FShuttari
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Post by FShuttari on May 23, 2019 0:15:55 GMT -5
Aladdin (2019) - Review Thread
![](https://i2.wp.com/geekdommovies.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/aladdin-small.jpg?zoom=2.6999998092651367&resize=480%2C445&ssl=1) First and foremost this movie is a absolutely a Guy Ritchie film. Secondly it doesn't hold a candle to the original Aladdin movie, but who are we kidding... It was Never going too. I can hear you smirking reading this Neverending Brace yourself for some over the top Agrabah style action. Will Smith completely sold me as Genie (yes I know the teaser was horrible, with his first appearance but it works in the movie) and the cast is fantastic. I really liked Noami who played Jasmine, she surprisingly was given more than just a 2-D princess character. Mena also did a great job as Aladdin, his banter and conversations with Genie are fun to watch. Jafar played by Grand Vizier, very forgettable, not even close to being as menacing as the original Jafar from 90's. The new addition to the world building rules and how they work are nice updates, but not very necessary. It could have gone just fine with how the magic world of the Genie works but hey it's here for some who care. The biggest differences to the story are laid in the film’s themes, the core messages of being yourself and "with great power, comes great responsibility." Which now includes feminist and anti-authoritarian subtext to Jasmine and Jafar’s story-lines. Whilst these ideas are welcome and don’t damage the overall story, they are handled in a very on-the-nose kind of way. It's not so much you have to tell us these are core new values, it's how you treat the audience, and make them feel like you're talking down to them, which can take them out of the movie. Alright on to the good stuff, the best parts in this movie are the dance numbers. Yes the music is fun, up beat, and truly stylistic! Guy Ritchie seems like he was more concerned with giving us great Musical numbers rather than his typical action. Which honestly I'm fine with cuz it works. In the End. I recommend it, has its own flavor and story telling style. Not as good at the original. But who are we kidding... This movie was never going to be. 8.5/10
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Post by Neverending on May 25, 2019 22:25:29 GMT -5
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on May 26, 2019 0:09:23 GMT -5
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Post by Neverending on May 26, 2019 0:25:01 GMT -5
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FShuttari
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Post by FShuttari on May 26, 2019 1:31:39 GMT -5
That's 3 for 3 for folks!! ![]() ![](https://media.giphy.com/media/ezTWISWAGjZFm/giphy.gif)
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FShuttari
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Post by FShuttari on May 26, 2019 1:45:08 GMT -5
Jasmine - Speechless > Elsa - Let It Go I said it... ![](https://media.giphy.com/media/nC1toglzIfNFC/giphy.gif)
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Post by Pbar on May 26, 2019 10:39:16 GMT -5
Me - It's much, much better than the original.
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on May 26, 2019 10:44:22 GMT -5
Me - It's much, much better than the original. ![](https://media.giphy.com/media/l41lTciZHLlUnJ7xu/giphy.gif)
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Post by Pbar on May 26, 2019 12:12:26 GMT -5
Me - It's much, much better than the original. ![](https://media.giphy.com/media/l41lTciZHLlUnJ7xu/giphy.gif) Original is overrated as all hell. Aladdin isn't a giant B in this one and much more fleshed out here. Also, the emotional moments are more earned in this version.
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Post by Doomsday on May 26, 2019 12:38:16 GMT -5
Original is overrated as all hell. Aladdin isn't a giant B in this one and much more fleshed out here. Also, the emotional moments are more earned in this version. ![](https://media.giphy.com/media/3oEjHW05hqOnZaRQ0o/giphy.gif)
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Post by Neverending on May 26, 2019 15:55:51 GMT -5
Me - It's much, much better than the original. ![](https://i.redd.it/qw7dc2o5g7z21.jpg)
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Post by PhantomKnight on May 26, 2019 16:13:45 GMT -5
We couldn't be on more opposite sides, as the original is my favorite Disney movie ever. Period. And Aladdin in this one honestly felt a bit more bland on his own in this one.
Some fuller thoughts:
I went in fairly skeptical after the horrible marketing campaign, fearing the worst, and you know what? It's...pretty good. It doesn't hold a candle to the original, though, but nor was it ever going to. The original is pure Disney magic, and this one has charm and likability, but I'm not sure about the magic.
So, what works here? Well, credit where credit's due, they took what was already a strong Disney princess -- Jasmine -- and made her even stronger. To the point where Naomi Scott pretty much walks away with the movie in the palm of her hand. She's the real MVP here. Jasmine was always a great character, but the filmmakers this time really turned it up to the nth degree with her. She's more strong, assertive, and just plain awesome here. Also, I'll admit, the relationship between her and Aladdin is a bit more fleshed out. Another thing, naturally is Will Smith as Genie. His performance honors Robin Williams while still making it his own. I'm still not quite sold on his beatbox version of Friend Like Me, but his rendition of Prince Ali (while I hated it when I first heard it before seeing the movie) is just as infectiously toe-tapping as the original and does work when viewed in the context of the film. And his own friendship with this new Aladdin feels just as genuine as the original's.
What doesn't work so well? Despite some efforts to flesh him out, this new Jafar -- as a character -- feels a bit more bland and less menacing than the animated character. He also lacks the presence and swagger. His motivation here is what? He wants to be "top dog" so he can invade a neighboring city to show Agrabah's dominance? Thin, textbook villain motivation. Mena Massoud as Aladdin himself...I can't tell if it's the script or the performance, but he also felt just a little bland in comparison to the original. It's not that I outright disliked him or anything, but there were times where I felt like he was sort of just going through the motions. The original did so much with his character while simultaneously doing so little, letting his characterization speak for itself. As a result, Aladdin in that one felt more strongly defined, and you could buy into him both when he's himself and when he's putting on the Prince Ali facade and getting blinded by that. Even with just a voice performance, the naturalism of Scott Weigner came through more clearly. Again, I'm not saying Mena Massoud was bad, just slightly lacking in that needed twinkle. Speaking of going through motions, that's another feeling I had concerning the script sometimes. Maybe the cost of developing Jasmine, the romance and the Aladdin/Genie dynamic more was having the rest of the story seeming rushed in some places, despite a running time that's half an hour longer than the original. There were places where I was thinking to myself, "Slow the fuck down!" Some of the script also has touches of typical Hollywood blandness when compensating for certain aspects. And finally, the CGI on Genie when he's blue...is not very convincing. There's a herky-jerky quality to it that just distracts, which is another reason why Friend Like Me didn't quite land.
So yeah, I'm honestly relieved this turned out good, even if it never really matches the heights of the original. And coming from a super-fan of the '92 OG, consider that a win.
***/****
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Post by Neverending on May 26, 2019 16:42:43 GMT -5
We couldn't be on more opposite sides, as the original is my favorite Disney movie ever. Period. And Aladdin in this one honestly felt a bit more bland on his own in this one.
Some fuller thoughts:
I went in fairly skeptical after the horrible marketing campaign, fearing the worst, and you know what? It's...pretty good. It doesn't hold a candle to the original, though, but nor was it ever going to. The original is pure Disney magic, and this one has charm and likability, but I'm not sure about the magic.
So, what works here? Well, credit where credit's due, they took what was already a strong Disney princess -- Jasmine -- and made her even stronger. To the point where Naomi Scott pretty much walks away with the movie in the palm of her hand. She's the real MVP here. Jasmine was always a great character, but the filmmakers this time really turned it up to the nth degree with her. She's more strong, assertive, and just plain awesome here. Also, I'll admit, the relationship between her and Aladdin is a bit more fleshed out. Another thing, naturally is Will Smith as Genie. His performance honors Robin Williams while still making it his own. I'm still not quite sold on his beatbox version of Friend Like Me, but his rendition of Prince Ali (while I hated it when I first heard it before seeing the movie) is just as infectiously toe-tapping as the original and does work when viewed in the context of the film. And his own friendship with this new Aladdin feels just as genuine as the original's.
What doesn't work so well? Despite some efforts to flesh him out, this new Jafar -- as a character -- feels a bit more bland and less menacing than the animated character. He also lacks the presence and swagger. His motivation here is what? He wants to be "top dog" so he can invade a neighboring city to show Agrabah's dominance? Thin, textbook villain motivation. Mena Massoud as Aladdin himself...I can't tell if it's the script or the performance, but he also felt just a little bland in comparison to the original. It's not that I outright disliked him or anything, but there were times where I felt like he was sort of just going through the motions. The original did so much with his character while simultaneously doing so little, letting his characterization speak for itself. As a result, Aladdin in that one felt more strongly defined, and you could buy into him both when he's himself and when he's putting on the Prince Ali facade and getting blinded by that. Even with just a voice performance, the naturalism of Scott Weigner came through more clearly. Again, I'm not saying Mena Massoud was bad, just slightly lacking in that needed twinkle. Speaking of going through motions, that's another feeling I had concerning the script sometimes. Maybe the cost of developing Jasmine, the romance and the Aladdin/Genie dynamic more was having the rest of the story seeming rushed in some places, despite a running time that's half an hour longer than the original. There were places where I was thinking to myself, "Slow the fuck down!" Some of the script also has touches of typical Hollywood blandness when compensating for certain aspects. And finally, the CGI on Genie when he's blue...is not very convincing. There's a herky-jerky quality to it that just distracts, which is another reason why Friend Like Me didn't quite land.
So yeah, I'm honestly relieved this turned out good, even if it never really matches the heights of the original. And coming from a super-fan of the '92 OG, consider that a win.
***/****
The cast is fine. I liked all of them, especially Naomi Scott. The issue here is Guy Richie’s directing. This movie really needed a Baz Luhrmann. The script could have also used some fine tuning. Like Beauty and the Beast, it was great when it did its own thing and weak when it imitated the original. But unlike Beauty and the Beast, this seemed more willing to take its own path and it’s a shame it didn’t go for it completely.
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on May 26, 2019 17:23:32 GMT -5
Mena Massoud is fine. Naomi Scott and Will Smith are great, however, and outshine him. Guy Ritchie is mainly what I was getting at when I said the script was going through the motions sometimes. Especially since he was also a co-writer. Sequences like The Cave of Wonders felt rushed just a little, while things like trying to expand upon Jafar's motivation and him trying to manipulate The Sultan into that invasion felt forced. However, he did a good job of hitting a majority of the major beats from the original while expanding on certain things like the romance and relationships between other characters. The handful of slo-mo shots felt unnecessary, to, but to his credit, Richie didn't put nearly as many of them in as I feared he would. Bottom line, he got right most of the things he needed to.
It's all over the place, really, but to quote a character from the movie: "It was clumsy, but in a charming sort of way."
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on May 28, 2019 23:23:25 GMT -5
Ended up seeing it a second time on Monday. My thoughts were mostly kind of scattershot after the first time, but they've solidified: it's ultimately the relationships that make this one work, with the respect for the original being the icing on top. The first act is the clunkiest portion, but it settles into its groove once Aladdin goes looking for the Lamp. Most of the new stuff works, even if some of it is on-the-nose, but it is at its best when it's honoring the original. It doesn't hit the high notes as skillfully as the original, but there IS a sense of effort on Guy Ritchie's part most of the time -- something I never thought I'd say about this. I'll NEVER say watch it over the original, but there's enough her to justify not brushing it off as a shot-for-shot remake.
Oh, and I forgot to mention earlier -- Nasim Pedrard is just as much of a scene stealer in this as Will Smith.
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Post by Neverending on May 29, 2019 1:46:22 GMT -5
Nasim Pedrard is just as much of a scene stealer in this as Will Smith. ![](https://www.realclearlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Nasim_Pedrad_Jasmine.jpg)
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on May 29, 2019 10:54:12 GMT -5
"Jams!"
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1godzillafan
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Post by 1godzillafan on May 29, 2019 11:18:49 GMT -5
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Post by PhantomKnight on May 30, 2019 9:26:20 GMT -5
I normally don't give a shit about James Corden, but this made me laugh.
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Post by 1godzillafan on Jun 18, 2019 18:28:33 GMT -5
I enjoyed it.
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Post by Neverending on Jun 18, 2019 19:06:15 GMT -5
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Post by Neverending on Jul 26, 2019 12:17:47 GMT -5
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Post by PhantomKnight on Jul 26, 2019 12:25:30 GMT -5
Genuflect, show some respect!
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Post by Neverending on Jul 26, 2019 12:41:42 GMT -5
Genuflect, show some respect! Remember when PG Cooper said Alice in Wonderland wasn’t an influential 2010 movie. Let’s see... Alice in Wonderland - $1 billion Beauty and the Beast - $1 billion Aladdin - $1 billion Lion King - on the road to $1 billion Jungle Book - $966 million
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Post by PhantomKnight on Jul 26, 2019 12:54:07 GMT -5
Mulan coming next spring, Little Mermaid and Hunchback in the works...only a matter of time before they announce Hercules.
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