Disney sucks out the magic out of everything they remake

Rating: 6/10 (14 January 2020)

This is the second Disney live-action remake I've seen after Beauty and the Beast and probably the last one. Just to be clear, the original Aladdin isn't among my top favourite Disney movies, but it was simple enough and had its charm in its simplicity and of course it had Robin Williams in it. Also, all the characters were unique and likeable in their own way. Overall, this remake gets very few good things from the original and sadly breaks a lot.
Where the remake succeeded:
+Will Smith was probably the most fun and enjoyable part of the whole movie. He managed to do a genie in his own way without trying to copy Robin Williams' from 1992. You can argue he was a bit too much himself, but I see nothing wrong with that.
+Mena Massound played a decent Aladdin. I'm guessing he could have done even better job if his character was written better, but sadly that was not the case.
+Some of the songs were a fresh addition considering the original didn't have that many.
+I also enjoyed the visuals especially watching it in 4K, even if CGI was too obvious at moments.
Where they missed the mark, but still remains watchable:
*Aladdin feels more like a Bollywood movie than anything else - from costumes to dances. I thought Agraba was in the Arabian Peninsula but apparently, they moved it to somewhere in South Asia.
* Naomi Scott, even though performing well, simply was not a good fit for playing Jasmine.
* The romance between the maid and the genie was completely unnecessary, distracting and quite forced. As a matter of fact her whole character was not needed and could have been left out.
* Iago was turned into just a dumb CGI bird and his screen time taken by the one mentioned above.
* Mena Massoud did a decent role at times, but the chemistry between Aladdin and Jasmine wasn't really there. Didn't buy the whole flying carpet scene. The one in the 1992 version was much better.
* It feels much less like a children's movie compared to the original. While it may appear more to parents, certainly won't be the same with kids.
Where they failed badly:
*The actor portraying Jaffar was what almost ruined the whole movie for me. Arguably a story is only as good as it's antagonist and Marwan Kenzari just didn't fit. He was too young to be a vizier and was neither convicting nor menacing at any point. To make bad even worse they decided to make him just another thief. In the cartoon version he treated Aladdin like vermin, while here he almost sympathies with him. Doesn't make any sense.
*They threw in so much needless extra stuff which made them rush the main story. The original was more fleshed out in 90 minutes than this one in over 130. What you get as an end result is a story burdened with additions that extend it by almost 40 minutes and still adding nothing of value to the movie.
* How can some of the most memorable moments in the original be recreated so badly in the remake despite budget and everything. For example, the whole part of Aladdin in the cave, taking the lamp and escaping afterward felt rushed and boring.
Watch it on Disney+ if you have free time. It's not a terrible movie, but nowhere near a classic.