Some magic, but very preachy

Rating: 7/10 (12 June 2019)

Disney usually layers some morality into its pictures, and that's no wrong, but the extent to which they drove the women's lib message was painful, to the point of introducing a poorly written song sung at full screech.
It's a pity, because this was a pretty decent effort otherwise. Casting the genie was always going to be difficult after the pure genius that Robin Williams poured into it, and I personally never bought into the Will Smith character. Aladdin grew on me during the picture. Jasmine was the warrior the feminists needed, but I personally wouldn't have fallen for her.
The sets were pretty glamorous, but the scale of the movie felt vastly inferior to the original. Nowhere was this felt as fully as on the magic carpet ride, which is the original's exultant moment, touring the world's wonders. Here they went on a little spin around the neighbourhood and decided the local bazaar was the best place on earth ... please!
It's rare that repeats match their originals, and unfortunately this one fell considerably short. Crafting the epic moments is a skill and you recognise the skill most when you see its pale imitators.