Not even a horrible Jafar casting can bring down 'Aladdin'

Rating: 7/10 (27 May 2019)

Another year, another live action remake of a Disney classic. In fact, 2019 sees another three entries in the catalogue, from 'Dumbo' to 'The Lion King' and of course, 'Aladdin.' In Guy Ritchie's take on the 1992 animated classic, we get to see how the timeless story holds up after 27 years. And, not surprisingly, it holds up pretty well
While there was much to be skeptical about based on this take on 'Aladdin,' it actually delivers in a number of ways. For one, there are very few departures from the original. A lot of the action unfolds the way it's expected to, and there are nearly all of the familiar faces that you'd expect to see. The soundtrack is perhaps the highlight of the entire film, with most of the same showstoppers ("Friend Like Me," "Prince Ali," "A Whole New World") and a few new numbers thrown in, as well.
But it's Will Smith's Genie who really steals the show. No, he can't hold a candle to Robin Williams' portrayal, but he clearly exceeds expectations and injects enough quick wit and wisecracks into the script. Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott give great performances, and Nasim Pedrad shows she can make it on the big screen just as well as she can on the SNL stage. The one weak link, however, comes in Marwan Kenzari's Jafar. Talk about a horrible miscasting - Jafar is supposed to be a snappy, devious, crafty villain...perhaps Disney's greatest of all time. The declawing of Jafar is a travesty that never should have happened.
But be this as it may, it's still worth taking a magic carpet ride to see 'Aladdin.'