Aladdin - Review

Growing up, Aladdin was my favourite animated Disney movie because, in many ways, I felt like it was the first Disney movie made for boys. Don't get me wrong, I loved watching Beauty and the Beast and other Disney films that focused more on the princesses and more female-driven films, but I was able to identify and get invested more with Aladdin. A story with a male lead character going on an adventure with magic carpets, genies, and an epic looking kingdom of Agrabah. Watching it again as an adult, it captures my imagination exactly like it did when I was a kid. So naturally, I was excited to see Disney's live-action interpretation of what many people consider a classic now. As a movie on its own, does it work? Yes, it does. There were some funny moments and it was entertaining from beginning to end, but the problem lies within the X Factor. That one thing that all great movies have that you just can't really explain. For Disney movies, it's called Disney magic, and that was what is lacking here.

First the good. Agrabah looks great. Sure, with animation you can make things look much grander in scope and you can make the colours really pop on screen, but with the live-action feeling "smaller" than the animation, the production design still was a treat to see. As were the action sequences. Guy Ritchie knows how to direct some thrilling scenes, however, I just wish I could have seen more. Plus, a Disney movie would not be complete without a message it's sending to its audience. Like the original, the classic message of telling the truth is still here and while hammered in quite on the nose, it's still a good message for everyone to hear. Even as adults we forget that sometimes. On top of that, this live-action update gives us another message, particularly targeted towards women, of speaking up and allowing yourself to be heard. Don't be silent and told to "take your place" so to speak. Now, I haven't heard much noise on the "Disney goes woke" front as I did with Captain Marvel, but I'm sure some people will think that. Again, while the messages lack any form of subtlety, they weren't eyeing rolling in anyway.

However, the best thing in the movie by far was Will Smith as the Genie. Ironic how he was the one aspect of the movie that people were really worried about. People were worried about how a "Fresh Prince" take on the genie would translate on the big screen, especially since Robin Williams' take on the Genie is widely considered one of the best voice acting performances ever. Now, I'm not getting into a debate on who did it better, but I will say that Will Smith had me laughing out loud, something I did not expect. I'm not going to lie, when I first saw him as the giant, blue, CGI genie and I heard some of his first few jokes, I was worried. Surprisingly enough though, he really won me over, and he won me over fast! He was witty, charming, his songs were electrifying and his chemistry with Aladdin felt genuine. Mr. Smith, well-done sir!

However, unfortunately, that is where the good aspects end. Now nothing in this movie is necessarily awful, but I did take notice to Jafar. In a fantasy, adventure type movie like this, I don't need the villain to be complex, I don't need some elaborate back story and I don't need some deep connection between them and the main character, I just want the basics covered. A goal, the means and will to achieve that goal and a menacing presence. Those are your basic needs for a villain and Jafar failed to qualify. His goal was to become Sultan and rule over all the neighbouring kingdoms? (A little unclear on that one) but the biggest missed opportunity was to make him threatening. Although I knew the basic story and how Aladdin was going to defeat him, I still want to know that there is a big challenge for our heroes to overcome. Jafar never gave off the vibe that Aladdin may have met his match and might not be able to defeat him. No menacing presence, no evil aura about him, just a very lackluster villain. Big let down.

Overall, the movie was enjoyable, but it lacked that scale and Disney magic to make it memorable. When listening to "A Whole New World" I should feel inspired, not bored. While entertaining all the way through, I can't help but see this as just another subpar live-action version of a Disney classic.