Aladdin

ALADDIN

Director : Guy Ritchie

Year : 2019

Genre : Musical

Rating : ****

He may not have been the most likely choice for director but Guy Ritchie adds much razzle-dazzle and fun to this better-than-expected live action remake of the beloved 1992 animated classic. Mena Massoud confidently steps into the sandals of Aladdin, the young street-rat who upon discovering a magic lamp and it's all-powerful genie (Will Smith), transforms himself into the mighty Prince Ali in order to impress the beautiful Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott) - much to the chagrin of the scheming Jafar (Marwen Kenzari) who plans to use the genie for his own nefarious purposes. 

While very little is changed from the the 1992 original, this new version of 'Aladdin' has more than enough invention and imagination to make it it's own unique viewing experience and much of this comes from the rather brilliant casting and eye-catching visuals. Mena Massoud is wonderfully charismatic and funny as Aladdin while newcomer Naomi Scott delivers a star-making performance as the empowered Jasmine who is gifted far more personality and drive than her animated counterpart ever was and together the two have great chemistry together. Meanwhile, the always entertaining Will Smith does a surprisingly good job with the seemingly impossible task of filling the late, great Robin Williams' shoes as the fast-talking genie who doesn't look nearly as terrifying as the trailers promised. 

The casting and performances may be great but it is in the stunning production design and toe-tapping musical sequences that this 'Aladdin' really shines. Almost every frame of the movie is filled with vibrancy and colour and praise should be given to Ritchie and his crew who have succeeded in replicating and, in some cases, exceeding the technicolor wonder of the original animated feature - the 'You Ain't Never Had A Friend Like Me' number is a particularly memorable visual highlight.

The film certainly isn't without its faults - most notably, the vanilla characterisation of the villainous Jafar and the finale which is nothing like as exciting as the previous film - and like many of these recent Disney live-action remakes, this new 'Aladdin' feels more like a blatant cash-grab than an honest artistic venture. However, as blatant cash-grabs go, this one is not bad at all. It's colourful, it's funny, it's consistently entertaining and unlike some of Disney's 're-imaginings' such as 'Beauty & The Beast' and 'Dumbo', it does little to tarnish the legacy of it's undoubtedly superior animated predecessor.