Reviews

Aladdin Remake is serviceable, but wont grant all your wishes.

Reporter Ethan Miller

Going into the Aladdin Remake, I had my expectations as low as they could possibly be. Every single other Disney live action remake disappointed me, so I thought I knew what to expect. It turns out I was both super right and super wrong.

The main premise of the remake is almost beat for beat the original Aladdin. There are a few differences throughout, but the core of the movie is still the same. Up until the final act of the movie, I knew pretty much what to expect. That isn’t a point against the movie, but when there were moments that deviated from the original movie, it was mostly for the worse.

One of the major differences is that the movie is longer, by thirty minutes at that, and it really feels like it. The final act of the movie really drags on and it really doesn’t hold the weight of the original. There is so much different about the movie in the last act that feels like a major downgrade compared to the original. Jafar’s rendition of Prince Ali is even cut, which was quite the disappointment for me.

Some of the pacing feels a bit off, too, with the addition of extra B plots. There’s a whole arc with the Genie and him falling in love with once of Princess Jasmine’s handmaidens and it feels really creepy and off. It come so far out of left field that I wasn’t really invested. There’s quite a few side plots like that, none of them not really being all too interesting or engaging.

The visuals are all pretty bland too. There isn’t a lot that can be done in live action, and while it is quite a bit brighter and colourful compared to previous live action Disney remakes, it still isn’t as bombastic and spectacular as the original, which was something I expected. Some of the CGI is really spotty as well. Especially when the Genie is in his wispy Genie form, he looks really weird and out of place. It’s not too much of a big deal, as the Genie spends most of the movie in his human form, but it’s still a disappointing. Disney can no doubt afford good CGI so it’s even more disheartening to see Genie look so bad at moments.

Honestly the best part of the film was Will Smith’s Genie. Robin Williams can never be replaced, so I was quite unsure going into the movie how Will Smith would go about playing the Genie, but I was pleasantly surprised in ways I wasn’t really expecting. Will Smith brings so much charm to the table that it’s hard not to be invested when he’s on screen. He gives his own flair and vibe to the character that makes certain parts of the movie really stand out. His renditions of the Genie’s songs are all so different compared to Robin Williams and it really feels like he’s paying tribute to both the character and the late actor. My favourite musical number in the movie was Prince Ali with how fun it was and the amount of charm Will Smith had. He absolutely killed it and I wasn’t expecting that at all.

Who didn't kill it, however, was Jafar. He became a bland and normal guy. He wasn’t at all intimidating and he was really disappointing compared to the original’s. He became even more boring when, in the final act, his role became absolutely obsolete, as Iago becomes the final confrontation.

All in all, the Aladdin remake was both a pleasant surprise and an expected disappointment. Will Smith absolutely steals the show, there’s no doubt about that, but there are so many weird pacing and unnecessary fluff that makes the movie feel way too long. It’s certainly better than the other remakes, but it still doesn't even hold a slightly lit candle to the original.