As a huge fan of the original, probably one of my most watched movies ever, this was actually pretty enjoyable. However my super familiarity with Aladdin meant it was almost impossible to not be constantly comparing both movies. I was kinda distracted by the little changes and tweaks they made here and there. It's some same but different, but still same shit. I found most of it unnecessary, like how the red jewel is still the cause of the Cave of Wonders caving in, but instead of hypnotizing Abu it just falls on his hands. Or how Aladdin tricks the Genie into escaping from the cave. Or how both movies have a CGI crazy carpet ride set piece, but they happen at entirely different moments. Or needless changes in the dialogue just to mix stuff up. There's a lot of shit like that peppered throughout the film. Like they were trying too hard to not be just a remake of Aladdin, but you're still working within the same story, characters, core and structure, so what are you even trying to do here. Many of these changes are not really for the better, more like a step sideways at best. But others help make the movie seem more believable to be honest, like the extended introduction scene for when Prince Ali first enters the palace. That actually kinda worked for me. Or working a bit more to develop Aladdin and Jasmine's relationship, or actually explaining how they can't recognize Aladdin when he's Prince Ali. Some stuff's actually alright.
Also seemed like they purposefully were trying to avoid having the remake resemble the original at all. There are barely any visual nods. But it's a nice looking movie overall. The guyritchie-isms were kept to a minimum, although I was surprised that some of the worst moments in the movie were the big set pieces. Especially One Jump Ahead. I think everyone has commented on this, but whatthefuck at the constant slowing down and speeding up of the action, it was so jarring, never mind somehow Aladdin still singing at normal speed during those moments. The whole sequence in general was a total failure frankly, didn't work for me at all. Expanding on the idea of freerunning could've been cool but in the end it's just a mess. The original is littered with little fun vignettes in basically every shot but this one just has none of the imagination and creativity of the original. I also thought the A Whole New World scene was pretty lame and basic compared to the original. While I do like the new more bombastic arrangement, funnily enough it kinda doesn't fit what seems to be a much more lowkey sequence. I guess it's a victim of having to ground it down a tad cuz live action. It's a bit strange how sometimes the movie goes absolutely over the top, but for other stuff it just tones everything way down.
As far as the actors go, I was surprised by Mena, I gotta admit. He starts out shaky but grows on you, he plays off pretty well with the Genie. And like everyone has mentioned, Will Smith steals the show the same as Robin Williams did. By the end he definitely ended up making the role his own, which was a tall order no doubt. Really enjoyed his performance and his take on the character. Had no issues with his blue CG self either. I actually thought Naomi Scott was kinda dry as Jasmine, didn't really make a strong impression on me despite having vastly more screen time here, but I appreciate the attempt at giving her character more agency and turning her into less of a damsel in distress. Her one song is actually pretty nice, but I'm not exactly sure how well it fits into the movie for now. Her handmaiden is alright.
But most other characters are just straight up bad The less is said about Jaffar the better. I don't mind giving this character some kind of backstory, but dude could he be any more wack. Completely non-threatening and lacking in anything resembling screen presence. Then there's the sultan who might as well some nameless extra in the background. OTOH I love the OG Sultan, such a funny little character. They really screwed up with those two. Just being different for different's sake.
So overall I think this movie is basically succeeding on the strength of the original and also thanks to Will Smith. So they didn't mess it up too bad. Still mostly shares the same story and the same music, but it could've been better. I think it's gonna end up being a huge crowd pleaser though. Overall a pretty good effort if disconnected from the fact that it's a remake of a superior film.
Funnily enough I think the nostalgia that makes me nitpick the shit out of it also helped me enjoy it more than I would have probably. :P
