Close but no Hookah

Rating: 7/10 (24 October 2014)

Aladdin, while one of Disney's best isn't exactly one of the classics and while definitely an entertaining film, I feel that something is missing. Audio-visually it's top-notch material. Everything looks gorgeous, with beautiful designed & colored environments, great character design and animation, (although inferior to Beauty and the Beast which came one year later), and CG that doesn't look out of place. Voice acting is pretty good and the music breaks, a part that I usually hate about Disney, are surprisingly good, blending some good tunes with some pretty funny scenes.
The classic middle-eastern tale about the wish-granting genie gets a modern facelift and with some great characters thrown into the mix. Jafar is one of Disney's best villains, similar to Scar from The Lion King and the naive Sultan is quite likable. The main couple though could be better. They have some good points of course, like their chemistry, Aladdin's genuinely good character and street-wise wit and Jasmine's strong will and –again- genuine charm. The cons? A somewhat bland romance and their sudden turn from a wise-ass hero and a charming princess to a surfer dude teen and a typical damsel in distress.
The main deal of course is the Genie, which steals the show and for a good reason. R. Williams obnoxiously over-the-top performance fits like a glove to the hyper-lively and wacky character of the Genie who, in my opinion gives what's best about this film. Forget about the romance or Jafar's schemes, Aladdin's finest aspect is its comedy. But is it truly funny? Yes and no. When the Genie isn't around humor is scarce and subtle and when it IS around, while the undoubtedly a funny character, it makes too many modern-day references for the jokes to stand the test of time.
The defining factor for me though is that Aladdin will excite people, (no matter the age), only once in the first viewing. It's one of those films which get less fun to watch as time goes by. The romance is good but forgettable, the villain is great but his power struggle doesn't contain any mystery or plot twists, the action is passable and the comedy while way above average isn't even close to being perfect. All in all a great film for renting, but not something worth buying.
FINAL VERDICT: Amongst the Disney's greats not its bests (7/10)