As Good as Any Live-Action Disney Remake

Rating: 6/10 (24 May 2019)

There are a fair amount of both pros and cons in the live action Aladdin remake, but honestly, I wasn't expecting really any pros at all.
The good aspects are the movie were in fact, pretty solid. The relationship between Jasmine and Aladdin felt believable and the two actors had chemistry, and Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott were really good. There were a few new tweaks or additions to the main story that felt natural, and made it feel different enough from the original that it wasn't just a carbon copy. Jasmine wanting to become the sultan, Jafar coming from poverty and having to steal like Aladdin, and Aladdin feeling very out of place in a royal setting were all great additions that provided a little depth and character motivations. The music was pretty good, for the most part.
Now, Will Smith as the Genie wasn't that great. He had some huge shoes to fill considering the character was originally written for Robin Williams, and while Will Smith was charming most of the time in the roll, it fell flat for me. It lacked the same depth and genuine heart that Williams' did. This also made Genie's and Aladdin's friendship not believable, which is the foundation of the movie and gives purpose to the ending and the Genie's freedom. Also the whole romantic subplot with him and Jasmine's handmaiden felt like an afterthought and made for a weaker motivation. The fact that the movie's excuse for people not recognizing Aladdin as Prince Ali because of "Genie magic" was pretty lazy. Also the new Jasmine songs, while empowering, weren't in keeping with tone and style of the other songs, so they felt really out of place.
Overall, it was a pretty good movie. It was entertaining enough to watch, though it had it's problems like any movie. I wish Disney wasn't only rehashing their ideas and also make new films as well, but whatever.