting is if Disney as a studio took a chance on Bollywood filmmakers and made a film that introduced western audiences to something new and innovative. As great as Ritchie's direction is, there's an authenticity that is lacking that could've made the film one of the studio's strongest, most interesting adaptations. It's not an outright failure, especially as it fits within the conventions of these type of films. Ritchie brings some of the strongest direction to the film from any studio hand we've seen, making the characters more empathetic and the visuals pop at just the right point. It could've done with being shorter, but that's more of a conflict of the system than this film.
Aladdin (2019) is far from perfect, but to deny what it does right would be a shame. As a studio film, it manages to be a delightful spectacle that sets off summer releases on an effective note. It's nowhere near as exciting as the original, but the fact that Massoud can do parkour, or that Smith can reinvent "Friend Like Me" without making it egregious all are delightful touches. More than anything, this is a visually inventive film that is full of gorgeous costume design and Agrabah is among the best-looking sets that these live-action remakes have seen. It may suffer from not being the original, but it at least tries to matter on its own terms. It falls flat at points, but the points where it pops are electric. It's a fun family film, and that's about it. Still, it's far less cynical and lazy than some of these remakes, and that's quite an achievement on its own.
For purists, the film is a dicey affair. "A Whole New World" is an underwhelming number that never makes the outside world seem as appealing as Aladdin and Jasmine looking down at Agrabah from the flying magic carpet. Similarly, those with too much heart for Robin Williams will find an issue with Smith's Genie just on the principle. As much as Smith shifts to a more 21st-century style of humor that deconstructs film than merely reference pop culture, his success at jokes are hit and miss. It's maybe that Smith's ability to keep up the manic joke ratio is impossible, especially at his age. However, this is one of his most enjoyable blockbuster performances in quite some time. For the first time in a while, he feels like he's having fun and it's projecting perfectly on the screen. Again, Genie's performance isn't nearly as flawless as Williams', but to Smith's credit, his choice to not just make a carbon copy helps the film massively, especially as it progresses into the differences from the original.
The biggest plot rewrite of Aladdin is the choice to have Aladdin learn to be confident through the Genie. Massoud is great at the physical portion of the film, but his commitment to playing the socially awkward outcast makes him far more endearing, especially as he begins to pitch woo to Jasmine. Another part of Smith's impeccable performance is his ability to evoke confidence as Genie, especially as he serves as the most magical wingman in history. It's fun to watch these two play off of each other, and it makes the sometimes meandering and redundant elements play better, especially as the interior of the palace features beautiful set design and costumes that elevate this film above many of Disney's remakes that look a tad uglier. It doesn't always work, but considering the impact that this cast brings to the film, it more than makes up for the flaws, even as the third act features some nightmare fuel imagery that proves that part of villain Jafar's (Marwan Kenzari) appeal was always that he wants to traumatize your kids.
On one hand, this is another disappointing remake because it never quite lives up to the original all the way. The Cave of Wonders sequence may be perfectly realistic, but the animated landscape was far more wondrous and exciting. It's an unfortunate loss, even as the film works around it through amping up the action and humor in all of the right ways. If taken out of context from the delightful original, it's a film that serves as a fun family action film with some of Disney's strongest costume and set design in quite some time. The only thing that would've made it more interesting is if Disney as a studio took a chance on Bollywood filmmakers and made a film that introduced western audiences to something new and innovative. As great as Ritchie's direction is, there's an authenticity that is lacking that could've made the film one of the studio's strongest, most interesting adaptations. It's not an outright failure, especially as it fits within the conventions of these type of films. Ritchie brings some of the strongest direction to the film from any studio hand we've seen, making the characters more empathetic and the visuals pop at just the right point. It could've done with being shorter, but that's more of a conflict of the system than this film.
Aladdin (2019) is far from perfect, but to deny what it does right would be a shame. As a studio film, it manages to be a delightful spectacle that sets off summer releases on an effective note. It's nowhere near as exciting as the original, but the fact that Massoud can do parkour, or that Smith can reinvent "Friend Like Me" without making it egregious all are delightful touches. More than anything, this is a visually inventive film that is full of gorgeous costume design and Agrabah is among the best-looking sets that these live-action remakes have seen. It may suffer from not being the original, but it at least tries to matter on its own terms. It falls flat at points, but the points where it pops are electric. It's a fun family film, and that's about it. Still, it's far less cynical and lazy than some of these remakes, and that's quite an achievement on its own.
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