A magical experience without the usual Disney virtue signals

Rating: 10/10 (3 June 2019)

I remember my thrill and exhilaration when I first saw Optimus Prime in a real life (well CGI anyway) in the movies which brought the Transformers cartoons to "real life". It was all in the recognition and I felt like a little kid in a candy store. I've never felt the same about any other movie. Until now, thanks to Aladdin.
When I was younger I watched the animated version of Aladdin three times - yes three times - in the movies. I loved the show. So I held my breath when I went to watch the real life 2019 version of Aladdin (and a blue CGI genie of course) movie. I was worried Disney would trash any semblance of the original animated Aladdin with their usual in-your-face, virtue-signalling, activist crap (like they did on Star Wars: The Last Jedi) or removing the very essence of the characters they portray (like they did with Tolkien, removing the man's Christian faith from the man himself).
I found myself feeling like a kid again, mesmerised by the wonder and fun that is Agrabah and Aladdin. It was movie magic all over again, all thanks to a brilliant cast and producer Guy Ritchie. The cast, ok, where do I start. Mena Massoud captured the very essence of cheeky, suave and big-eyed Aladdin - it's quite incredible that he managed to, at times, mimick the animation! Naomi Scott capably represented the beautiful, steady and confident Princess Jasmine - she had guts, she stands on her own, she is also all-heart. Both of them had a very cute chemistry that was reminiscent of the animated movie many years earlier. Will Smith truly and successfully made the genie his own, down to the funny antics. Marwan Kenzari played a much younger looking Jafar than in the movies, but this also worked alongside the main characters. Oh and the monkey Abu, is just too cute.
I believe what makes this Aladdin movie a real success is twofold. Firstly, it respects the original film - the beautiful songs, the familiar settings, Agrabah's look and feel, the blue genie, the young Aladdin and Jasmine - they're all there. If you loved the animated Aladdin the way I did, you'd love this live "real" version of Aladdin. Secondly, it also stamped it's own mark to differentiate itself from the original film. The dance sequences were a mix of the traditional and modern, a fusion of cultural dances. The familiar songs were arranged differently and felt contemporary. Aladdin and Jasmine, by virtue of being real humans, really maximised the "reality" factor of what is supposed to be a mere fairy tale. And Will Smith successfully stepped out of Robin Williams' genie, and truly made this genie his own - this was important because if Will Smith tried to be a Robin Williams, the genie would've failed miserably. Nah, this blue genie is a completely different character (only Will Smith can play THIS genie) at the core, yet retained the jovial, fun-loving and irreverent personality that embodies the genie. The only one who is very different in terms of look and feel was Jafar, and that was OK. This Jafar felt modern and younger, though I think they could've made him a bit more "sneakier" in the looks department. All in all, I loved the cast.
Honestly, I watched this new Aladdin movie, completely entranced by the colourful, beautiful, "Whole New World" of Agrabah, and yet I immediately connected with every single character as they appeared, down to the flying carpet itself - this movie is all heart, all beauty, all humour, everything you'd want in a movie. This is truly one of the best movies I've watched in years. Honestly, this was a wonderful, magical experience. I highly recommend this - well done to the cast and crew of this show. I'll be watching it again! Highly highly highly recommended.