Set Your Expectations Appropriately

Rating: 5/10 (6 August 2019)

Keeping in time with their streak of completely unnecessary remakes that offer nothing new other than admittedly spectacular special effects to the legacies of their predecessors, Disney has now set their sites on Aladdin. It is essentially the original, but with Will Smith, and slightly subpar acting. So keep that in mind the whole time.
There was, honestly, no need for this. The film adds nothing new to the Aladdin legacy, and doesn't really bring anything new to the table, which is kind of what I expected. On its own as a film, it works, and it does respect the original and stays true to the source material. But that's the problem. It's almost a shot for shot remake, but in live action. So there's really no point to it, other than the millions of dollars to be made from it.
Guy Ritchie is directing here, which is interesting, considering his particular style and what he's known for. Mainly known for his quirky crime/comedy/action gangster movies (Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Snatch (2000), Revolver (2005), RocknRolla (2008)), and his other quirky action movies (Sherlock Holmes films, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)), this did not really seem like something that could work. Almost like Quentin Tarantino directing a Marvel movie. But I have to say, he in no way let his track record pull strings here, and he went completely against type and tried something different, and it turned out pretty well.
The screenplay was concocted by Ritchie, and John August (Charlie's Angels films, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), and the two really did a nice job. The story is fairly engaging, and they have the advantage of acclaimed material to work with, and when you follow that as closely as they did here, it's hard not to have a good story.
The story moved along pretty well, and there was a surprising amount of character development, though obviously not as much as the original. I didn't feel quite connected with the characters near the end, but I guess I was entertained.
The acting was alright, and for being a family-oriented, over-the-top musical, it's what you'd expect. Ok sometimes, cringeworthy at others, it managed to be mostly consistent. The high point of the film for me, besides the special effects, was without a doubt Will Smith and his performance. He threw himself into his role and made the Genie character his own, and honestly kind of saved the movie for me.
The special effects were awesome, probably even up there with the Marvel movies. The music numbers were ok I guess, but Will Smith's were the best.
All in all, it's exactly what you'd expect; a live action remake of the original Aladdin, without much to set it apart from the original. It's not bad, but it doesn't really do enough to justify its existence. If you want a safe movie for the family, then by all means, watch and enjoy this. Otherwise, just set your expectations appropriately and know what you're getting into.