I wish I could say it was better but... wait, I'm not going to waste a wish on that.

Rating: 6/10 (25 May 2019)

'Aladdin (2019)' is the first of Disney's live-action remakes I've seen. While it isn't bad, I will admit that it does seem a little pointless. It makes a few changes to the original story, mostly surrounding the character of Jasmine, and obviously reinterprets things through its own lens, but the foundation remains the same. Its superficial switch-ups seem just that: superficial. The stuff surrounding Jasmine is a nice touch, though. The film itself starts off pretty slow. It's not terrible, but it stumbles a bit and doesn't pick itself back up until the Genie is introduced. Of course, you do have to adjust to Smith's larger-than-life interpretation of the character - an issue that the 1992 feature also suffered with, albeit with a different actor. You have to adjust to the CGI, too, which slips into the Uncanny valley every now and then. When you've done this, however, the flick becomes rather entertaining, dipping into pseudo rom-com territory to pleasing effect. This portion of the piece is good enough that the somewhat lesser third act doesn't dampen the experience. I think this is primarily because it sees the successful completion of several previously established character arcs. Most of these are believable and rather fulfilling, though a couple seem to be somewhat artificial in the wider context of their characters. In the end, though, the movie is fairly fun. To be honest, the best thing about it is the music, which sticks in your head long after the credits have rolled. Most of the songs aren't new, though, which does further compound the fact that the whole thing is rather unnecessary. Also, some of the musical sequences are ripped straight out of the first 'Aladdin (1992)', almost shot for shot. Still, an entertaining time isn't to be balked at. I wish I could say it was better but... wait, I'm not going to waste a wish on that. 6/10