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| 'Aladdin' is a commendable adaptation of a legacy animation |
One part, it was an intriguing childish fantasy flattered in a clichéd plot, fuelled by an unhealthy dose of buccaneering nostalgia while on other hand, it's an enjoyable tunnel vision into a beautiful adventure on morality.
Aladdin is the motion picture version of the 1992 animated box office hit of the same name which grossed over 500 million in 90’s dollars. The movie is a thrilling, epic fantasy/adventure movie set in a fictional world resembling early Arabian/Turkish civilization.
The story piques on the life of a courageous, and upstanding street urchin, Aladdin (played by Mena Massoud) who catches the eye of the beautiful, daring, sought-after and independent princess of the fictional Agrabah, Jasmine (played by Naomi Scott).
But as a price for sneaking into the palace to see Jasmine, he got kidnapped by the King’s trusted, but power-hungry advisor, Jafar (played by Marwan Kenzari). This kidnap also leads Aladdin to meet the Genie (played by Will Smith).
The story ends with a victory for Aladdin over Jafar before he marries Jasmine. He also frees the genie. The movie is also features Navid Negahban as the Sultan; Nasim Pedrad as Dalia and Billy Magnussen as Prince Anders.
Here is a review of the movie;
Plot
Detail
The plot is corny as you like - it's a fantasy, but shooting a legacy movie is hard, as there's loyalty and impact to contend with, but I'd have preferred some details over the classic clichéd sensationalism fans expect.
Some details were off. Alaadin speaking plain English having grown in what looks like a Turkish, Arabian, Indian setting where accents are expected bears echoes of errors from Prince of Persia.
Detail (Script, props and language)
What is impressive is the imagination and innovation to the script, direction, storytelling, humour and cinematic excellence.
As a part of this, there is intermittent blend of contemporary props, language and costume, with the classic setting, location and props, especially with Will Smith's character, Genie changing outfits, drinking a martini, wearing glasses, saying “ghetto chic” and things like that.
Feminism
In the plot, there are also the subtle hints of girl power, a passive reflection of the times we live in. In this version of Alaadin, Jasmine feels herself sufficient her ruler and speaks about it while everyone tells her she's lucky to have these regal suitors - a slight shift from the previous part.
The moment it becomes most apparent was when Alaadin became Prince Ali and said he came to “buy” the Princess, to which everyone was dismayed - subtle, but powerful hints of girl power. Gotta love it.
Viva girl power, Jasmine becomes a Sultan of Aggrabar - Brilliant.
Humour
Even for a practising stoic, the humour in Aladdin is unmissable. In one of the early scenes, Jasmine's handmaiden actually said of Jasmine's errant Scottish suitor, "Maybe he's a little dim (foolish), but you're only getting married. It's not like you have to speak to him?”
Commendably, the scriptwriters made the humour so effortless by making them embedded into regular, old dialogue.
Themes and sensationalism
Greed and power here are overly sensationalized to enhance the villainous tendencies of Jafar. For a fantasy, the portrayal felt too forced and aggressive.
The screenwriters could have made the villainy more organic. There's also something off about the casting of Marwan Kenzari as Jafar. I also find lion-faced entry to the cave an overly sensationalized scare-tactic - even the cave's name makes one tempted to puke.
Even the spazzed out 'badass' voice of the blood-thirsty, moral-compass-loving cave guard was unnecessary. There are better ways to represent the fabled ground for daredevils in any fantasy/adventure.
While fantasy/adventure movies with a twist of action are naturally expected to bear birthmarks of morality emblazoned across their figurative chests as a marketing tactic, that morality should never be made obvious - it should be passive.
Picture
The picture quality is not Tarrantino level, and it should not have been. The camera did a good job and the computer-generated imagery is also quite impressive.
Character, character development and performance
Asides the questionable casting of Jafar, everyone delivered, but Will Smith's character simply stood out - expectedly. I mean, it's Will Smith.
The way he incorporated multiple arcs and appearances into his genie character is impressive. Even his anecdotes are lit, when they should lose traction as objects of smooth humour, they never got old throughout the movie.
Constume
I love the effortless blend of colors - another reflection of our times. 2010’s fashion are reminiscent of the 80's colour blocking era.
That's exactly what the costumiers effortlessly achieved, without making the colours stick out.
Props
Excellent. Imaginative. Detailed. Pedantic. A pedantic execution of scenery, rooted in imagination and detail. Everything, even down to the plants are impeccable.
Even the bricks and roofing reflect the hallmark of early civilization peculiar to the Arabian world.
Soundtrack
The musical edge is corny, but one cannot miss the introspect and apt reflection in each lyric as an echo of the scene or act - extra detail, if you wish.
The substance in some lyrics follow. One of such scene sees Alaadin reflect upon how people wrongly perceive him, lamenting how he's more than a thief on ‘One Jump Ahead.’ There was also a scene where Jasmine sings about wanting her voice to be heard – a hint of feminism on ‘Speechless’ (Part I).
‘Prince Ali’ is a personal favourite, but 'A Whole New World' feels like the single. 'Speechless' is also great song, but the scene it cames with and the on after it are pseudo-climactic and terribly corny.
On a final note, I'd pay to be a genie.
Ratings: /10
• 0-1.9: Flop
• 2.0-3.9: Near fall
• 4.0-5.9: Average
• 6.0-7.9: Victory
• 8.0-10: Champion
Rating: /10
Scriptwriting: 1.2
Production (Casting and Execution): 1.3
Cinematography: 1.5
Music: 1.5
Enjoyability: 1.5
Total
7.1: Victory
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