Film Review: "Aladdin" (2019).

"On May 24 comes a rags to wishes story" with Aladdin (2019). This musical fantasy film directed by Guy Ritchie, co-written by Ritchie and John August, and based on the 1992 Disney animated classic and the eponymous Middle Eastern folktale from One Thousand and One Nights. The lovable street urchin Aladdin meets Princess Jasmine, the beautiful daughter of the sultan of Agrabah. While visiting her exotic palace, Aladdin stumbles upon a magic oil lamp that unleashes a powerful, wisecracking, larger-than-life genie. As Aladdin and the genie start to become friends, they must soon embark on a dangerous mission to stop the evil sorcerer Jafar from overthrowing young Jasmine's kingdom.

In early October 2016, Disney announced that Ritchie would helm the "ambitious and nontraditional" live action remake. In February 2017, producer Dan Lin announced a worldwide and diverse casting call to find actors of the right ethnicity for the film, which commenced in March, with production set to begin in July. In early July, the production was delayed due to Disney having trouble finding the right people to play the roles. Ultimately, Will Smith was cast as Genie after Smith and Gabriel Iglesias were in talks. In addition, Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott were cast as Aladdin and Jasmine, after Dev Patel, Avan Jogia, Riz Ahmed, George Kosturos, Jade Thirlwall, and Tara Sutaria were in talks and tasted. By early September, Marwan Kenzari, Navid Negahban, Nasim Pedrad, and Numan Acar rounded out the cast as Jafar, The Sultan, Dalia, and Hakim. At the same time, principal photography commenced and wrapped in late January 2018. Filming took place at Longcross Studios in Surrey, England, and Wadi Rum Desert in Jordan. The film was shot digitally with the Arrival Alexa camera with anamorphic Panavision lenses in the 2.39 : 1 aspect ratio. Production designer Gemma Jackson drew inspiration from Moroccan, Persian, and Turkish cultures, Victorian paintings, and Iznik ceramics for the design of Agrabah. Industrial Light & Magic, Hybride Technologies, DNEG, Nzviage, and Proof provided the film's visual effects under the supervision of Michael Mullholland, Daniele Bigi, and David Seager.

The film stars Smith, Massoud, Scott, Kenzari, Negahban, and Pedrad. The performances given by the cast vary. Smith gave an entertaining performance that honoured Robin Williams' original whilst putting his own spin on the character. Massoud gave a serviceable performance despite his interpretation of the titular character taking a back seat in the character development department. Scott gave an impressive rendition of the Disney princess with a much needed modern spirit. Finally, Kenzari gave an underwhelming interpretation of the classic villain who proved to be anything but terrifying.

With an outstanding cast, nostalgic songs, and a visually stunning eye, Aladdin is a lovingly crafted movie, and in some ways a good one, but before that it's an enraptured piece of old-is-new nostalgia. Sadly, there's certainly nothing much that's new about this version (well, except it isn't a cartoon anymore), but it's a good recreation of a classic animated film that should leave most die-hards satisfied.

Simon says Aladdin (2019) receives:

Also, see my reviews for Dumbo and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.