Disney has been on a mission lately to remake almost every animated film they’ve ever created in live-action form. It’s been a bit of a mixed bag so far as we’ve had some lows (Bill Condon’s Beauty and the Beast and Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland films), some highs (Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella and Mark Webb’s Christopher Robin) and one genuinely great entry (Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book). Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin sits firmly in the middle of the pack; a serviceable remake with some great musical performances and timely additions to the narrative that work for the most part, but one that fails to recapture the magic of the original animated classic – overusing CGI spectacle instead of meaningful character moments at times.
If you’re unfamiliar with the story (which is unlikely) it revolves around Aladdin (Mena Massoud), a young man living on the impoverished streets of the Arabian city of Agrabah who resorts to thievery in order to survive. His life changes forever once he meets the Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott) and falls head over heels in love. Yet the evil Jafar (Marwan Kenzari), adviser to the Sultan (Navid Negahban), has other plans for Aladdin which involve him retrieving a lamp that holds an ancient Genie (Will Smith) – bound to grant his master any three wishes. With the Genie’s help, Aladdin attempts to win over Jasmine’s affection whilst Jafar plots his revenge and retrieval of the lamp. The core plot of Aladdin remains unchanged from the 1992 original, with a few additional songs and scenes thrown in to appeal to a more modern audience. These tend to revolve around the Princess Jasmine’s inability to rule Agrabah after her father’s reign is over, as according to law she must marry a prince who will rule with her by his side. Enter Billy Magnussen as Prince Anders, one of Princess Jasmine’s suitors, who steals every scene he’s in with some great comedic timing and a truly awful accent. It’s easily the best of the new story added which makes it somewhat frustrating that there’s so little of it. The film seems more focused on faithfully recreating the original with a sprinkle of something new here and there that it never really embraces the new content, even when it’s done so well.
This leads to another disappointing aspect of the film: its direction. Few can argue that nabbing Guy Ritchie (director of Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) was an inspired choice out of left-field. Known for directing more hardcore action films, hiring him to direct a family musical was certainly out of the ordinary. Ritchie had been increasingly dipping his toe into films with a wider audience (his Sherlock Holmes films were a smash at the box office) and this marks his biggest and most widespread film to date. It’s a real shame that Ritchie’s style here simply doesn’t really translate. Gone are the inventive camera movements and gritty shooting styles of his earlier films, replaced by a big studio sheen and over-reliance on CGI. Whilst one can argue that this was hardly a film that called for a gritty style, Agrabah as a city just seems fake and I never bought that it was a lived-in place riddled with poverty – despite what the narrative wants you to believe. There are a few scenes where Ritchie gets a chance to show off – most notably Aladdin’s adventure in the Cave of Wonders to secure the lamp – with some dynamic camera angles and fast paced action making it a highlight of the film. Whilst Ritchie’s style from his earlier work doesn’t particularly come across, he shows a remarkable affinity for directing the musical portions of the film.
Music plays a huge role in this interpretation of Aladdin as it did in the original. Huge crowd-pleasing numbers like “A Whole New World” and “Friend Like Me” are terrific and a testament to the magic of Disney and the lasting impact these songs have had on popular culture. Will Smith, himself an established artist, gets to showcase his musical prowess on “Arabian Nights” and “Friend Like Me”, the latter perfectly suited to his natural charisma and charm as he belts out the huge anthem. This particular song makes full use of the expansive budget given to the film, with CGI filling the screen as the Genie shows off his magic. Ritchie directs the hell out of this scene as it cuts between the Genie’s over-the-top exclamations and Aladdin’s bewildered face to brilliant comedic effect. Massoud and Scott’s performance of “A Whole New World” is also a bright point of the film, as we follow them over various exotic locations on the magic carpet. It’s one of the few moments that we really gain an understanding of the connection between Aladdin and Jasmine and it tells the story of their love better than anything had previously in the film.
Massoud and Smith are the standouts here, both bringing bucketloads of charisma to their roles. It’s not exactly a surprise from Smith, who lights up the screen in just about every role, but it shouldn’t be overlookd. His rendition of “Friend Like Me”, as I mentioned, is a highlight of the film for sure – but Smith also shows some restraint here and doesn’t let his star power overshadow the rest of the film, often taking a backseat to Aladdin’s exploits. As someone who was worried this might become “The Will Smith Show” I was glad that he wasn’t the focal point and it was definitely a case of less is more, as each scene with Smith had the crowd in riots as he flexed his comedic muscles. Mena Massoud is a revelation here, clearly relishing the opportunity to play this role as he imbues the character with a charm and depth that rivals the original. He also brings some serious vocal chops to the table – the way he belts out his solo tune “One Jump Ahead” will have you believing he moonlights as a professional singer when he’s not acting. Naomi Scott, while competent in the role of Jasmine, doesn’t really have a whole lot to do in the film and is, in a way, just along for the ride with Aladdin. It’s a shame given the talents of Scott, but she does make up for the lack of screentime by having a lasting impact with her singing scenes, particularly “A Whole New World” and new song “Speechless”. Marwan Kenzari rounds out the core cast as Jafar and he was definitely the weakest point of the film, opting for over-the-top theatrics and yelling instead of genuinely sinister dialogue. Jafar never seemed like a real threat in the scheme of things, every time he presented a new challenge for Aladdin it was overcome so swiftly and easily that you wonder why he doesn’t just kill him to stop all the annoyances he causes. There’s simply not enough thought given to why Jafar actually wants this power, and the reason he gives in the film is flimsy at best.
Overall Aladdin is a well made, if underwhelming entry into the Disney live-action remake catalogue – meeting the brief in bringing the story of the street thief turned prince to a new audience. The musical performances and work of Mena Massoud and Will smith make up for the weak performance of Marwan Kenzari and the lack of flair in direction and narrative. For those looking for a complete reimagining of the Aladdin tale this is not that, but for those wishing to see the characters and songs of their youth brought to the big screen in a new style, with some new content thrown in for good measure, this is a solid choice and a fun trip to the movies.
Aladdin starts Mena Massoud, Will Smith, Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari, Nasim Pedrad, Navid Negahban and Billy Magnussen and is in cinemas now.