Overall, this was a great adaptation and is visually-stunning, but lacked the impactful foundation set by the 2-D animated version.
The Good:
Costuming and set design were immaculate, and usually most musicals tend to get these parts right for the film adaptation, you know and the music of course. The audience is immediately installed within the culture of Agrabah, and it’s exactly what I expected when comparing to the animated version. Not too many curled or rounded architectural choices, great balances of gold, aquamarine, fuchsias and other rich colors. Aladdin, Jasmine, and Jafar’s costumes were beautifully-designed replicas to their animated counterparts.
Put Mena Massoud (who plays Aladdin) in everything!! He’s a true force—an exceptional talent and this was a fantastic debut performance. One moment in particular that got me was the “Never had a friend…” breakdown sequence where he and Will Smith (who plays the Genie) paid homage to the Nicholas Brother’s iconic splits-on-stairs scene from “Stormy Weather.”
I shed a thug tear in that moment and hit the Nancy Pelosi clap.
Will Smith was perfect for the Genie character. I know Al Gore’s internet had a field day when Disney released the images of his CGI character, and for good reason (we’re getting to it), but I don’t think any other actor would have been able to deliver the updates to the screenplay quite like him. This is Smith’s best film in a very long time.
The ensemble cast was great, actually. Naomi Scott convinced me in her first fifteen minutes on screen that she was a great choice to portray Princess Jasmine. I loved the introduction of a new character Dalia—Princess Jasmine’s haidmaiden played by Nasim Pedrad—and how her role plays a part to the Genie’s conclusion.
Another Pelosi clap moment: the introduction of Prince Ali Ababwa to Agrabah. Y’all…THEY MURKED IT! I’m hyperbolic A.F., but watching that scene in Dolby Digital Cinematic Glorious-ness-ness was 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾. May be the best sequence of the movie.
Awesome updates to the screenplay. I cheered for the substitution of concubines for young women in a school house during Aladdin’s chase scene through Agrabah and the “Introduction of Prince Ali.”
The Not-so-Good:
Whew, Chile…lets talk about the Computer-Generated Imagery. Man, there were definitely moments I could look beyond it and just keep on with the flow of the film. But Jesus, when Jafar became a genie at the end, that was the last straw. Fuck!!! Cringe!! No!!!! 😱😱😱 Like Abu and the Magic Carpet’s CGI was what I wanted from the Pokémon Detective Pikachu movie, acting so seamless that I forget that those characters were not real.
Not gonna lie, I was hoping for a more sinister Jafar. I think the actor’s portray was decent, but not exactly enough to convince me that he was one of Disney’s greatest villains. Maybe it was his voice, or not using his facial expressions in a way that mimicked the 2D version?? I was “whelmed,” not completely underwhelmed, just “whelmed.”
When Will Smith portrays a version of himself on film, it’s great. Much of this movie’s flair came from the idea that I was watching Will Smith play a version of himself. I wasn’t connected to the Genie’s character like I was with the 2D version, and I think that’s a real tragedy of his portrayal. At the end of the film when Aladdin uses his last wish to free the Genie, it falls flat. This was the most emotional moment from the 2D version, and was impactful by carrying the moral weight of the decision-making to keep your word or look out for your best interest. For me though, the animated version did something in the last scene where you really didn’t know if Aladdin was going to use his last wish for the Genie’s freedom. In this adaptation it almost felt like there was no choice. I dunno, I’m rambling. The conclusion didn’t do it for me.
So here lies the dilemma: the movie had some really great things balanced with some not-so-good, cringe-y things, right. Overall, I’d recommend the film, especially for the 80s-90s babies who can probably still recite every line from the 2D version. You’ll enjoy it just off G.P. I’d also recommend a Dolby Cinema ticket. They really took a lot of care and time to make sure this film looked and sounded perfect. But, I have reservations about the film, particularly since I know they spent $183,000,000 on it and the CGI looked sub-par. But, it’s a good time. Grab an ICEE and enjoy it.