Geekatana Movie Review: Aladdin (2019)

It seems like a lot of Disney animated films are getting the live action treatment these days. It all started back in 2010 with Alice in Wonderland followed by Cinderella and Disney hasn't shown any signs of stopping any time soon. So fast forward to present year 2019 and we now get to a live version adaptation of Aladdin. I'm not much for fairy tale stories but Aladdin holds a special place in my heart as it's one of my favorite Disney animated movies of all time.

Yes I'm one of those folks who thinks that Aladdin is ok as it is and didn't need a live action adaptation. The trailer was ok but not enough to make me excited for the movie. In fact I'd probably went to see it just to compare it to the animation one. And boy do I have a lot to say about it too. I'll try not to spoil the story but this is a live action adaptation of Aladdin so there's probably not too much to spoil.

The story of Aladdin unless you haven't seen the 1992 animated film yet is about a streetwise thief named Aladdin who by strange circumstances came across this magical lamp that grants him three wishes. Sorcery, a magic carpet, a power hungry grand Vizier, a princess, a talking parrot and a monkey pretty much sums it up.

Storywise its pretty much as loyal to the animated movie a live action Disney movie could get. Although certain scenes are told in various different order like scene C coming before the scene A. Or certain scenes being omitted altogether. Unless you watched the animated cartoon you won't know them. But I take it nearly everyone has seen the animated cartoon of Aladdin by now.

Sure it rides on a lot of the plots and the nostalgia of the 1992 Aladdin film but it does a very decent job of modernizing a lot of the scenes that fans of the first Aladdin film will enjoy. The downside is that it stays too close to the source material that it has nothing new in terms of plot twist.

As acting goes nobody if ever possible few can beat Robin Williams energy and comedic flair but Will Smith did an impressive job and has his own unique take on the genie that I is probably the closes genie we could probably get to the original. In fact Will Smith's acting is probably what carried this movie to be this good as it is much like how Robin Williams was the best part of the first Aladdin film.

The only downside was the villain. Jafar isn't as menacing as I remembered him to be in this one. I guess they wanted a more kid friendly villain. This film is 2 hours and 8 minutes long and is around half an hour longer than the 1992 Aladdin film yet it doesn't feel that long in fact I probably wanted more.

The visuals was impressive from the Cave of Wonder to the city itself. Everything comes alive in bright colors from the costumes to the architecture. You only need to see the trailers to know how impressive a job they did on the visuals. The only downside is the carpet ride scene is a bit too dark for my taste but that's a minor flaw on how good the rest of the film was.

I'm grateful they kept a lot of the music of the original Aladdin to this film and giving them a more modern feel. They even added new songs just for this film. In fact the music is what really hook me ten minutes into the movie itself.

Overall the new Aladdin is a fun retelling of a beloved Aladdin movie of 1992 that we all know and love. It doesn't show anything new to the table but it's a fun nostalgia trip for fans of the original film. if you want something new there nothing much to see here but if you like a retelling of a beloved tale then you'll definitely enjoy this to some extent. Whether your fans of the original or totally new to the story of Aladdin you will definitely find something to enjoy here.