Cheap imitation counting on your nostalgia

Rating: 2/10 (18 May 2020)

Honestly, I am not even sure how to explain this. Zombie. The best analogy I can use for this one is that it is a zombie, a resurrected version of what once was that has no life or soul inside.
Aladdin leans almost entirely on nostalgia and, in doing so, gutted this film of its heart. There was no magic, no emotional investment, and no impending sense of dread or threat.
It trusts that you, the viewer, already know the story, love the characters, and are care about them. It makes next to no attempt at character development or getting buy-in from the audience.
The story was bland. The acting and singing were even more bland. Though, in an insane twist of irony, the part of this film I dreaded going in actually became one of It's highlights. Genie. If you spoke with me beforehand, I would have told you Will Smith wasn't a good pick, but he completely surprised me.
He didn't try to recreate Williams' Genie; he made his own thing, which was decent, but they kept putting him back in that awful looking blue CGI. He looked terrible, but when he transformed, he did great.
Also, a nod to Naomi, forget her last name, she was also a higher note. She sang well, and her acting had some impact, though just not enough.
And the monster parrot. Guys, we have to talk about the monster parrot. Haha. I mean, why? Why would you take a tense, and even scary, finale where Jafar becomes a monstrous snake and substitute an overgrown Yago?
Lion King was bad, from what I have watched, and this was bad. I'm honestly scared for what they'll do to Mulan.