The result is a movie that's not bad, but never truly great either. And that feels like a lot of the movie, they try to meet in the middle. I'd say either go all in, or cut the songs entirely, but instead they try to meet in the middle.

There are exceptions, like 'Friend Like Me', but for the most part this is the standard. The Prince Ali segment desperately wants to be a big Bollywood number, but just looks like someone filmed a pretty good parade. It's not as fun/funny as the animated film, and it doesn't have the flair or energy of a Bollywood film. In the 'One Jump' sequence, a lot of stuff is happening, but it sort of feels like they're all going through the motions. It's sort of doing a Bollywood thing, and while it's got all the flair it just lacks the energy and passion. Then there's the things the movie tried that just didn't quite work, namely its music. Did every beat hit for him? Will he ever replace Williams? No to both, but he was good enough for what the movie needed. I was ready to hate him, but he was charming and funny. It's different than Robin Williams, but it has to be.

The movie really comes alive when he shows up. As for Will Smith's genie, honestly he surprised the hell out of me. I don't know how much of this was a real set and how much was CGI, but it really feels like a living breathing world that you could walk around in. I also like the look and set design of Agrabah. I like that Jasmine is a little more fleshed out, and Naomi Scott is absolutely bringing everything she can to this role. Still, there were some things I liked, even some changes I liked. A lot's been said about him, so I won't pile on, but holy god talk about miscasting, he was awful. They make some weird changes for the worse here (especially in the climax) that just don't help the story, and despite being longer it weirdly rushes through some classic moments in a Cliff Notes fashion. It's not bad, it's enjoyable for what it is, but at the end of the day if I want Aladdin I'll probably just go back to the original. It's still an interesting experiment in itself. It's a bit up-and-down, but often it feels like, at best, a pretty good stage production of the classic film where I'd usually rather be watching that film.

Aladdin free