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Aladdin Movie Review: Will Smith, Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott's film proves that old is gold
It's Will Smith's Genie, that is the true heart of the story. Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott's electric chemistry is what solidifies this classic fairytale.
Aladdin
Aladdin Director: Guy Ritchie
Aladdin Cast: Will Smith, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott
Aladdin Movie Stars: 3.5/5
It's preferable to not recreate a classic as iconic as Aladdin, but after walking out of Guy Ritchie's movie as the end credits began rolling, I was proven wrong. Instead of messing with the old, Guy took the best elements of the Disney fairytale and just added a pinch of modern flavours to give us the 2019 version.
Whoever thought of casting Will Smith as Genie, I tip my hat to you. Will breathed life into the beloved character by doing exactly what Robbie Williams had done, going all out and over the top. Taking his Fresh Prince persona quite literally, this martini-drinking, body-building Genie to Will is what Ruffalo is to The Hulk in Avengers: Endgame. It's just seeing Will on-screen as an Avatar character. Just like Williams, Will makes Genie the heart of this Aladdin tale. Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott are the perfect fits to complete the puzzle as Aladdin and Princess Jasmine. The quirkiness of Mena and the feistiness of Naomi are the perfect combination to take us to a whole new world. Their chemistry was set in motion the minute the two rode the magic carpet. Speaking of the magic carpet, we are immediately transported back to our childhood as we see beloved characters like Abu and Iago. Marwan Kenzari makes the most of playing a Disney villain and owns Jafar. What's a hero without a villain to defeat?
We can't talk about Aladdin without the music and A Whole New World deserves a special mention. Naomi's vocal range is unbelievable and classic Broadway while Mena and Will add a modern twist to the classics. At times the musical breaks deviated from the storyline but the choreography in many had this Bollywood fans heart melting. In case, you cringed when you saw Will in Student of the Year 2, Aladdin more than makes up for it.
The storyline is crisp and tactfully mixed with some brilliants lines mostly said by Genie or Jafar. The VFX, especially with Will's Genie is top-notch. A special mention to the elaborate detailing to the costumes, especially Jasmine's.
In the end, I was left satisfied and a little giddy. You enter the theatre knowing what is going to happen, which is happily ever after. However, it's the journey that makes fairytales wonderful and Guy Ritchie's Aladdin is worth it. Whether it be Aladdin escaping the cave of wonders or Aladdin finally setting Genie free, relive your childhood one more time, through the eyes of a whole new world.
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