MOVIE REVIEW - "Aladdin" (2019)
Synopsis: A humble young man discovers a magical lamp, with a genius who can grant him desires. Now the boy wants to conquer the girl he fell in love with, but what he does not know is that the girl is a princess about to be engaged. Now, with the help of the genius, he tries to be a prince to win the girl's love and the trust of his father, the Sultan.
In its most recent journey within the goal of transforming one of its most acclaimed 2D animations into live action movies (ie. movies with the presence of real actors) Disney arrives to theaters with another re-reading - yes, it's not a remake... at least not in my point of view - of one of its greatest classics originally released in 1992: Alladin.
The big question is: Is messing around with this timeless animation a good idea? Answer: Well, theoretically it wouldn't be... But the result worked a lot better than expected!
When the challenge of the script is to tinker with what has already become a classic, work on it becomes more doubly difficult because the material is timeless. Basically, because at the same time that it is necessary to win the approval of the old public, it is also necessary to worry about getting the attention (in a positive way) of the younger public. So it can be said that this new work from Disney builds a very solid bridge between the two different generations.
Directed by a totally different Guy Ritchie from what is usually seen on the big screen, he does a relatively consistent job here (although he is still wrong in some points... as in the absence of the extraction of more viscerality in some scenes more prominently important to fidelize some events) and there is no denying that this film sounds like a point off the curve in his filmography.
This isn't necessarily bad (though I don't particularly think he's a good director), but this film is that kind of project that probably no one - especially his fans - would bet he would ever direct someday. But he accepted, faced the preliminary criticisms (which were against him taking over the direction of the project), moved on with the challenge and definitely didn't disappoint with a frenetic pace production.
The new script (as well as much of the film itself) follows the same path as the original material, but one of the great tricks here is to establish a plot that is building with narrative with a clearer objectivity for the viewers.
If in the animation the young princess Jasmine already showed a certain bias in the struggle with the social inequalities and how it worked in different levels, in live action it's possible to see a much more daring and rebellious Jasmine (next to her tiger Rajah)... While we see an Aladdin and his faithful squire (the Abu monkey) smarter and more determined to achieve their goals.
Starring an unknown dual of the general public, Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott have been shown to have great chemistry on screen and make Alladin and Jamine talk naturally to each other (by the way, in this version the princess plays a role much more empowered than ever).
Both play their respective roles without apparent qualifications and surprise the final balance. But in this aspect, who literally steals virtually every scene in which it appears is Will Smith who with his arduous task of "replacing" the incredible Robin Williams delivers one of his best performances so far.
The only middle spot in the cast is the presence of Marwan Kenzari (and I just mentioned his name because of his relevant character). One part of the lack of energy in the skin of the villain Jaffar and another part of the blame for goes the team that selects the cast, which notoriously should have chosen an older actor and a heavier aura.
Regarding the technical aspects, the realism of the special effects has a guaranteed quality and happens in a tremendous way (the flying scene on the magic carpet is surreal!). The beautiful photograph portrays the old in a modern way, and this work, combined with the pulsating colors, the imposing scenarios + CGI creatures and the detailed costumes that spread through the projection create an extremely efficient group that injects into the film the necessary dose of realism so that the existence of the same is self-justifying.
As for the soundtrack... The film offers a show apart! In addition to revisiting the classics of animation through new arrangements (all done with a phenomenal production), now it is also possible to see a genius even more playful in their songs (there is even Rap in the middle of the letters!) and a solo moment of the princess Jasmine with an new and unreleased song (and that's one of the best moments in the whole movie) where she shows all her strength and makes it clear she has feelings and is not a "bargaining chip" for political purposes.
Some say that this new version of Aladdin only works because of its highly nostalgic load (and I can't say that this factor doesn't raise the importance of it), but the fact is that the film is not only about reliving characters and their respective moments... It is about showing that it is possible to give a new look and include some new elements to a project that now has an even more important and clearer impact than what can be seen in the original animation.
@c-squared, can you check my review? ;)