Rating: B+
Introduction
I decided to watch the live-action version of Disney's Aladdin (2019) since I recently reviewed the original Aladdin movie. It's hard to compare the two since they're both so different. A different vibe is present with the live-action movie. Your immersion increases with all the scenes because of the genuine emotion that comes along with the actors' expressions. This is my first live-action Disney movie and was pleasantly surprised by how well done it was.
Costumes/Set
Somehow the outfits were even more crazy and extraordinary than the original film. With animating, you can imagine the endless possibilities the creators have with costumes and scenery. Somehow this version has significantly more detail and design to the clothing/accessories. My jaw dropped when I saw the city of Agrabah. The number of buildings and people apart of the community was outstanding, and it reminded me of the Odyssey Assassins Creed game.
Jasmine
I must go back to the topic of Jasmine again because DANG she popped off in this movie even more than the original. When Disney was thinking about this movie, they decided to make two new songs designated just for Jasmine, which shows that they advocate for every character in their productions. Another aspect of the movie I loved was Jasmine's friend. Not Rajah but her actual human friend. Her role added extra humor to the film, especially when she started to have feelings for the Genie and was super awkward about it too. They should've included her in the original movie but too late now! Maybe that's why Disney decided to create live-action versions of movies they felt needed improvement.
Jafar
They even included a backstory for Jafar. What?! I was hoping they would do that because all you know about Jafar from the original movie is that he's evil. Maybe that's why I despised him so much. The live-action Aladdin gives the audience a chance to appreciate the motives behind Jafar and why he has such hatred towards others. Every villain has a reason behind why they act a certain way, and it was more apparent to me after watching this movie. He and Iago's relationship was a lot more subtle, which I enjoyed. Iago wasn't as obnoxious as the original movie. I think it's because he didn't squawk as though he had a megaphone coming out of his throat.
Aladdin
Can we talk about how the actor who plays Aladdin looks exactly like Noah Centineo? The first glimpse I had of his face, I could've sworn it was him. Aladdin's acting is even like Noah's. No offense to both actors, but their delivery could be a bit livelier. Maybe the directors wanted a more laid back, simple character.
Genie
On a side note, I thought Genie was incredibly well cast. In real life, Will smith is already a wise and inspirational figure. He deserves a role where the character gives numerous amounts of insight to other people. There's a theme to Disney movies where a moral is introduced at some point. The example I took away from watching this movie was when Genie said, "the more you gain by pretending, the less you're going to have." That stuck out to me because in the past (we're talking middle school), I was always an entertainer who never actually showed the real me. I felt as though not a lot of people understood who I was, and at the time, I probably didn't even know the answer to that either. Disney is an inspiration to thousands and thousands of children across the world, and every movie has a take-home message.
Hi everyone! The writer of this blog is Cyan Fuehr. She is currently a freshman at CWU who is planning on majoring in Business administration/marketing and minoring in nutrition + entrepreneurship. Cyan has a huge passion for music, nature, volleyball, working out, and dogs. We hope you have a wonderful day! :)
-4/27/2020-
