A-lad-in a Cave Finds a Lamp
Aladdin film review
The first bars of Will Smith’s rendition of Arabian Nights sounds as monotone as the next train announcement.
I was worried. If this is how they choose to open the film I’m gonna need three wishes to get through it. Thankfully, the film picks up after that. Especially, once the genie pops out.
The slithery Jafar is desperate to get inside the Cave of Wonders to rub one out. Unfortunately, he needs a diamond in the rough to do it. Enter Aladdin, played by Mena Massoud.
The Egyptian born actor bears an uncanny resemblance to his animated counterpart, but that wasn’t enough. Disney wanted an actor of Middle-Eastern descent in his 20s who could sing! In many ways, casting Aladdin was like finding a diamond in the rough.
Jasmine wasn’t that difficult. Naomi Scott can sing and her new song, created for the remake, will leave you Speechless…
But the real star is, you guessed it, Will Smith. Considering how poorly Men in Black: International is doing right now, I bet they wish they could've gotten their genie back for a cameo.
Just like in the animation, the Genie steals the show. When Smith opts for a watered down Robin William’s impersonation, it doesn’t quite work; but when he’s just being himself, he’s magic.
He hits it off with Aladdin and the pair feel like real bros. More than in the animation, you can actually see these guys as friends and you ain’t never had a friend like Smith.
Just like a real friend, Genie is trying his best to get his friend laid. Smith goes back to Hitch mode as he doubles as a wingman for his master, masquerading him as a prince to impress Jasmine.
The would-be couple go on a magic carpet ride and everything seems fine until she suspects Prince Ali isn’t who he claims to be. All because she can’t find Ababwa on the map. Sister, you can’t find Agrabah too!
The weakest member of the cast, in more ways than one, is Marwan Kenzari as Jafar. He’s just not evil enough and his parrot has better line delivery.
The special effects used to bring Aladdin’s pet monkey, Abu, Jasmine’s tiger, Rajah, and a flying carpet to life are spot on. The Genie got some retweaking after his hideous trailer debut. Remember that?
It looks better in the film, but not quite perfect. That’s kinda how I feel about the whole film in general. It’s not quite perfect, but what we get is still pretty good.
The music, for example, hits all the right notes. It’s by far the best thing about this production. There are times when Smith’s performance is a little off, but the songs are so good he gets away with it.
My partner and I loved it so much we picked up the soundtrack soon after. It introduced me to A Whole New World by ZAYN and Zhavia Ward…
Such a great cover. I could cover some more of the film, but you’ve probably already seen it by now. If not, I implore you to give it a go.
It’s not as bad as everyone thinks. I was expecting worse and came out of the cinema pleasantly surprised. A thoroughly entertaining 2 hours for the whole family. More than I had wished for.
4 out of 5 magic carpet rides
Thanks for reading. For another film review…
