Benz Eye View: Aladdin (2019)

Aladdin (2019)

Pros: 

1.) The set designs fit pretty well into Agrabah.  Though I wish it was bigger since it looks a small town with a big castle, Agrabah looks like a genuine Middle-Eastern kingdom.  The town looks like a run-down desert city that belong in the first Assassin’s Creed game.  Although, when it takes place on the castle, it looks like a genuine palace.  If there is one thing Disney is good at, it is they have great production designers.

2.) While there are a few pointless additions to the original, a couple of those I actually like personally.  They gave Jafar a slight backstory (even though it is not really that important), and a new character named Dalia is kind of cool and funny (even though she has little to no impact to the overall plot).  I am sure there are people who are going to say that these additions add nothing to an already great film (and I do agree), but I do like a couple of these anyway.  I will go as far as say that they are guilty pleasures, and I will understand if you do not think the same way.

3.) If you are wondering how Will Smith does as Genie, he did pretty well.  While he may not have the same comedic and chaotic delivery as the late Robin Williams, Will Smith delivered his own laid-back and easygoing acting for Genie.  I will give Will props that he acted his own version of Genie instead of copying Robin.  He made his character his own, and it is a good interpretation of Genie…

 

Cons: 

1.) …However, there is one big problem with Genie.  Remember in the special looks trailer that showed off Genie, and he looked…off?

Yeah…that look.

I hate to break to you, but it is like that throughout most of the movie.  There are shots where it looks all right, but blue Will Smith has something wrong with his face.  Many shots look worse than others, because it looks like his face does not match his head.  I am glad that some of the character’s screen time is spent on him looking human, because it is hard to look at Genie.

2.) Going back to some of the pointless additions, some of those additions I question why they are needed.  Say what you want of the couple of insertions that I like, the other ones they included felt like it was meant to extend the movie even though it is unnecessary.  Two big examples are plot points involving Jafar wanting to go to war with another county that is never seen, and Jasmine’s dilemma on being taken seriously with the war effort.  They have no relevance to the story as a whole.

3.) Two of the worst actors in the movie are Mena Massoud and Marwan Kenzari as Aladdin and Jafar respectively.  For Jafar, Marwan did his best to be as intimidating as the animated Jafar, but I do not feel fear nor agitation.  While Marwan was trying, Mena has the driest delivery I have ever seen.  The only nice thing I can say about him is that he may pull off Aladdin’s appearance, but not his charm.  It does not really ruin the movie that much since there are much worse acting, but I will not be surprised if some people say it does.

 

Overall: 

I have to be extra careful when it comes to live-action Disney remakes.  There are some I like (which there are only one or two), a few are decent, but many are not great.  Either way, it comes down to one thing: just watch the original animated films.  This live-action version of Aladdin does not change that perception, but it is a decent shot.  It certainly looks like the animated film in some areas, and it does some new things that the original did not with mixed results.  I am sure the current generation of children (and even some fans of the animated film) will like this movie, but I still recommend the animated film over this live-action movie any day.  This is certainly a world that you already knew, but it is still entertaining nonetheless (with some problems).

6/10