"Aladdin" (2019): Latest Disney Remake, Does it Bring the Magic?

Walt Disney Studios is on a journey of remaking many of its popular classic animated movies. Aladdin (2019) is the most recent addition, and I was able to see this film in theaters. I entered hopeful yet timid of the outcome. Read what we determined!

Guy Ritchie is a director that people seem to understand or are confused about. Personally, I think he is brilliant with movies including Sherlock Holmes and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. under his belt. That being said, I'm not sure he totally understands this film. For acting, the toughest choice by far was to replace Robin William's iconic voice work for the Genie. Bravo to the casting director for thinking of and signing on Will Smith for the role.

Again with that being said, it's not an iconic performance like the original. Aladdin, portrayed by Mena Massoud, is fantastic as well. He can sing, act and everything in between. I fully expect to see him cast in more Hollywood productions soon. Naomi Scott as Jasmine was an excellent choice. She does everything that you want her to, and I think the new song with her is fantastic too, and the production design is award-worthy. I'd be surprised if it was not nominated in this category (*Update, it wasn't and that's dumb).

Also, the music was great throughout the movie. The cinematography was splendid at every part too. Other side characters were enjoyable to watch including Abu the monkey and the Carpet. The dance sequences were done well, and they really let you connect to the movie.

There are a couple of issues in the film. Unfortunately, Marwan Kenzari as Jafar is miscast in my opinion. I don't doubt that he is a good actor, but he is awful in this role. I had a difficult time trying to believe he was a menacing villain. Every time he got angry or tried to be sinister, I couldn't take him seriously. It felt like a community theater performance (no offense) rather than a big-budget studio film. Ali Suliman was the man for the job. He's the antagonist in Amazon's Jack Ryan season 1. At the very beginning, the pacing was off, but that seemed to fix itself once Aladdin was in the cave of wonders.

Overall, it is the best Disney remake so far. Is it better than the original cartoon? No, and I doubt any of them will be. However, it was worth the theater watch. This is an example where audience scores on Rotten tomatoes are better at 94% than critics at 56% and deservedly so. My movie rating is B-.

***Read the original Aladdin review by clicking here