David Pierdomenico
As Disney is well underway with their live-action remakes, the classic tale of the street rat who becomes a prince is the latest to get “the treatment”. Aladdin succeeds as creating a fun and energetic world, but it doesn’t really do enough different to justify its own existence as a remake.
Getting the Tone Right
One of the best things Disney did was hiring Guy Ritchie as director, followed by casting Will Smith as the genie. Ritchie himself was very excited at the prospect of directing, even saying, “My stories are really about street hustlers. That’s what I know how to do. And Aladdin is a classic street hustler who makes good.” His fast-paced, energetic style of directing that we saw in Snatch and 2009’s Sherlock Holmes fits perfectly here, especially in the opening chase scene.
Right from the start, Aladdin takes us deep into the vibrant and exciting world of Agrabah. One of the major criticisms of 2017’s Beauty and the Beast (other than the rampant use of autotune) was how stale the French village felt. Everyone just sort of stood around awkwardly and didn’t move around very much. Agrabah is the exact opposite, as we watch Aladdin dash between alleyways and leap from one rooftop to the next.
Also unlike Beauty and the Beast, everyone can actually sing! Will Smith flexes his musical talents once again and portrays a version of the genie that’s just as fun to watch, but different enough from Robin Williams to make it his own. Williams’ specialty was in over-the-top delivery with an immense amount of energy and fun, while Smith brings his own style of charisma to the role. At certain points, he even evokes his character from Hitch, as the genie tries to help Aladdin with impressing Princess Jasmine
Aladdin seems well cast, and has plenty of heart. In fact, a good detail worth noting is that (aside from Will Smith’s genie) all the lead roles are accurately portrayed by actors of Middle-Eastern/South Asian descent. In keeping with modern trends, we get a lot more development from Jasmine, who’s much more bold and strong than she was in the original. The remake remedies something the original overlooked in that it gives Jasmine more to do. She’s clearly the best choice to succeed her father as sultan, due to the fact that she’s been at his side watching him rule. Years of this has given her a good idea of what it means to serve her people.
At first, Jafar may seem a little underwhelming as a villain, especially compared to just how menacing he was in the original. In this version, he’s not very intimidating, rather he seems more like a conniving and sneaky weasel. But that sort of makes more sense given what he plans to do. Perhaps coming across as too menacing would give away his nefarious intentions right away.
Works as a Film, But Fails as a Remake
Aladdin boasts good songs, exciting visuals, and an overall entertaining story, but it still feels like it’s missing something. When comparing it to the original animated classic, it doesn’t really do anything new or different enough to justify its own existence.
Previous live-action remakes like Maleficent, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and Dumbo all worked brilliantly because they took basic elements of their original classics, but took them in brand new directions to tell a new story. Unfortunately, Aladdin follows in the footsteps of Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast, in that (aside from a few minor changes) it just feels like a shot-for-shot retelling of the original, but with live actors.
It’s by no means a bad film. Most will find it fun and entertaining, but it’s understandable if diehard fans of the original are disappointed due to it just trying to mimic that original, but not offering anything new or unique. Overall, it’s an entirely passable blockbuster, and it won’t be nearly as divisive as the upcoming Lion King remake, but only time will tell.
