Reinventing the wheel

Rating: 7/10 (24 May 2019)

Who would in his right mind have ever dreamed ten years ago that a director like Guy Ritchie could do a Disney musical? I mean it's like expecting Quentin Tarantino to make a Star Trek movie. Wait a minute...
Anyhow the reality is this - a new Aladdin movie is in theaters now and it is spectacular. Ritchie's trademarks are all here: long shots, slow motion, colorful picture and eloquent dialogues but no matter how hard the master tries to reinvent the wheel it doesn't overdo the far superior original and here's why.
First, it's Will Smith and his questionable visual representation as the blue Genie. No one expected him to be another Robin Williams because it's impossible but Will just doesn't even try to be a Genie we used to know. He's simply being himself, and the superpowers don't make him any convincing as he ought to have been if only he tried a little harder.
Second, it's the actor who plays Jafar, the main villain who is there to serve its purpose of being a villain. Given the two lines of his background story I nevertheless was not able to answer why is he actually evil because of Marwan Kerzani's superficial performance.
And third, it's the length of the movie - some scenes are obscenely long and overburdened with special effects it makes your eyes sore.
But overall this is a different yet magnificent take on the beloved fairytale with great songs (especially "Speechless" which just won my heart), stunning visuals, stellar main cast performances and very meaningful redefinition of personal values and self-acception.