ALADDIN - A Movie Review

[Jorge21]

I believe that, like me, fans of the original will have a good time seeing it, but keep in mind this isn’t as good as that one and how could it be? So, keep an open mind and enjoy the magic of it!

You can read my review and see posters/images of the show at: https://themusicalchronicles.blogspot.com/2019/05/aladdin-movie-review.html

[Someone in a Tree2]

Well what a gloomy 2 1/2 hours that was! Somehow someone thought it would be a great idea to take that splashy Vegas-y toe-tapping laugh-a-minute vaudevillian entertainment and turn it into a talky humorless Bollywood soap opera. I knew going in that they'd jettison the numbers written for Bway (no great loss), but did they have to also reduce the 5 original songs to snippets of their former selves? Basically you had a lame  2 hour dialogue-heavy dramatic story, relieved by a scant half hour of throwaway song and dance, performed mostly by Will Smith who can neither sing nor dance. When the only times the audience laughs are at Abu the Monkey's antics, you know you're in trouble. 

Also can we just point out that the show takes place in a mythical Arabia, not India! Hell, it's even right there in the title of the 1st song. I wish someone had passed that note on to the production designer, costume designer and choreographer when they were planning the look of the picture. 

I never thought I'd say this, but here's a movie that makes the Bway show seem like a real work of art!

[Jordan Catalano]

Disney better pray “Lion King” is received better than “Aladdin” and “Dumbo” were. I’m hoping the reviews for these unnecessary remakes will get Disney to go back to actual animation.

[yankeefan7]

"I’m hoping the reviews for these unnecessary remakes will get Disney to go back to actual animation."

Exactly !!! Go back and do the things that made Disney famous !!

[curel1]

What are you guys talking about? The audience reaction has been great, it overperformed this weekend

I personally really liked it!

[rg7759]

theyre talking about how much potential this movie had to be even better with a competent director. like rent live-while very good it was almost a feeling of being devastated having to settle for what we got instead of live. whats done is done, and hopefully even tho they should have learned after star wars, they will finally learn that picking the right director is f%$&ing important!

[StageJunkie2]

A 3-day opening global box office of $207 million ain’t hay. Yet another example of critics savaging a film while audiences flock to it.  It was hardly War and Peace, but I enjoyed it for what it was. 

[getupngo]

Jordan Catalano said: "Disney better pray “Lion King” is received better than “Aladdin” and “Dumbo” were. I’m hoping the reviews for these unnecessary remakes will get Disney to go back to actual animation."

as long as the finish the live action little mermaid first pls :) (with zendaya preferably)

[Jordan Catalano]

Box office gross does not equal quality. Why is this confusing to people?

[LuPita2]

It was awful, strange looking and completely unnecessary.  The original was perfect, no need for this.  

[Skip23]

Jordan Catalano said: "Box office gross does not equal quality. Why is this confusing to people?"

 

What is this quality called “quality”?   Who determines this?  And who is “right”?

 

[Jordan Catalano]

Well, when the question is “how was the movie” and the answer is “it’s great, look how much money it made”, well...

But I have a feeling you know exactly what I meant but since this is the internet, you’re bored and in the mood to be contrary with a stranger.

[George in DC]

It's interesting to read what people have to say about this film. I won't see it. I love the original but more importantly, Will Smith is in this movie. After he refused to do a Male/Male kiss in the film "Six Degrees.." which is important to the plot. I have refused to see anything this homophobic actor does. I have seen clips of the number Prince Ali and he is DREADFUL!

[LuPita2]

Ignorant stance. He has talked a lot about that, regrets being immature and grew from that experience.  That's the most important thing we can do as people. Pretty sure his careered survived your dumb boycott.

[South Fl Marc]

^ You’re funny. 

 

[rosscoe(au)]

It really was two hours of nothing , it lacked Magic , Wonder , Will Smith should never be allowed to sing again. I’m getting bored with Disney. Nearly as bad as the stage show. 

[Gorlois]

This is the first Disney remake that has appealed to me based on its trailers. Today’s my birthday but tomorrow’s discount day at the movie theatre so I think I’ll go see it then.

[AEA AGMA SM]

StageJunkie2 said: "A 3-day opening global box officeof $207 million ain’t hay. Yet another example of critics savaging a film while audiences flock to it. It was hardly War and Peace, but I enjoyed it for what it was."

But the question will be can it sustain that kind of momentum? The few reviews I've read were not kind and word of mouth from my social circle has been very mixed with a pretty even spread from awful to "go see it at a discount matinee" to loved it. 

It seems like Disney was really concerned since they didn't lift the review embargo until something like three days before the release date. Personally, that clip they released of "Prince Ali" dampened what little enthusiasm I had for seeing it. I may still go next week to the cheap matinee if I'm bored, but I'm in no rush at all.

[NOWaWarning]

I thought Naomi Scott was the saving grace of the film. Unfortunately she was saddled with that insufferable Pasek and Paul song. She deserved better.

[Scarlet Leigh]

Aladdin was my favorite Disney animated movie as a child. Jasmine is my all time favorite Disney Princess. If there is anyone that should hate this movie, it's me. But I didn't. I loved it. It is by FAR the best of the live action fairy tales that Disney has made. Was it a necessary movie? Not at all! But as long as Disney keeps making money off these things, we are gonna have to sit though every one of their classic getting this treatment so might as well learn to accept it and look past that and attempt to judge it as something separate from it's original which these movies will NEVER be better than.

That said... this was colorful, it was fun, it had action, it had fantastic chemistry between the leads, while one of the voices was not the best (Mena as Aladdin) it was not ear-bleeding unforgivable (Like Watson in BatB), they did add to it but it was only little thing and nothing truly ridiculous like magical plot device books (looking at you again BatB) while staying loyal enough to the original to not crap all over it's memory. And Will Smith as the Genie did not at all step on the toes of Robin Williams. It was a different interpretation of the character. He made the character very human and gave him a lot of heart.

The critics killed it but it has a 93% Audience approval on RT and an 'A' Cinemascore. The audiences clearly did not agree with the critics and I am with them on this. This is the Greatest Showman of Disney live action fairy tales. No love from the critics but the fans are there to make up the difference with all the love.

[DramaTeach]

Didn't hate this, but didn't love it either.  Naomi Scott and Mena Massoud were very good.  Will Smith and the guy who played Jafar were not.  Will Smith was trying very hard, gotta give it to him, but there will just never be anyone who can compare to Robin Williams.  It's a thankless job to take.  His best moments were not the big ones but the ones where we saw some genuine emotion.

The music was also a mixed bag.  Alan Menken writes the most gorgeous melodies, but some of them got lost in the pop orchestrations, especially "One Jump."  It didn't sound like the same song.  Pasek and Paul's song was a good one; it just didn't fit with the other music.  

[LYLS3637]

I was incredibly bored. It takes some real "talent" to turn one of Disney's highest-energy outings into a complete snooze. Naomi Scott was the saving grace. She was wonderful to watch and the updates to the character of Jasmine worked well for me. Will Smith look genuinely uncomfortable during the musical numbers. I think I'd rather watch DUMBO again.

Oh and WHAT happened to the character of Jafar? No humor, no camp, no charisma-- just 2 hours of bug-eyed, one-note villainy. That better not happen with Ursula...

[ccbway]

NOWaWarning said: "I thought Naomi Scott was the saving grace of the film. Unfortunately she was saddled with that insufferable Pasek and Paul song. She deserved better."

I keep seeing these statements about Pasek & Paul and it just goes to show that people's biases bleed through regardless. So many people keep complaining about how the doesn't fit into the movie etc. - without acknowledging that song (music) was written by Alan Menken himself and that Pasek & Paul's contribution were the lyrics.

But of course, the "song" is an insufferable pop song from Pasek & Paul instead of the work of Alan Menken at all. I somehow doubt anyone was analyzing the lyrics to the song before judging it as unsufferable.

[SporkGoddess]

I saw that Menken wrote it and was very surprised, because it sounds like a Pasek and Paul song.

[Mister Matt]

Seeing that it was the only high-profile film opening over a 3-day holiday weekend, it's high grosses aren't really that impressive.