Watching Disney’s live action remake of ‘Aladdin’ is sort of like taking in the performance of a great tribute band. You have one heck of a great time…..but oh, there ain’t nuthin’ like the original.
Such is the task of trying to add a fresh coat of gloss to a gem that still shines. There’s really nothing wrong with ‘Aladdin’; it’s energetic, it’s funny and it bursts with bright, candy colors. But it also suffers a wee bit by comparison….and really, how could it NOT?
However, as the narrator of the film states, “it’s not what is outside but what is inside that counts” – and inside, this movie does indeed have a great, noble heart. Oh, AND Will Smith at his near best.
Coming off the pretty darn successful live action treatments of ‘Cinderella’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (and weeks away from ‘The Lion King’), the bar is set rather high for ‘Aladdin’, and by most accounts, it clears it. Relatively faithful to the 1992 animated classic, the tale centers on the adventures of the titular ‘street rat’ (Mena Massoud) and his monkey pal Abu. With a dangerous crush on Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott), he crosses paths with the evil Jafar (Marwan Kenzari), and ultimately acquires the services of the Genie of the Lamp (Will Smith), who grants him the traditional three wishes. The flying carpet? Yep, it’s here….and admitting that it’s one of the best characters of the flick is not only truthful – it’s also a wee bit sad.
That’s not to take anything away from Will Smith, for HE’S amazing. And quite honestly, that was my biggest trepidation heading into ‘Aladdin’. Not that Smith doesn’t have a great batting average no matter what is dropped in his lap….comedy, drama, etc…..but he’d be adopting a role made famous by the late, great Robin Williams. Does he exceed the efforts of his predecessor? Of course not. But he rocks it, proving that where there’s a Will…..there’s indeed a way.
Highlights? The singing and dancing explosion of ‘You Never Had a Friend Like Me’ is a jaw dropper. And ‘A Whole New World’ is indeed pretty sweet, even if only because of the sentimental nostalgia involved. Lowlights? Jafar. Kenzari comes across as more of a Bond villain than a Disney antagonist. But then, maybe I’m nitpicking.
Given how much love the Magic Kingdom faithful have for this story……I can’t be the only one.