Aladdin (2019) review

Disney’s ever-expanding line of live-action remakes of their animated classics continues with one based on their 1992 release, Aladdin. The original Aladdin was very much another big success for Walt Disney Animation during their big Renaissance period in the ’90s. It was the second film of the era to be directed by the duo of Ron Clements and John Musker following The Little Mermaid, AKA the film that officially launched the Renaissance in 1989. And upon its release, Aladdin became the first animated film to gross over $500 million worldwide, effectively making it the highest-grossing film of the year and the studio’s highest-grossing film to date until The Lion King (which will get its own remake later this summer) surpassed it just two years later. It won two Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for ‘A Whole New World’, which also notably became the first (and, to date, only) Disney song to win the Grammy Award for Best Song of the Year. But, of course, for those who grew up with this classic, arguably its most definitive highlight is Robin Williams’ legendary turn as the friendly, pop-cultural savvy Genie, which won him a Special Achievement award at that year’s Golden Globes ceremony. With all this in mind, this new version of Aladdin has arguably faced some of the toughest expectations that any live-action Disney remake has faced so far, especially after it had to deal with a bunch of controversies during its production that ranged from casting decisions to poorly-received bits of marketing. However, it is now upon us, with veteran filmmaker Guy Ritchie behind the camera and Will Smith taking on the difficult task of following in the footsteps of Robin Williams, and the end result is a film that may not surpass the original but is still a fun time to be had as a retelling of the story of the ‘Diamond in the Rough’.  

In the bustling streets of the desert kingdom Agrabah, a charismatic street rat named Aladdin (Mena Massoud) spends every day scraping around for food and staying out of trouble with his monkey sidekick, Abu (voiced by Frank Welker). On one fateful day, Aladdin helps a young woman out of a troubling predicament and the two begin to hit it off. However, Aladdin soon learns that this girl is none other than Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott), who aspires to be Sultan but is being forced by law to marry a prince from one of Agrabah’s neighboring kingdoms. Recognizing that he has no chance of being with her, Aladdin agrees to an offer made to him by Jafar (Marwan Kenzari), the Royal Vizier to the Sultan (Navid Negahban) who secretly aspires to take over the kingdom. Per Jafar’s request, Aladdin enters the mythical Cave of Wonders to retrieve a magic lamp that’s hidden inside. Once Aladdin finds it, he unleashes the lamp’s sole occupant, an omnipotent Genie (Will Smith), who informs him that he’s now been granted three wishes. Thus, with Genie’s help, Aladdin becomes the majestic ‘Prince Ali Ababwa’ in his attempt to try and woo Jasmine. But as Genie reminds him, it’s going to take a lot more than just his new princely status to win her over. Plus, there’s also the pressing situation of having to deal with Jafar’s sinister plot to use the Genie’s powers to become the next Sultan of Agrabah.

On paper, Guy Ritchie may seem like an odd choice to be this film’s director as most of his films tend to be either gritty crime dramas (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch) or flashy period pieces (the Sherlock Holmes duology starring Robert Downey Jr., Man from UNCLE). At the same time, though, Ritchie’s also been known for his extremely stylish action sequences, which is arguably quite fitting for a swashbuckling adventure flick like Aladdin. Sure enough, this film’s action sequences are solidly done, and Ritchie’s directorial flair also factors well for the musical numbers. As was the case with the original film, Alan Menken handles the score and all the classic songs that he created with Tim Rice and the late Howard Ashman are featured once again, with La La Land/The Greatest Showman songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul providing some updated lyrics. Pasek and Paul also provide the film with its sole new song, ‘Speechless’, a big solo for Jasmine that’s an undisputed highlight of the soundtrack. As for the plot, it admittedly follows the same beat as the remake of Beauty and the Beast by not making any major narrative changes. It’s still the same story of Aladdin wooing Jasmine with the help of Genie while also dealing with the threat of Jafar; as such, the biggest changes compared to the original film are primarily cosmetic ones (e.g. new characters, a different spin on Jasmine’s character arc, etc.). Because of this, it does put this film in the same boat as the Beauty and the Beast remake as some will undoubtedly ask “Why remake this, then, if you’re just going to tell the exact same story?”, and to that, I have no answer. At the very least, Guy Ritchie does a solid job handling the source material and keeps everything at a solid pace throughout.  

As you can probably guess, easily one of the most talked about aspects of this film was finding someone to play the Genie. It goes without saying that Robin Williams’ version of the character from the animated film still stands as one of the most beloved performances of his career. Thus, finding someone to follow in his footsteps was undoubtedly one of the most daunting tasks in recent cinematic history. As such, the way I see it is that the only way to have a Genie that’s up to par with Williams’ version is to find someone with a bona fide screen presence… Will Smith is one of those actors, and sure enough, Smith does manage to hold his own against Williams’ Genie. Instead of just copying Williams’ comedic style (e.g. his knack for impressions), he implements his classic Fresh Prince persona into the role, and ultimately, it does work very well for this version of the Genie. Smith’s then backed by the film’s excellent lead duo of Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott. As Aladdin, Massoud is properly charismatic, has phenomenal camaraderie with Smith, and wonderful chemistry with Naomi Scott. Scott, meanwhile, benefits greatly from the film providing some very satisfying updates to the character of Jasmine by focusing more on her desire to be Sultan as exemplified by her compassion for the kingdom of Agrabah. This especially comes into play during a key scene in the finale, which generally gives her a lot more to do when compared to her animated counterpart. It also helps that the film gives Jasmine a new ally in her loyal handmaiden Dalia (Nasim Pedrad), who gets plenty of the film’s best humorous moments. But if there is one weak link in this film, it is, unfortunately, Jafar. Marwan Kenzari does his best with what he’s given, but the film never really gives Jafar an opportunity to be as delightfully sinister as he was in the animated film.

As noted in the intro, this Disney remake faced quite a bit of controversy prior to its release when compared to others from its subgenre, and not just because it was a remake of a Disney Renaissance film. Prior to filming, controversy arose over certain casting choices, namely Naomi Scott as Jasmine because she isn’t primarily Middle Eastern and Billy Magnussen as one of Jasmine’s princely suitors AKA the sole white guy of the main cast (though, to be clear, he’s only in it for about 3-5 minutes). Once filming began, another scandal came into play over reports that white extras were being made up to look Middle Eastern, which Disney claimed was only for some rare instances of safety precautions. And then finally, once the marketing for the film kicked in, let’s just say that the first reveal of Will Smith as Genie in his traditional blue form didn’t exactly go over well with people on the internet. Simply put, this film faced a lot of scrutiny going in, and yet, at the end of the day, it’s another solid entry in this current line-up of Disney’s live-action remakes. No, I’m not saying that it’s ‘better’ than the original, but thanks to an enthusiastic trio of performances from Will Smith, Mena Massoud, and Naomi Scott, this new take on Aladdin is still a very entertaining romp. And really, that’s what I’ve been saying all along with these recent Disney live-action remakes. For the most part, they’ve been generally respectful takes on their source material, and their mere existence doesn’t harm the legacy of their animated counterparts as much as some may claim. After all, I’d argue that most Disney animated films are strong enough to stand the test of time regardless of how dated some of them may be, and that is very much the case with the original Aladdin. And to its credit, the new Aladdin does manage to be a fun, nostalgic trip down memory lane.   

       

Rating: 5/5!

Power Rangers (2017) review

While I was only around for half of the decade, I do consider myself to be a ‘90’s kid’. And with that said, many ‘90’s kids’ will agree that one of the definitive shows of their childhoods was Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Developed by TV theme song composers Haim Saban and Shuki Levy, the series, which utilized stock footage from Toei’s Super Sentai franchise and repurposed it around an American cast, became a worldwide phenomenon when it debuted in 1993. Nearly 25 years later, the series is still going strong today with new themed iterations debuting every year, and while nowadays some feel that the original series has not aged well because of its cheesy nature, it’s still very much a landmark show of its era. I’ll admit, though, that I wasn’t really a Power Rangers fan growing up, mainly just because the original Mighty Morphin series was already over before I was even a year old. However, because it’s so directly tied to my generation, I was at least interested in seeing the new film reboot of this legendary franchise. And thus, here we are with Power Rangers, the third Power Rangers film released to date after 1995’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie and 1997’s Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie. As stated earlier, it serves as a reboot of the original Mighty Morphin series, with a new cast taking on the roles of the original Ranger team. It’s also easily the biggest Power Rangers film to date in terms of its budget and scale. But, of course, this now leads to one big question; will this succeed in appealing to fans of the franchise while also serving as an effective introduction for the uninitiated? Well, for the most part, director Dean Israelite (Project Almanac) does succeed in redefining this franchise for a new generation.  

In the town of Angel Grove, suspended high school quarterback Jason Lee Scott (Dacre Montgomery), autistic nerd Billy Cranston (RJ Cyler), and ousted cheerleader Kimberly Hart (Naomi Scott) begin to bond while being forced to spend time in detention for various incidents that they were involved in at school. One night, the three end up at the local mines where they, along with truant Zack Taylor (Ludi Lin) and new student Trini Kwan (Becky G), come across five mysterious coin-like artifacts trapped within the rocks. After taking them, the five begin to find themselves imbued with new powers, namely superhuman strength. When they return to where they found the coins, they end up in an ancient spaceship buried deep underground. There, they come across Zordon (Bryan Cranston), an ancient being whose consciousness was uploaded into the ship’s matrix by his android assistant Alpha 5 (Bill Hader). Zordon tells them that they have been chosen by the Power Coins that they’ve found to become the Power Rangers, a group of warriors who protect the Earth from those who seek the Zeo Crystal, the source of their power. And, sure enough, one of those threats, former Green Ranger Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks), awakens from her long slumber and plans on rebuilding her monster, Goldar, to find the Zeo Crystal, which Zordon (the former Red Ranger) had buried deep underground millions of years ago when she betrayed their team. With little time to spare before she unleashes her army of monsters upon Angel Grove, the five teens find themselves tasked with trying to band together to become the Rangers and use all their abilities to save their home and their world.  

Overall, this new Power Rangers film does away with many of the campier elements of the original series. Now, for the record, there are still some silly moments here and there (e.g. brace yourself for one ludicrous bit of product placement that literally ends up becoming a major part of the plot) but, overall, the plot is taken more seriously than previous iterations of the franchise. And while this may result in some tonal inconsistencies here and there, like whenever Rita attacks someone in a rather intense manner, the film still manages to capture the feel of the franchise without going completely campy. Plus, with the addition of various nods to the series for eagle-eyed fans to point out, some of which I’m sure I didn’t notice the first time being only a casual fan of the franchise, I think longtime fans will enjoy this new film quite fine. Based on what I’ve seen from the original series, it doesn’t seem like it pulls any major deviations from the source material, aside from new characterizations for the protagonists, that would betray what made the franchise popular in the first place. The big question, though, is how it appeals to newcomers of the franchise. It does so by way of an ‘origin story’. And, yes, I know that this phrase has sort of become a ‘bad word’ amongst filmgoers but here, it is done quite well because it’s about the five teens learning to become the Rangers instead of just being instantly able to do so like in the show. Thus, it ends up sharing a similar aspect with 1997’s Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie in that the teens don’t fully morph into the Rangers until the finale. But in this case, it does work because of their journey beforehand to become the Rangers, instead of just sidelining them in their own film like Turbo did. And once they do get into the suits, the action, which, obviously, is primarily CG-based this time around with an undeniably Transformers vibe to it, is solid.  

As fans of the show know, one of its trademark lines was ‘Teenagers with Attitude’, a phrase uttered by Zordon in the opening credits (though not the show itself) to describe the team. However, in the show, the Rangers were always portrayed as good students and, thus, more like role models and not really ‘teenagers with attitude’. Here, though, they very much emphasize the ‘attitude’ part, showcasing a group of misfits who must come together to become the heroes they’re meant to be. And, like I said before, while the show had them capable of morphing into the Rangers right out the gate, I do like how, in this film, they must work to get to that level. Also, to the filmmakers’ credit, they did pick an excellent group of leads to take on these iconic roles. Granted, some get more attention than others (namely Jason, Kimberly, and Billy, who are the first to be introduced in the film; Zack and Trini don’t come in until they get the Power Coins) but they do have fantastic chemistry with each other. Not bad for a group that’s mostly made up of general newcomers; just goes to show that perhaps Dean Israelite’s greatest strength as a director is working with younger actors/actresses. As for their supporting cast, Bryan Cranston (who notably provided villain voices for the original series and was even the inspiration for the Blue Ranger’s name, Billy Cranston) brings the proper dignified nature to the role of Zordon while Bill Hader provides some enjoyable comic relief in the role of Alpha 5 (“Ai yi yi!”). Finally, there’s Elizabeth Banks as main villain Rita Repulsa; she’s quite over-the-top here, keeping very much in line with the Rita of the original series. It’ll either work for you or it won’t. Personally, it didn’t bother me but maybe that’s because she’s not really in the film that much, as the focus is primarily on the Rangers, which is a good thing.

So, as I stated before, I didn’t grow up with Power Rangers. I did watch some episodes of the show before watching this film (as well as the previous films) and, like I said last time, I probably would’ve loved the show had I watched it as a kid. But, overall, going into this I was a newcomer to the franchise that had gradually become a casual fan once I finally watched some episodes of it. And overall, as a ‘casual fan’ of Power Rangers, I rather enjoyed this new film. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that it’s groundbreaking or anything but as a new iteration of a popular franchise, it manages to appeal to both longtime fans and those like me who come into it generally new to the series. In the case of the former, it does this through solid but respectful homages to the franchise while the latter will find a surprisingly engrossing origin story with solid characters portrayed by an excellent group of leads. Now, with that said, admittedly if you weren’t already big on the series to begin with, you probably won’t get much out of this. Despite the change in tone, it’s still the same generally silly premise of teens fighting aliens in giant robots. But, if you are a fan of the show, it is a nice new addition to the franchise. It’s basically the original Mighty Morphin series but with the budget and scale that it just didn’t have back when it was on. Thus, I think longtime fans will enjoy this just fine; I can tell that just from my own theater experience. When the Power Rangers theme came on, there was applause. Thus, I think it’s safe to say that Power Rangers will be a definite crowd-pleaser for fans young and old.

Rating: 4/5