The modernized live-action Aladdin is especially fun for the younger generation.

Rating: 5/10 (24 May 2019)

Aladdin is a live-action film version of the 1992 animation film of the same name. The film is directed and partly written by Guy Ritchie, the director of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The film is set in the fictional port city of Agrabah and is about the good-natured street rat Aladdin (Mena Massoud). When he encounters undercover on the streets of Agrabah Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott) and knows how to help, a connection between the two soon develops. Due to their different statuses, according to the rules, they cannot start a relationship with each other. Still, Aladdin Jasmin keeps on visiting.
When caught, Jafar (Marwan Kenzari) tries to use Sultan Aladdin's adviser to rob a cave and steal a lamp. Once in the cave, Aladdin finds the lamp, but gets stuck. When Aladdin examines the lamp, he manages to get the Genie (Will Smith) out of the lamp. The Genie tells Aladdin that he can make three wishes. With the help of this magic and some lies, Aladdin tries to make a better chance to start a relationship with Jasmine. Aladdin must now cleverly play everything right to really have a chance at Jasmine, but must also be careful and ensure that nobody and especially Jafar does not realize that he uses magic.
With this live-action version of Aladdin, they have created a modern version that is especially fun for the younger generations. This live action may take some getting used to for older viewers who are familiar with the Disney animation version, because the live action film has a different atmosphere and pace compared to the animation. Some extra added information makes some characters appear more dramatic. The best atmosphere in the film is the Arabic atmosphere, because the Arabic cast and film sets also make the film look like a Bollywood film.
The live action also has more songs and dance scenes in the film compared to the animation. In this way the film sometimes comes across as a musical version of Aladdin. The well-known songs from the animation can also be heard in this live-action film, but some have also been modernized. For example, they have quickly incorporated modern music genre into music. The tempo of the songs has also been set down a little faster. With some dance scenes it also seems as if they are being played faster, which may seem strange.
The effects are unfortunately not so good either, because you can often see where they used CGI or a green screen. Thus the non-human characters such as Abu, Rajah and the flying carpet seem fake without a real personality what they did in the animation.
In the first trailer where the Genie was shown in its blue form, the effects did not look good. This caused some concerns for Aladdin fans, but there was hope that the effects would have improved in the final film. Unfortunately, this is not really the case, because the Genie often looks a bit fake in its blue form and sometimes seems a bit unusual.
Most of the cast does the acting work well. Most are also cast to look realistic as people from the Arab world. For viewers it may take some getting used to seeing Mena Massoud as Aladdin. It takes a while before he knows how to put down the role in the right way, because he seems a bit uncertain in the beginning.
Naomi Scott knows how to perform her role best compared to the rest of the cast. She appears credible as a live-action version of Jasmine. Her version of Jasmine stands up more for the equal rights of women. She also sounds good musically in this film. She knows how to convey the famous Aladdin song A Whole New World together with Mena Massoud. Jasmine even got her own song Speechless in this movie.
Marwan Kenzari comes across as a bit less like Jafar compared to the animation and version of Jafar from the TV series Once Upon a Time. Both of these versions of Jafar had a more sinister voice than Marwan Kenzari's version. In addition to his actions, he does not always look like a real villain.
The one who had the biggest shoes to fill was Will Smith, because the role of the Genie in the Disney animation film was conceived and written for Robin Williams. The writers of the animation based the genius personalities on Robin Williams's comedian work before they had officially asked him for the role. With Robin Williams his unique voice acting, he managed to improve animation films in a positive way. Will Smith had to think so well and long before he wanted to play the role of the Genie in the live-action Aladdin. In the end, he agreed and mastered the role in a respectful way. He best portrays the role of the Genie when he is not in his blue form. He has managed to put the role further on his own kind of comedy and music style.