Aladdin: The Same Old World

I've been hearing a lot of ruckus about Disney's new live-action remake of Aladdin. It feels like most people are disappointed that the Genie isn't up to their childhood ideal of Robin Williams. Let's be real: Will Smith is not Robin Williams. Go into this movie with that firmly established in your mind and you'll discover a perfectly fine movie that provides sufficient entertainment and pretty things to look at for two hours.

As someone who didn't bother to watch any trailers or pay any attention to this movie before it came out, I was startled during the opening credits to discover that it was directed by Guy Ritchie. He is NOT my first guess when I think of a Disney director. However, this movie is doing well enough at the box office that he probably could make this is a plausible career pivot for his future films. There were moments during the first big musical number when I certainly felt like the direction had gone a bit off the rails - I could swear the actors were sped up and moving entirely too strangely as they ran through the bazaar - but the action sequences were choreographed with verve and kept the energy up as the movie kicked off. And as the actors took command of the proceedings, things went ahead smoothly.

The movie hews pretty faithfully to the plot of the original movie so I won't go into any details. Like with all the recent Disney remakes, there have been attempts to give the princess more of a feminist slant rather than letting her wallow as a damsel in distress. Naomi Scott is lovely as Princess Jasmine, and I'm sure she'll inspire millions of little girls just as the original film inspired me to be Jasmine during my very first Halloween in the United States. We also get a brand new female character, Dalia, played by the wonderful Nasim Pedrad, who offers up more comic relief as Jasmine's handmaiden and allows this movie to pass the Bechdel test. There's plenty of eye-rolling about the notion of Jasmine needing to be married off, and she harbors ambitions of being the Sultan in her own right. She also gets her own original song in this movie, which, to be frank, is not catchy, but oh well, they're trying. She gets to be sarcastic and vulnerable and witty and gorgeous, and seeing how the outfits and hairstyles from the animated film get translated into a live-action film is always a delight. Props to costume designer Michael Wilkinson who certainly had his work cut out for him.

Of note, all of the lead actors (apart from Will Smith of course) have some Indian or Middle Eastern heritage so there's no need to complain about white washing. Mena Massoud plays Aladdin and he successfully captures the character's sly charm. He has a twinkle in his eye and a dimple that will allow you to forgive all manner of transgressions as he lies and worms his way into the palace and the princess's heart. His singing is a bit lackluster in comparison to Naomi Scott, which is particularly evident as they warble A Whole New World, but again, he can charm his way through the entire movie with no objections from me. And Will Smith as the Genie is exactly what you would expect. It's Will Smith covered in blue paint and playing a Genie, very Will Smith-ily. It's a high-octane performance with great special effects and it gets the job done. Marwan Kenzari is a perfectly villainous Jafar, and Navid Negahban slides right into the role of the well-meaning but hapless Sultan. I would also be remiss if I did not mention the brief but memorable role of Prince Anders, a Scandinavian prince who is one of Jasmine's suitors. Played by Billy Magnussen, who was also a prince in Into the Woods, I believe he's officially typecast as buffoonish royalty because he does it so well.

Aladdin clearly had a massive budget and it shows in the gorgeous production design and special effects. It is also quite the cultural hodgepodge - the story is meant to be about Arabs, but there is definitely a Bollywood vibe to this film, particularly when it comes to Jasmine's outfits and the song-and-dance routines. Also, the two leads have American accents while everyone else gets to do whatever accent they feel like doing.  If you are a stickler for cultural accuracy, this movie will give you a migraine, so be forewarned. But if you want some mindless fun, this is the movie for you. Is the movie necessary? No. But is it entertaining and caters to your nostalgia for the 1992 film? Yup.