Will Smith Month - Aladdin (2019)

         Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, today for Will Smith Month, it's time to talk about a Disney remake that, believe it or not, I actually really enjoyed. And that, of course, is the 2019 live-action remake of the 1992 animated classic Aladdin. 

        So, in a quick summary, here's the story: Aladdin is a street rat in the Arabian city of Agrabah, and one day, he meets and becomes attracted to the Princess Jasmine. Unfortunately, the law prevents them from being together, due to his status. However, the evil vizier Jafar tells him of a magical oil lamp hidden in the Cave of Wonders, and the lamp will give Aladdin what he wants most. 

       So, Jafar leads Aladdin to the Cave of Wonders, and he finds the lamp. However, Jafar betrays Aladdin and leaves him to die, but Aladdin's pet monkey Abu nabs the lamp, leaving Jafar with nothing. Trapped in the Cave of Wonders, Aladdin rubs the lamp and releases an all-powerful Genie. The Genie helps get Aladdin, Abu, and the Magic Carpet out of the Cave, and into the desert. It is here that Aladdin agrees to use his third wish to free the Genie from the lamp. The Genie then turns Aladdin into a Prince: Prince Ali of Ababwa. 

        After a bombastic arrival through the streets of Agrabah, Aladdin (as Prince Ali) meets the Sultan and Jasmine. That night, while taking her on a ride on the Magic Carpet, Aladdin and Jasmine really start to hit it off. However, Jafar sees through the deception, and demands the lamp, nearly drowning Aladdin to get it. Aladdin is saved by the Genie, but at the cost of his second wish. 

         Eventually, Jafar steals the lamp, and with it is now the master of the Genie, who grants him his wish to be Sultan. Unfortunately, despite being Sultan now, the loyalty he demands isn't met, and he uses his second wish to become the most powerful sorcerer on Earth. Jafar uses his new power to reveal that Ali was Aladdin all along, and banishes him to a frozen wasteland. Aladdin eventually returns, and battles Jafar. Now, in the animated version, Jafar turns himself into a gigantic Cobra. However, in this version, he takes his parrot Iago and makes him a gigantic monster parrot to chase Aladdin and Jasmine around Agrabah to retrieve the lamp. After the chase ends, Jafar uses his final wish to become more powerful than the Genie himself, becoming a Genie himself in the process. However, as Jafar is now a Genie without a master, he is forced to go back into his lamp. Genie sends Jafar's lamp to the Cave of Wonders, and Aladdin uses his final wish to free the Genie, making the Genie human in the process. The Sultan names Jasmine as the new Sultan of Agrabah, and she and Aladdin get married. Happy ending. 

       Okay, so I definitely enjoyed this movie. Visually, it's definitely incredible to look at. Casting wise, Will Smith is great as the Genie. Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott are terrific as Aladdin and Jasmine. Alan Tudyk was pretty good as the voice of Iago (but let's be honest, Gilbert Gottfried in the original was much better). Navid Negahban was terrific as the Sultan, and I like how he felt like a genuine ruler and not just a bearded man child in a position of power. And I even enjoyed new additions like Numan Acar and Nasim Pedrad as Hakim the guard and Dalia the handmaiden. The only weak point of the cast was Marwan Kenzari as Jafar. I dunno, he just didn't feel particularly intimidating, and lacked the aura of menace the original had. 

         The action is really good here, and the set and costume design was something else. However, I do feel that Guy Ritchie played it too safe with the story, and he didn't try enough new things to make a difference. I also want to point out how torn I am about the redesign of the Cave of Wonders. On one hand, it legitimately looks like an actual cave just sprawling with treasure. However, on the other hand, it's almost impossible not to compare its overall look to that of Erebor from The Hobbit trilogy by Peter Jackson. 

       Now, I know what everyone wants me to discuss. How does Will Smith's version of the Genie compare to the original version of the Genie, who was portrayed brilliantly by the iconic Robin Williams. Now, there really is no comparison here. Robin Williams performance as the Genie is so beloved, so hilarious, and so legendary that it will always be the superior version of the Genie. However, Will Smith gives a very different take on the character that feels, dare I say it, more human. He doesn't try to go more "larger than life," now does he try to imitate what Robin did before. Will's version of the Genie is a very different character that can easily stand on his own without comparisons to the original version that Robin portrayed. 

        Overall, Aladdin is an example of being good, but not great. As far as Disney live-action remakes go, it's definitely one of the more unique ones I've watched as far as visual flair. However, I think that the story didn't take enough risks. I did enjoy the songs, with new songs by The Greatest Showman songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul definitely fitting in with the originals by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Tim Rice. So, it's tough because I love the original animated movie so much, but I'm giving the 2019 version of Aladdin a rating of 4/5. 

       So, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll be continuing Will Smith Month next Tuesday with my review of Bad Boys for Life.