Aladdin (2019) Movie Review

Aladdin (2019)

Rent Aladdin on Amazon Video
Written by: John August (screenplay by), Guy Ritchie (screenplay by)
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Will Smith, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari, Billy Magnussen
Rated: PG
Watch the trailer

Plot
A live action remake of the 1992 animated film, a kind-hearted street urchin and a power-hungry Grand Vizier vie for the Genie in a magic lamp that has the power to make their wishes come true.


Verdict
It's interesting to see a remake of the animated movie in live action, but watching this movie will only make you wish you were watching the original. This isn't a movie to watch for an unique story, it's a nostalgia trip, a near scene for scene remake. A lot of the elements of the cartoon don't translate well to live action, specifically the animals and the genie's antics. It's an inherently hollow movie.
It depends.

Review
The problem with Disney's remakes is that there is a distinct lack of creativity. You watch the live action version, and the strongest feeling you have is to re-watch the original animated version, in this case Aladdin (1992). Maybe Disney's goal is to drive interest to the originals. Disney has remade The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Dumbo among others.

Will Smith plays the Genie.

The leads do a great job as Aladdin and Jasmine, but it's hard not to see the Genie as Will Smith doing a Robin Williams impression. Robin Williams is the Genie. Despite being animated, Williams completely inhabited that role in a way few can do with an animated character. It's his cadence and lighting quick banter.

Mena Massoud plays Aladdin.

It's a fun story. Disney always takes fairy tales and used to pair them with superb animation, though  now they're remaking the animations. This story is sourced from The Arabian Nights, though a number of elements were changed. Animation lends itself to a fairy tale that loses the charm when it's live action. I like the themes of being yourself and how a wish can't change who you are. The good choose good, the bad want greed.
Aladdin feels like he must become a prince to impress the princess, but she doesn't like him when he's a fake. Jafar is Aladdin's opposite, a man intent on power for the sake of it and willing to do anything to get it. Generally with live action movies I expect more nuance and character development. Cartoons can more easily get away with simple, ethical tales.

Marwan Kenzari plays Jafar.

It's a solid movie even if it is more spectacle than substance. If this wasn't a remake that had to retain the elements of the original, things like Jafar's parrot would never be included. The parrot serves no purpose. The anthropomorphized cartoon bird doesn't translate to live action.
There isn't anything creative about changing the format of the story. In the end Aladdin does the right thing and we get a happy ending, but there is nothing here that we haven't already seen from the original. It's difficult to not see this as just a cash grab.