Writer(s): Ritchie, and John August
Starring: Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Will Smith, and Marwan Kenzari
Oh, how I missed the excitement of a Hollywood blockbuster! Actually, a more appropriate comment would be “Oh how I missed being excited at the idea of a Hollywood blockbuster,” because that phase died down about the moment I hit my teen years. I'm all for movies as a form of artistic expression, and I realize that “expression” is a vague statement that can come in many forms, but I just fail to derive any entertainment from paying $9 a ticket just to watch two hours of computer-generated special effects.
And yet there I was, seated on opening weekend of a big-budgeted Hollywood movie, in an almost-packed house, at 9 p.m. And no, it wasn't because of my two-year-old son, but because of my wife, who was deadset on seeing it at once. Well, who was I to argue?
I knew so little about it, in fact, that it came as a complete shock to me that Guy Ritchie directed it. Thee Guy Ritchie, auteur of such R-rated films as Snatch, and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (and the PG-13 dud Swept Away, starring his then-wife Madonna, which was probably an instant regret for everyone involved); not the type I would have expected to seek out a Disney project that's blatantly Disney, but hey, everyone's got to put food on the table somehow, and this is the type of high-profile project that can lead to career boosts for years to come.
Really, the success of these live-action remakes largely depend on the cast, and that's where I felt Aladdin kind of goes 50/50: Will Smith is a good actor, but as the Genie, he largely seems to be going through the motions to collect a paycheck. He's not terrible in the role, per se, but he lacks the charisma—and insane energy—that Robin Williams brought to his animated role. I suppose that comparison is slightly unfair, because there aren't many who could have matched Williams' performance, but whereas the original Genie was by far the most exciting character in the original, here he's just...another character.
I also did not like Marwan Kenzari's performance as Jafar in the least. I wouldn't put that critique on him—he definitely seems to be putting some effort into the role and does come off as appropriately slimy—but his velvety-smooth, higher pitched voice is a complete moodkill for me, and almost completely ruins the character. I got more used to it as the movie went on, but I nearly laughed out loud the first time I heard him, and that's never really a good sign for someone who's supposed to be evil.
The running time, which I had heard about going in, was also a sore point for me. It's as if studios see the length of a movie as a direct representation of how “epic” it's going to be; thus, they upped it from around 90 minutes to over two hours here. Part of it was probably because I was running on five hours of sleep, and was already tired going in to the late showing, but I felt like this one was way too long for its own good, adding some characters and unnecessary scenes that did nothing to improve upon the story. It did, however, keep a respectably large portion of the original story intact, even down to the familiar song and dance numbers, which is a decision that will definitely help its draw.
The one “notable” addition to the song front that I noticed was “Speechless”, a cringey female-empowerment track that was clearly thrown in because that's what people want these days. I realize I run the risk of sounding sexist, and any explanation I offer is only going to seem like “mansplaining”, but my offense isn't at all with the material, but rather with the context: Disney is one of the major studios that permeated and allowed the domineering male culture that eventually gave way to the #MeToo movement, and so the inclusion of a song like this just feels like a half-hearted attempt at reparations for past transgressions. It comes across as empty, formulaic schtick; an easy way to present a “tough” female character without having to actually develop one through nuanced writing. I'm sure it's a huge crowd-pleasing moment, but I just felt like it was little more than surface-level appeasement, meant to distance Disney from the industry monsters that they helped to create, and it left a bad taste in my mouth.
On the brighter side, both the main stars are good, capably playing their roles (and looking the part without the need for skin-enhancing software), but Naomi Scott as Jasmine is appropriately breathtaking: she's an absolutely gorgeous woman, perfectly befitting of royalty, and encapsulating the spirit of her character well. She has a certain radiance about her that you just can't take your eyes off of, and as someone who does not find the typical idea of “Hollywood pretty” even remotely attractive, I was absolutely enamored with her every time she's on screen. (My wife felt the same way about Mena Massoud as Aladdin, so there's eye candy here for everyone.)
I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of the original Aladdin, so it should come as no shock that I wasn't entirely enchanted with this live-action update. My wife, on the other hand, loves the original (just as she does almost any Disney movie), and “loved every minute” of this one. That being said, even with the overlong run time and my own complaints with the material, I'm incredibly surprised at all the bad reviews that have been leveled its way, especially from critics who were largely enamored with the 1992 classic: Personally, it was way better than I was expecting (which, to be fair, wasn't much), and close enough to the source material that I honestly can't see anyone who liked that one walking away from this one disappointed.
It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it doesn't have to: most audiences just want to see a live-action retelling of a familiar story that most of them grew up with, and on those grounds, Aladdin is largely a success.
RATING: 5.5/10
RATING: 5.5/10
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