After huge successes with the Jungle Book (2016), Maleficient (2014), Beauty and the Beast (2016), Disney is going all-in with their live-action adaptations. This year alone, the studio is releasing/has released 3 “live-action” adaptations – Dumbo and Aladdin, and The Lion King (photo-realistic animation but animated nonetheless).
Positives
Going into the movie, many people were skeptical of Will Smith’s casting as the Genie, seeing as the late Robin Wiliams portrayal is still so vivid in moviegoers’ minds. However, I am happy to report that Smith is great as the genie; In fact, he’s the best part of the film. He brings his usual charm and charisma, and a dose of much-needed energy. As for the look of the character, which I generally don’t care about anyways, he looks fine. Of course, some will complain, but you can’t please everybody.
Speaking of the titular character, the newcomer Mena Massoud does a fine job as Aladdin. He captures the awkward yet charming essence of the character well but especially shines during the comedic scenes. The insanely gorgeous and talented Naomi Scott plays Princess Jasmine and arguably gives the best performance in the film. Unlike her animated counterpart, Jasmine wishes to be the ‘Sultan’ and is unwilling to let others tell her what to do. Massoud and Scott both have good chemistry and adorable back-and-forth, especially during the film’s “parkour” sequence in the beginning. However, it’s the palpable chemistry between Massoud and Smith that truly elevates this film from being generic to enjoyable.
As for the songs, most of them are from the original animated flick but there are a couple of new additions. My favorite song from this live-action adaptation is Speechless. Even though its placing is a little questionable, it’s a beautiful female empowerment song that I have listened to so many times already! Fun fact – Naomi Scott actually sang that song herself.
Negatives
Unlike the animated film which had a runtime of around 1:30, this live-action reincarnation has a runtime of over 2 hours. However, the movie could have done without 10-15 minutes because after a while, I really started to “feel” the runtime. In addition, some of the performances are quite mediocre, especially from Marwan Kenzari’s Jafar. Not only is the villainous character unmemorable, Kenzari’s performance often isn’t on the same tempo as the other actors.
Despite a huge budget of $180 million, the CGI is poor throughout the movie. First of all, the city never really feels lived-in. It’s totally clean, devoid of any verisimilitude. In addition, whenever the characters are interacting with each other, with the city in the background, it is quite evident that it was shot in front of a green screen.
My biggest problem, however, is to question the reason for making this film, besides the financial incentive. It’s basically a live-action adaptation of a beloved animated film, with fewer memorable additions. It’s hard to tell whether people that like this incarnation like it because it’s so faithful to the animated movie (nostalgia) or because they genuinely like this film.
Rating
Even though the live-action adaptation of Aladdin is better than I thought it would be, it’s still pretty unnecessary with poor CGI, underdeveloped villain, and a longer-than-needed runtime. However, Will Smith’s performance as the Genie and Mena Massoud’s chemistry with Smith and Scott makes this a semi-enjoyable flick. 3/5.
Naman's Movie reviews 