Really disappointed Genie didn't call Aladdin a "fresh prince"

Rating: 4/10 (1 June 2019)

Aladdin is yet another cash grab; an exhaustive remake of a perfectly good animated Disney classic. An attempt to pander to both loyal Disney fans and potential new ones, Disney tries to bring Aladdin to life with CGI, a new look, and new faces. Of course, NOBODY could do Genie like the late and beloved Robin Williams, and it would be rather dull if Disney did a mirror remake of the original, so naturally doing things differently would be inevitable and sensible, and that's what they did, only they put little effort and creativity into it.
Jam packed with enough messages about morals and modern politics to make even Sean Penn feel awkward, this preachy remake is mostly pomp and circumstance, having the costume design, some of the CGI, and a few of the jokes, really the only good points about the movie. The rest is mostly corny moments ("you can do it!"), confusing plot elements, extremely lame original music pieces, and otherwise lame attempts to be original while keeping the classic story intact. While Will Smith did a better job in the role of The Genie, one cannot shake the feeling that there were others out there who would have done much better. And of course, the writers are also partly to blame. But Smith did certainly shone brighter than the rest of the cast, who apparently were told to act like they're in a high school play.
It would be unfair to completely condemn the movie, as it's obvious why many people would enjoy it. It might be right up their alley with their style of comedy, and I may be a tad biased because so far none of the live-action remakes of the childhood quintessential Disney flicks lives up to their standards. And yes, they WILL be compared to the classics, so don't act like they're supposed to "stand on their own" and such.
All in all, it's yet another disappointment from Disney, who has the talent to do better, but they would rather try to appease as may people in a generic, paper-cutter, almost "bureaucratic" sort of way. The Lion King is our last hope....