Film Review | Aladdin (2019)
Hereâs your guiding tenet for watching this movie: itâs just uneven. There are some really good parts to the film, and some really cringy moments as well. Some really good performances, and some really wooden ones. I think some care was definitely taken in the making and writing of this remake, but some big details also fell through the cracks. Production design and costuming is the biggest win.
Will Smith is everything here, just as Robin Williams was to the animated film. His energy is the foundation to everything - and he crushes it. Itâs obvious that he knew to bring his unique flavor to the role, pay tribute here and there, and lean into his strengths. The rest of the cast is a little clunky - not sure why the leads didnât have Middle Eastern accents to match the rest of the movie (or the villain), donât really know why Jafar wasnât older to back up his character motivation, and Jasmine isnât as convincing in this one. She doesnât get the scene with the birds! Itâs all about the birds!
The editing and camera work seemed shoddy in this too; just weird frame rate choices and pacing that wasnât quite right at times. The film is definitely fun, but I think youâll still just want to go back to the original afterwards.
76 of 365.
3 out of 5.
