Fine, but no Match for the Original

Rating: 7/10 (6 December 2019)

Aladdin is the latest in a long line of Disney live action "reimaginings," which have been a source of massive box office success, with 4 of them grossing over $1 billion. Since Aladdin was one of the most popular movies of the 90's, it was inevitable that it would be remade. While people still keep seeing them, their reception from critics has been less than positive, for the most part. Aladdin had buzz from the get go after a truly awful trailer. But all publicity is good publicity, and the movie made bank.
Even though this movie isn't bad, per se, it's hard to not compare it to the original, which just shows how much better the original is. Take the Prince Ali song sequence, for instance. In the 1992 movie, it's a grand scale number with a sense of hugeness and importance. In this version, it sounds fine, but just feels like a Will Smith music video, not a grand number in a musical. The problem is that it doesn't feel as magical as the animated original. The reason for that is likely because animation as a medium allows for a greater suspension of disbelief, and therefore more immersion in the magic. In that regard, the overly CGI Cave of Wonders, for instance, seems less real than the animated version. The same can be said for the Sultan's palace. The sense of grandeur from either of these places is muted in the remake, where they're massive and imposing in the original.
Aladdin actually did change some stuff significantly from the 1992 movie. It added a completely new song, Speechless, sung by Jasmine near the end. It's a pretty good song, and it's performed well. Some weird stuff happens on screen. Jafar's motives are changed almost completely. Instead of marrying Jasmine, he's now a political mastermind, trying to unite all the different kingdoms into his own empire.
Another thing that needs to be said is Will Smith. He caught a lot of flak for taking on the role of the Genie, but he isn't bad in the role. The reason for this is because he doesn't spend the whole movie pretending to be Robin Williams. He isn't and he can't be. While they both are the same character, they are distinctly Robin Williams and Will Smith, respectively. This is good, as it lets Smith be himself and present the character in a way only he could. Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott are Aladdin and Jasmine. They do give good performances, especially Scott, but it's hard to see them as Aladdin and Jasmine, because they aren't the 1992 characters.
By the way, this movie does somewhat confirm a long-held fan theory, that the guy at the beginning of the movie is actually the Genie. That's a theory in the original but is self-evident here.