Aladdin

I like passing judgment.  In fact, I have even been called judgmental on more than one occasion.  It used to bother me, but now I embrace it.  Call me judgmental all you want, just know that I am very openly judging you.

Today, however, I am judging a movie: Disney's most recent live-action remake.

After some debate with myself, I finally decided to take Jammy to see this movie without first previewing it.  Let me say this:

Best.

Decision.

Ever.

Not only did she love it...I LOVED IT!!!  Getting to experience this with my little girl -who is just a smidge younger than I was when the original animated version came out- was nothing short of magical. In a way, I was able to relive that moment of my childhood through my daughter.

Remember how much I loved the 2017 remake of Beauty and the Beast?  Yeah.  Same with this one.

Most of my feelings can be summed up right here, by Lincee at i hate green beans.  She really hit the nail right on the head with her review of this movie.  Nevertheless, here are a few of my praises, observations, and critiques...

Praise #1 - The Colors!

Whoa, y'all.  I know this will sound shallow, but I have never been so proud to be Arabic as I am when it comes to our food, fashion, and decorating.  Fo' real.  While I couldn't taste this movie (although it did give me cravings), the visual appeal just went deep.  Jasmine's wardrobe was nothing short of exquisite and yes, I have imagined myself wearing equally bedazzled Hammer pants.  Habibi has called me his "Desert Flower" for years and, while I look nothing like Naomi Scott, I like to fantasize that I'm just as exotic as Princess Jasmine.  I have from the day I met her back in 1992 and she became the first of my favorite Disney princesses...  But the colors weren't limited to Jasmine alone.  Between the market place scenes, the piles of golden saffron and spices, the sumptuous fabrics and designs in the palace, and the famous Prince Ali number with the epic entourage, I was so overstimulated in the best possible way.

Praise #2 - The Music!

Ah, man!  I sang every word!!!  (Sorry, family sitting next to me.)  They changed a few of the lyrics on me, but more on that in a sec.  Both Mena Massoud (Aladdin) and Naomi Scott (Jasmine) have some legit pipes.  If you haven't seen these musical numbers on the big screen, you really need to do so.  

Observation #1 - More Politically Correct

As I mentioned, some of the lyrics were changed to the big songs.  This is probably for the best as Disney has a tendency to strive for political correctness.  Compare, for instance, this line from the 1992 version and the 2019 version of Prince Ali:

1992:  He's got slaves, he's got servants, and flunkies...

2019:  He's got ten thousand servants and flunkies...

Our modern western sensibilities are offended by the idea of slaves, despite the very real existence of slavery in Near Eastern history.  Nevertheless, as the Disney version of Aladdin is in a fictional place (and perhaps time?), I prefer to imagine Prince Ali as anti-slavery.

While this is just one example of lyrical changes made to the musical numbers in this film, there was another -rather poignant- change.  Do you remember this guy, from the beginning of the animated version?

Despite being a humorous character (who, honestly, always made me laugh as a child), he really was a sort of unflattering caricature of the stereotypical Arab merchant.  At any rate, he did not appear at all in the 2019 version.  They took an entirely different approach that I don't wish to spoil for you here if you have not seen the latest production.

Critique #1 - Casting of Jasmine

First, let me say this:  Naomi Scott was fab.u.lous.  Really and truly.  This girl can sing, play a likable princess, and look gorgeous throughout (without looking emaciated).  That being said, I am one of the critics of Disney for not casting an Arabic girl in an Arabic role.  Not hatin', just statin'.  On the other hand...

Praise #3 - The Casting!

Naomi Scott (Jasmine) - Perfect choice.  Seriously.  She was great, and I can usually find something that irritates me.  She did not.  Not even a teeny tiny bit.  I had low expectations for her, but she was stunning.

Mena Massoud (Aladdin) - Oh my goodness.  He is so adorable.  That smile.  Those dimples!  And the way that little man can move!  When I was little, I always imagined myself like this with a handsome prince like Aladdin:

Now, as a grown woman with more life experience, a couple of kids, anger issues, and a classic "mom butt", I feel that I fall more into this category when I see a handsome Disney prince:

Will Smith (Genie) - Oh, how my heart hurts when I remember the man who made the Genie come to life for me as a child.  Robin Williams, RIP.  You will forever be Genie, Mr. Keating, Mrs. Doubtfire, Peter Pan...  But alas, the time has come to pass the torch to another.  When Disney announced that Will Smith would be playing the role of the Genie, I had my doubts.  But man alive, did he come through!  I forgot how much fun Will Smith is in comedic roles.  It has been such a long time since he has done something funny!  He was delightful as the Genie, and I loved the little hip-hop flair he brought to the character.  (You know me and hip-hop.)  It was great, and I have already listened to the soundtrack -particularly his numbers- repeatedly.  It was the perfect blend of homage to Robin Williams and Will Smith making it his own.

Alan Tudyk (Iago) - The man of a thousand (Disney) voices made yet another appearance in an unexpected role.  I had no idea that we would be graced with the likes of the Duke (Frozen), Duke Weaselton (Zootopia), Heihei (Moana), King Candy (Wreck-It Ralph), and KnowsMore (Ralph Breaks the Internet).  Seeing his name in the credits always makes me smile.  I was bummed that we didn't have the running commentary of 1992 Iago (2019 Iago has far fewer lines), but I digress.

Observation #2 - Roles of Women
First things first:  I really dug Jasmine's new song Speechless.  I enjoyed how it showcased Naomi Scott's vocal talent and -as a woman- I could wholly relate to the sentiment behind the lyrics.  I find it especially relevant considering the #metoo culture in which we live, particularly in Hollywood.  The only thing that keeps this from being a praise is the fact that I can't shake the feeling that we are imposing our western values on a non-western culture.  In the occidental world, we like to imagine that women are equal to men.  In my heart of hearts, I want this to be true all over the world so that women everywhere can enjoy the same freedoms and basic human rights that men do.  On the other hand, I know that taking our values and forcing them on another culture is not the most effective way of doing things.  (Why hello there, Middle-Eastern-Conflict-Since-The-Dawn-Of-Time.  Can I interest anyone like a nice, tall glass of Colonialism?)  I'm not saying that one or the other is right or better (although, as a woman, I most definitely feel that I have it waaaaay better in the western world where I can speak and drive and vote and have a job and do basically whatever the hell I want), I'm just wondering where we draw the line.  We see that forced democracy does not work.  Does forced gender equality?  I'm sure I'm overthinking this.  It's just  Disney movie, for crying out loud.  And yeah, Jasmine should get her own song.  Maybe art doesn't imitate life the way they say it does and I should just enjoy the movie for what it is.  Shut up, brain.

Praise #4 - Incorporating Other Disney "Easter Eggs"
Question: When Aladdin, Abu, the Genie, and the carpet first get out of the cave and are hanging out in the desert, did anyone notice what the carpet was building in the sand?
Answer:  A sand castle...Cinderella's castle to be exact, complete with a shock of sand that forms the arch over the castle (that begins every Disney movie).

What we saw when we were kids before every Disney movie:

What our kids see now before every Disney movie:

Also, did you catch what showed up when Aladdin asked the Genie to make Babwa appear on a map?  (Spoiler:  It was a map of Disney World.)

Critique #2 - Odd Romances

I'm not going to say much on this, just in case you haven't seen the movie.  But was anyone else a little weirded out by the side romance going on in the movie?  Of course these characters deserve happiness.  It just wasn't what I was expecting...

Observation #3 - Directorial Touch

Guy Ritchie directed this flick.  Even if you didn't know this beforehand (Habibi actually informed me of it), you might have caught glimmers of his style throughout.  Think stylized "choppy-ness", bits of film sped up or slowed down to invoke a particular mood or emotion.  Parts of it resembled Sherlock Holmes or Snatch more than the original Aladdin.

Critique #3 - Sequences of A Whole New World and Final Climax Scene

As with any remake, this film wasn't exactly like the original.  Scenes were added, deleted, changed; this is expected.  One thing, however, that I missed about the original was the fabled A Whole New World scene.  The cartoon takes Aladdin and Jasmine all around the world on the magic carpet.  It is (dare I say it?) magical, even to me as an adult.  The ride ends in China with the romantic leads watching a fireworks show and parade.  In the remake, it seems that Aladdin and Jasmine just take a spin around Agrabah.  Not bad, but I was slightly disappointed that we didn't get the sphinx or China or gardens in Greece.  I missed that.  I mean, if I'm to believe that they are flying around on a rug, then I can certainly suspend my disbelief enough to imagine them flying around the world in the few minutes it takes them to get through the song.

Another scene that was altered quite a bit was the final climax sequence where Jafar takes power after laying hold of the magic lamp.  It was good and, while I appreciated Jasmine's bigger role in saving the day, I gotta say...I prefer the original series of events.  The huge hour glass, baby Rajah (adorbs!), and the enormous cobra were all written out of the new script.  I missed Jafar's gloating song about "Prince Ali A-boo-boo", and the Genie's almost frightening "phenomenal cosmic powers" on display (in spite of himself).  These moments were just not present in the remake.  And I missed them.

All in all, this was a great movie.  For two hours, I got to be a child again.  It was such a treat to experience that with my daughter.  Getting to share in that nostalgia alongside her was worth every penny.  As we were leaving the theater, she asked me what my wishes would be if I had a Genie.  While I won't remember my answers to that question years from now, the opportunity to enjoy such a timeless story with her will be forever unforgettable.