Disclosure: I was invited to a screening of this film.
The 1992 animated Disney classic Aladdin holds a special place in my heart. The music, colors, voices and charm of Agrabah really made it for me. With the 2019 Aladdin live action movie, I was hoping for that special kind of magic. This version of Aladdin is rare in that it will please viewers wanting to see a movie just like the animated feature and those wanting something more.
I didn’t realize how much of the animated movie I had memorized until seeing the live action Aladdin. So many iconic moments are present and done so well. Jasmine and Aladdin looked perfect together. It was a hard thing to bring Abu, Carpet and Iago into a live action version and do it well but they totally did. The costumes in Aladdin are so wonderful to look at they are almost another character. Many looks we know and love make their way on to the screen like Jasmine’s signature color and Prince Ali’s white ensemble. There are some brand new things in this movie that I loved as well but I’ll leave those surprises for you.
Jafar was the one thing I really didn’t like. This character has such a villainous voice in the original. The live action Jafar’s voice was just too high. I found his performance too straightforward for an otherwise very character driven story. I also thought Will Smith as Genie was just.. ok. It’s just such a hard act to follow. I found myself upset thinking about Robin Williams during Friend Like Me. The vocal variations in this song from the nineties provide one of the most memorable performances of all time. Will Smith had me laugh out loud a few times but otherwise didn’t give much to the role. I enjoy his work usually but thought an improviser with strong physical comedic skills would have suited the Genie here.
Even with these thoughts above, Aladdin was still an excellent movie. If you love Disney like I do it’s usually not a factor of seeing a new movie or not but how and when you’ll see it. The movie is very pretty to look at which is usually a theater pro for me. A Whole New World is laced beautifully into the score throughout the film but the songs weren’t a standout surprisingly. What did standout was Jasmine’s girl power. There’s a new song written for this film and it’s sung incredibly well. I think fans will like the magic and majesty of this new Aladdin.
Aladdin opens in theaters May 24, 2019.