Aladdin

The new live-action version of Disney’s Aladdin is over two hours long, and so I couldn’t figure out why the first few scenes moved so quickly and seemed truncated. We see Jafar feed some poor sap to the tiger-headed Cave of Wonders before the opening credits are even finished, and other initial scenes seem similarly clipped. It took me a bit to figure out what the rush is.

The film follows the structure of the original 1992 animated film closely, and so we meet Aladdin, the poor, thieving street rat, along with Jasmine, the beautiful and good-hearted princess of Agrabah, and Jafar, the villainous adviser to the sultan, all in short order. But then, along comes the reason for all the rush at the beginning. Once Aladdin becomes trapped in the Cave of Wonders with a certain magic lamp, that’s when the movie really begins. Guy Ritchie, who directed and co-wrote the script, clearly understands the centrality of the Genie in this story. Originally, of course, the part was voiced by Robin Williams, the titan of improv and the man whose performance took the 1992 version from being a very nice movie and fashioned it into an instant classic. This time around, the role is played by a blue, digitized version of Will Smith who manages to both acknowledge Williams’ inimitable take on the part and still create his own enjoyable, distinct spin on it. It is Smith’s sheer star power that carries the film and makes it into something more enjoyable than just a slavish money grab for adult Gen X nostalgia dollars.

The other leads do a serviceable job in their parts. Relative newcomer Mena Massoud plays the title role with the requisite amount of charm and non-threatening handsomeness, while British actress Naomi Scott is appropriately feisty and independent as Princess Jasmine. The two have nice chemistry but there’s nothing particularly groundbreaking about either of them. Marwan Kenzari as Jafar is the only main role who goes in a noticeably different direction than the animated version. Instead of a cackling, old school, take-over-the-world Bond villain type, he plays Jafar as utterly cold and damaged, driven by his own impoverished upbringing. It’s an interesting choice as it at least had me guessing which direction he was going to go next with a line delivery.

Guy Ritchie was always a curious choice as director for a big budget song-and-dance Disney remake. Originally making his bones with violent and profane crime thrillers like Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, he transitioned into more mainstream fare with the Robert Downey Jr.-led Sherlock Holmes films. But even with that popular success, it doesn’t seem that a musical in a natural choice for Ritchie. His camera-work, while frenetic at times, isn’t always confident. There’s almost a feeling of him saying, “Is this right? Does this seem right?” during certain sequences. His approach to the film isn’t bad per se, but he seems to lack the nerve and facility necessary to make something as unnatural as a giant musical number seem normal.

The production designers spared no expense, and large practical sets were built along with extensive CGI work. While everything looks great, it all has the artificial feeling of a ride at Disneyland. Watching the film feels a little like you’ve just passed through Frontierland and Tomorrowland into Middle-East Land.

Retooled versions of the original songs are intact along with a new number co-written by Alan Menken and the lyricists Pasek and Paul, songwriters of Dear Evan Hansen, La La Land, and The Greatest Showman. Princess Jasmine’s new breakout song, “Speechless,” is much more contemporary and anthemic than the rest of the film’s music, but it goes with Naomi Scott’s performance and the film’s new feminist touch.

This version of Aladdin doesn’t bring much that’s new. But it does respect and interpret the original material with some wit and verve.