What a pleasant surprise

Rating: 8/10 (25 May 2019)

The original animated Aladdin is one of my favorite film from Disney. And because of that, I didn't expect much from this live-action remake since the original is already perfect. However, this film is great. I'm quite impressed. Every scenes are spectacular and Agrabah looks amazing. And I personally think that the minor changes in the storyline is good as it makes the story more suited for live-action.
The music is amazing, as expected from Disney, after all it's the same original songs from the animated Aladdin. There is also a new song called Speechless, which is sung by Princess Jasmine. While I think that it's a powerful and a great song for Jasmine to express herself, I felt that it's a bit too pop and lack the classic feelings to it.
As for the casts, I actually think everyone did a great job, even Jafar who everyone seems to think is not menacing enough. I think he did fine. As for the others, Mena Massoud is mischievous, courageous and sweet as Aladdin. Naomi Scott shines as Princess Jasmine, beautiful, classy and intelligent. And last but not least, Will Smith did a fantastic job as the Genie. Even though, the blue Genie is a bit weird looking, it's acceptable and it didn't bother me that much.
All in all, Aladdin is wonderful, however by the end of the film, I felt a bit unsatisfied. I was hoping for something more. I can't quite describe what it is, but I think it's lacking something, a magical touch maybe. Of course, it's not as good as the original and the original will always have a special place in my heart. Still, it's a wonderful remake, worth watching.