Captain Broshi Reviews
Aladdin (2019)
Grade: 5.7/10
Recommendation: Low-Matinee
Director: Guy Ritchie
Distributed by: Walt Disney Studios
Cast: Will Smith, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Marwen Kenzan, Navid Negahban, Nasim Pedrad
Writers: John August, Guy Ritchie
D.P.: Alan Stewart
Plot Synopsis: Lowly street rat Aladdin meets and falls in love with Princess Jasmine. Aladdin agrees to enter the Cave of Wonders to retrieve a simple oil lamp for the shady Royal Advisor, Jafar, in exchange for enough riches to win the princess’ hand in marriage. Aladdin becomes trapped within, but not alone. He and his pet monkey, Abu, find a magic carpet before finding the lamp. Upon rubbing the lamp, Aladdin becomes master to the all powerful, yet down to earth Genie. Armed with three wishes and diehard friends, Aladdin sets out to save Agrabah, defeat Jafar, and hopefully, prove himself worthy of Princess Jasmine.
The Review
The Walt Disney company has been at the heart of many pleasant memories of children, beginning all the way back in the late 1920's when a certain cartoon mouse steam-boated his way onto the animation scene. Over their nigh-century long reign, Walt Disney animation has inspired countless children to dream bigger and never stop believing in magic, and its worldwide impact is undeniable.
The quality of their work has in no way decreased over the years, constantly surpassing their own standards in order to insure their superiority. However, another trend has popped up on Disney’s radar: live action remakes of their animated classics.
The studio attempted to kick this trend off back in the 90's with a couple remakes of their titles "The Jungle Book", and "101 Dalmatians" with limited success. That all changed in 2010, when director Tim Burton helmed a semi-sequel/reboot of Disney’s "Alice in Wonderland", which proved immensely profitable, grossing over 1 billion dollars.
If there is one thing Disney enjoys making more than nostalgic memories, it is making tons of money capitalizing on that same nostalgia. This tactic can result in one of two different outcomes. The most hopeful scenario being that the live-action films adds even more story or characterization to the established lore. Unfortunately, oftentimes the result is an unsavory, soulless rehash of a story better told in the original format.
This brings us to today’s topic of review, 2019's remake of "Aladdin". During most of my reviews, I tend to disregard any original material and judge if a film can stand on its on merits. Despite my usual approach, in the case of "Aladdin", several direct comparisons shall be made, simply because the film hits all the same marks as the 1992 original, repeatedly reminding the audience of the company’s previous triumphant feature.
Can this obvious cash-grab retain any of the magic that made the first interpretation such an uncanny success? Hop on a carpet and fly to another (version of) Arabian Nights.
"Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels", "Snatch", and the Robert Downey Jr. led "Sherlock Holmes" duology are each fine examples of gritty, action-oriented crime thrillers. However, it is unclear as to why Disney felt the director, Guy Ritchie, was the one to captain this children’s musical film.
Not to say that Ritchie is off his game directing the huge set-pieces or choreographing the parkour action through the tight streets of Agrabah. Overall, it is just an unusual choice on such a project. A project that depends on characters and their motivations to carry the plot along, instead of the aforementioned, overly-edited action scenes.
Ritchie has an obvious flare for style, whether it’s his quick-witted dialogue or his shocking depiction of criminals. However, he all too often seems to sacrifice substance in order to accomplish said style. "Aladdin" does not stray too far from this proven formula, as key moments from the animated original are changed for no apparent reason or omitted entirely, sometimes robbing the viewer of knowing why characters are driven to do what they are doing.
It is as if the filmmakers assume the audiences have already seen this story elsewhere, so they should already know what’s going on. That’s where "Aladdin"(2019) fails when compared to it’s hand-drawn counterpart. Though 40 minutes shorter, the 1992 version manages to explain everything essential to the story, while the later reincarnation adds superfluous filler in order to appease the large cast.
Speaking of the ensemble cast, the collective performance is a sturdy one, but may also suffer from being mis-cast, as Ritchie is mis-cast as the director.
While each actor has an intimidating pair of shoes to step into, fulfilling the fans’ cries for accurate representation of their favorite character, none faces a larger challenge than Will Smith, replacing the late Robin Williams in the role of the Genie.
Williams’ portrayal of the pop-culture-reference-spewing magical being is so iconic, that it almost single-handedly changed the way voice actors were hired for big studio animation. Before this, voice work usually went to voice actors, but a post-Genie Hollywood became aware of the monetary potential in hiring huge A-list celebrities for their cartoons. The reason it worked so well is due to Williams being allowed to improvise. The filmmakers let Robin Williams be Robin Williams.
While undeniably funny, Smith is punching above his weight when attempting the same method of quipping like Williams. Will Smith’s turn at bat is not without its own charms, bringing his usual coolness and comedic talents to the table. Like Ritchie though, Smith’s abilities are mostly squandered here, as the lackluster script doesn’t allow for him to fully embrace his own brand of humor.
The remainder of the cast all turn in decent performances, especially the leads, Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott as Aladdin and Jasmine, who both stand out and are no doubt up and coming stars, notably Scott.
That being said, the main antagonist of the movie, Marwen Kenzan’s Jafar offers a mere echo of the villainy his animated equivalent offered. Instead of clever or intimidating, this evil schemer is more of a whiny, pompous jackass who pouts like a child when things do not go his way.
Another character who loses some flavor during the transference to live-action is the kind-hearted Sultan. In neither occasion has the character been one of depth, but at least the animated Sultan provides comic relief, whereas his counterpart is best described as forgettable.
While all the actors are serviceable in their roles, the new script is the biggest weakness of "Aladdin". When it is recycling lines and the songs from the 1992 script, it is still sufficiently entertaining, but anything that Ritchie or co-writer John August adds is completely unnecessary to tell a compelling story.
For example, due to the star power of Will Smith, the Genie is given a love interest in the shape of Jasmine’s servant. Why else would the filmmakers put a secondary romantic subplot in a script known for having one of the best love stories in recent memory with the two leads? Mainly because the filmgoers expect Will Smith to fall in love.
In other words, "Aladdin" plays it too safe by remaking all the classic scenes, but adding nothing of value to the material. When it does try to append some originality, it comes up short and overall underwhelming and disappointing. Undoubtedly, children will love this adaptation just for the exciting visuals and action, but all substance that made the original a time-tested classic for their parents is lost in translation.
In short, "Aladdin" (2019) has all of the same brains of "Aladdin" (1992), but none of the heart that guarantees the same longevity. If a genie does exist and can grant any wish, then the mouse house should have considered theirs a bit more. Such wishes could have been used on better writers and a more suitable cast and crew that could breath new life in an old story.
Unfortunately, Disney is more concerned about the total gross-revenue, marketing tie-ins, and toy sales with this one, in which case, all wishes shall come true. Too bad they were only awarded three.
