Aladdin

I'm sure it will surprise no one when I say that Aladdin is a big, lavish corporate spectacle that exists solely to play on nostalgia of the people who grew up on the 1992 animated Disney film.  It's splashy and brightly colored, well-photographed, and when you really get down to it, has no point other than to make a lot of money.  But, it's also kind of energetic and fun.  Not so much that I can recommend anyone watch this over the original, but it's a lot more enjoyable than that strangely-somber Dumbo remake Tim Burton gave us a few months ago.

Director Guy Ritchie has not done a lot to shake things up here, as this is as similar to the cartoon that a live action remake can get.  What's strange is that there's a stage musical of Aladdin currently on Broadway that takes a lot more risks with updating the story, and adding new elements.  I have to wonder why Ritchie and fellow screenwriter John August didn't use that as their template.  The story is more or less what you remember, except for a few new elements that aren't really explored.  There's also a new character added in the form of a handmaiden for Princess Jasmine named Dalia (Nasim Pedrad), who honestly I wanted to see her role expanded on, as Pedrad brings a very likable comic sensibility to her performance that made me want to see her as the lead in a romantic comedy one day.  Speaking of the Princess Jasmine, she gets the film's one new musical number, a ballad called "Speechless", about how she feels despite her title and power, she doesn't have a voice in her kingdom.  It's essentially pleasant, but not at all memorable.

Outside of these small differences, all the pieces are in place.  Maybe some have been shuffled ever so slightly, but not enough that devotees of the 92 movie will cry foul.  Aladdin (a very likable Mena Massoud) is still a charismatic and cunning "street rat" thief who is struggling to get by with his monkey sidekick Abu (an unconvincing CG creation), until he happens to bump into the beautiful Princess Jasmine (a perfectly cast Naomi Scott, charming and lovely), who has escaped from the palace and is disguised as a peasant because her father the Sultan (Navid Negahban) is forcing her to marry out of necessity instead of love.  Lurking in the shadows is the scheming advisor, Jafar (Marwan Kenzari), who is seeking a mystical magic lamp that holds a Genie who can grant Jafar with infinite powers in order to take over the Sultan's kingdom.  But, Aladdin gets his hands on the lamp first, and winds up summoning a wise-cracking and shape-shifting being embodied here by Will Smith, who seems to be trying his hardest to revisit his Fresh Prince days in his performance, back when he was mostly known as a sitcom star when it came to acting.

The Genie is the biggest hurdle for this film, and while it doesn't exactly botch it, it also doesn't stick the landing.  Let's face it, the late Robin Williams will always be associated with the character.  Yes, it's iconic.  Yes, the Oscars probably should have given him some kind of special recognition for the performance, as it was unlike anything the animation industry had seen at the time.  And yes, anyone who attempts to fill his shoes is fighting an uphill battle pretty much from the word go.  Also yes, it is possible to escape the shadow of Williams, and create your own spin on the Genie.  I know, because I have seen it happen on stage when James Monroe Iglehart took on the role on Broadway, and pretty much made it entirely his own.  He created his own memorable turn that had none of Williams' mannerisms, and built an entirely new persona out of his own energy, showmanship and unique humor.  Iglehart rightfully won a Tony for his whirlwind performance, and again, created an iconic portrayal that leaves large shoes to fill in the minds of anyone who saw it.

So, here is Will Smith trying his hardest to do the same thing.  He wisely does not copy anything from Williams, and is desperately trying to put his own unique spin on the character.  His Genie is more of an Urban Wise Guy.  Again, think Fresh Prince reborn as a shape-shifting entity.  Via a combination of a physical performance and somewhat iffy motion capture (there is a bit of an Uncanny Valley vibe to the Genie when he is in his "magical" blue form), Smith is overflowing with energy.  But, to me at least, he never truly stuck in my mind.  When I saw Iglehart on stage, I was amazed by his energy and individual style that he brought.  Watching Smith, I felt like I was watching a valiant effort that never quite got off the ground.  I appreciated the performance, but never truly got behind it like I felt I should.  He's trying, oh, is he ever.  You can see it every time he's on screen.  But he just was never memorable to me. 

But it may not be entirely his fault.  At its core, Aladdin is a musical, and while all of the songs you know and love are in place and sung well, there is a curious lifelessness to a lot of them.  A lot of this has to do with Ritchie's inexperience staging musical or dance sequences, I believe.  He uses a lot of wide shots where there's just a lot of stuff happening.  He doesn't zoom in enough for us to admire all the details, or even the choreography.  He shoots wide, he uses a lot of colors and effects, and it all looks grand, but there's also an emptiness to it.  It's like Ritchie has the right idea, but doesn't quite know how to pull it off.  Every movie musical needs a really grand production number that really gets you excited or invested, and this just doesn't have one.  Maybe it's because the movie employs a lot of CG and animation effects, which oddly makes this live action version look more like a cartoon than the actual animated feature.

And yet, there are plenty of moments where the film does work.  I loved the chemistry between Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott, who easily slip into their iconic roles of Aladdin and Jasmine, and create their own unique take.  Massoud is every bit as witty and charming as we hope he would be.  As for Scott, she seems to be carving out a niche for herself with reboots, as she played one of the Power Rangers in the 2017 film, and will be appearing as one of the leads in the upcoming Charlie's Angels update due in the Fall.  She's lovely and talented, and I truly hope she can get her own unique role one day that is truly her own, and not based on an existing property.  The whole cast is giving it their all, and there's a lot to admire here.  The sets and costumes are also grand, as you would expect.  There's a lot of color and life on display, but it is often betrayed by Guy Ritchie's somewhat bland and conventional direction. 

Aladdin is amusing, but ultimately unnecessary.  It's kind of like a bright, shiny toy that spins around with a lot of colors, but doesn't really do anything.  It's been made with a certain amount of skill to the performances, but you ultimately have to ask if you really need it.  It's a noble effort, sure, and I don't regret watching it.  But, come a few years, I can't help but feel that this will be yet another curiosity that people will remember made a lot of money at the box office, but won't be quite sure why.

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