‘Aladdin’ Movie Review: Unexpectedly Good

After hitting cinemas last May 22, Aladdin has already earned 255.8 million dollars despite the low expectation. The original Aladdin was released last November 11, 1992, where it featured the song ‘A Whole New World’ which everybody loved. This year’s live-action starred Will Smith, Naomi Scott, Mena Massoud and more.

Aladdin still follows the same plot of the original 1992 animated film, where the “street rat” Aladdin (Mena Massoud) crosses paths with Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott). However, before their flame ignited, Aladdin previously met with Jafar (Marwan Kenzari)  who gave him the lamp containing the Genie (Will Smith). This is where their magic carpet adventure begins.

Although Aladdin’s new adaptation did not get many good reviews, the film itself is not as bad as what naysayers think with its new narrative, character build-up, and musical scoring.

Aladdin’s Hits

Disney

One of the great things in the live action Aladdin film would probably be the presence of Smith. The Genie in the 1992 Aladdin was quirky and fun, and all commendations go to the late Robin Williams. But in this adaptation,  Smith as the Genie is definitely one of the best pros of the film. Smith brought a whole new spice to the character, making every scene humorous and comic. Plus, the tandem of Genie and Aladdin is undeniably charismatic. The two complement each other’s presence.

Aladdin did an amazing job in terms of the character build up in the movie. For example, Princess Jasmine’s character was built as a strong woman who wants to be the captain of her life. Later on, the character succeeded and even became the Sultan of Agrabah. Kudos also to Massoud’s character switch from being a firm believer that he will not be a slave of power and wealth. In the midst of the having it all, Aladdin fell under the spell of greed. The latter part was Aladdin’s redemption.

The new premise is not as different from the original narrative Aladdin. Although there were some tweaks that they made in the movie—when Aladdin sneaks into the palace to meet Princess Jasmine and Jafar discovers him. They have also inserted a scene where Jafar tries killing Aladdin by pushing him off the tower, along with some additional details like Jafar being a thief before. Plus the relationship of Dalia and Genie in the film was quirky and fun. It actually brought a lot of color in several scenes in the movie.

Also, Princess Jasmine’s narrative gave a powerful heroine story. The film depicts the true goal of Scott’s character which is to be able to decide for herself and be able to choose whoever she wants to love. Actual evidence for this is when Princess Jasmine becomes the Sultan of Agrabah.

Disney

The musical scoring of the film was commendable, it gives you an Arabian feel and was consistent until the end. It is also plausible how the production design complimented the musical scoring, kudos to  Gemma Jackson for doing a great job.

‘Aladdin’ Overall Verdict

All in all, the film did not stray too far from the original storyline of the 1992 animated movie, which is actually one of the best points of this live action. It still manages to add some details that made the movie interesting. Although there were dull moments that may not be that good entirely, it is still a good flick. The Aladdin live-action movie truly brought us back to the magic carpet ride that we first fell in love with in 1992.