Not terrible, but hollow without Robin Williams (Will Smith.. WHY!?)

Rating: 7/10 (23 June 2019)

I can only repeat what so many other reviewers have written. Robin Williams left a deep footprint in the Aladdin story. Robin had a larger than life personality that made his characters come to life. Any other actor would pale in comparison. That being said, Will Smith is likeable, he's a good actor, and he absolutely bombs (stinkbomb) in this movie. In watching any of his other roles, I haven't cringed nearly so much. I'm not sure who to attribute blame to. I'm hesitant to blame the cast. Most of these people have truly excellent voices, yet their singing feels wooden. The songs are heavily recycled from the original cartoon. I had actually hoped to see some creativity there. Jasmine is very loudly declared to be the next ruler of Agrabah because.. uh.. wouldn't she have been in the first movie as well? You know because Aladdin isn't royalty so.. ah well, gotta virtue signal.
Fun fact: 'A friend like me' nearly mirrors the original 1992 version. Key aspects that are missing: dancing elephants (all the CGI money spent on Will Smith) and the scantily clad girls dancing around Aladdin (2019.. hmm I wonder why).