Shining, Shimmering, Splendid!

Rating: 9/10 (9 June 2019)

A movie for everyone. This film has had quite a reputation in the media and almost every social media platform before it's release. Coming out of the theatre I realised how one can misinterpret the film and judge it based off it's trailers and marketing as being horrible. As someone who felt that way, I can assure Aladdin is an experience where the audience will cherish if you loved the animated-classic - The nostalgia kicks in from the very start.
Everything about this film pays homage to the animated classic yet still manages to surprise and gift the audience with a few new changes to the plotline. Among all aspects of this theatrical release, it is the cast who mainly stand out and carry the film. Mainly seen in the leads Mena Massoud (Aladdin), Naomi Scott (Princess Jasmine) and Will Smith as the iconic 'Aladdin' character, Genie, the actors elevate the film to another level of entertainment and bring more depth to the characters.
Mena as Aladdin is a delight to watch. His looks and singing truly revealed to the audience of what capability he has in the future of acting. Naomi Scott's performance is one of the most memorable a watcher will ever come across in Disney's live-action remakes and quite possibly the year. With the help of re-writing the character, Princess Jasmine becomes a character we wish to continuously see on the big screen through Naomi's onscreen presence.
As many had speculated to be the massive let-down of the film, Will Smith's Genie changes the character to his own style while paying homage to the late Robin Williams' take. Smith brings a slight hip like feel in his comedic timings and to the character while maintaining the close friendship with Aladdin. The one letdown in casting admittedly is Jafar (Marwan Kenzari). Kenzari proves he is capable of acting and the character has been written with a few delightful details, the only problem is Jafar is not well represented visually. The new addition of Dalia, Jasmine's maiden and friend played by Nasim Pedrad is always a treat to watch. Her awkwardness when interacting makes the character extremely likeable and enjoyable to watch. Once again the visual effects team have outdone themselves in Disney's live-action trend when it came to representing Rajah, Abu, Iago and Carpet.
Once again Alan Menken has returned to remaster his famous soundtrack with the addition of a new song, 'Speechless' for Princess Jasmine, and it truly is one of the memorable moments throughout the film. The background score is one reason to watch this movie on the big screen. Menken's renditions of our favourite tunes with the slight Arabian feels makes you want to listen to it forever and ever.
The action sequences found this film are some of the many unique and eye-catching sequences one could possibly witness. Director, Guy Ritchie really shows his passion during these momments.
The only issues found in this film were in the editing, CGI of the background landscapes in some scenes and screenplay, especially in a few numbers. These are extremely minor details when focused on the film's storyline.
Overall, I rate this film a 4/5 and highly recommend seeing this film at the theatre. Give yourself an open mind if you truly want to witness the magic. It's an experience that one could only witness on the big screen.