Aladdin
An empowering chef d'oeuvre that celebrates the beauty of the arab culture. - 8/10
by Francesco Bakhos - 365 Movies Lebanon
I have a little confession to make. Before watching Aladdin, I had my doubts regarding its final outcome, especially since the trailers weren't that promising. But I couldn't be any happier to have been proven wrong.
This remake by the amazing Guy Ritchie follows the same story as in the original 1992 animated Aladdin by Clements and Musker, Aladdin a street rat frees a genie from a lamp, whom in return grants him 3 wishes and transforms him into a charming prince in order to marry a beautiful princess, Jasmine. But soon, an evil sorcerer becomes hell-bent on securing the lamp for his own sinister purposes.
While basically this remake followed the same path as the original it still contained enough creative material of its own to stand out and pay homage to the original Aladdin.
Story wise, as I just mentioned, this remake practically explored/tackled the same Themes as in the original but with much more intensity this time. Inner strength and wealth, power, greed, freedom and love... Are just a small sample of the numerous themes found within Aladdin's inspiring multilayered story. I can talk and talk and talk for days but i can never do it justice. This is the kind of stories that requires to be felt strongly before analyzing it. I believe both kids and adults will find it pretty interesting and empowering.
To continue, the characters were given a much deeper meaning. Especially Jasmine, whom her role had a big impact on the course of the story. This character symbolized purity, innocence and courage. Aladdin symbolized clumsiness, naivete and the diamond in the rough. While on the other hand, Jafar was the exact counterimage of Aladdin whom symbolized Cleverness and Wickedness. Personally, I think the protagonists were written with extreme delicacy, the bond that combined them was so pure and contagious, you cant but fall in love with them. But as for the Antagonists, he was kinda sloppy and underwhelming, especially in the first few acts.
These characters were played by some amazing talents . Mena massoud with his boyish charm was the perfect Aladdin, alongside his humorous and captivating pet monkey Apu. The exotic Naomi Scott was absolutely breathtaking as the daring and courageous Princess Jasmine. I absolutely loved her take on this character. She was the best thing that happened to this film. And last but not least, the all powerful, Will smith whom portrayed the blue genie in the best way possible. While no one can come close to the legendary Robin Williams, Will is surely around that corner. His humor and wittiness played a big role in making his character lovable and entertaining.
In addition, because Aladdin is basically a celebration of the arab culture. The set, the costumes and the entire atmosphere were very colorful and eye popping. Visually breathtaking. But the minor flaw that i absolutely hated is that they went a bit too far and the whole atmosphere turned Indian at the end. While these two cultures are very much alike, i dont think they should be mixing, especially in an arabian based story.
Let's not forget about the astounding soundtracks whom alone are enough to give you ear-gasms. Totally addictive, catchy and empowering, filled with interesting hidden messages. The choreography was really well executed as well.
All in all, this remake is very entertaining and immersive.
At the end, what's important is that Aladdin is an empowering chef d'oeuvre that celebrates the beauty of the arab culture.
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