'Aladdin' (2019) Review

Synopsis: A kindhearted street rat frees a genie from a magic lamp, granting him three wishes to fulfill his deepest desires. But soon, an evil sorcerer becomes hell-bent on securing the lamp for his own sinister purposes.

Runtime: 128 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG (for some action/peril)

Who should see it? Families and fans of Disney's live-action remakes.

Based on the classic 1992 Disney animation, Aladdin is directed by Guy Ritchie and features a screenplay co-penned by Guy Ritchie and John August. Of Disney's recent live-action reimaginings, this is perhaps the one which I've been most skeptical. Guy Ritchie's filmography is hit-or-miss for me, and the marketing did not inspire confidence whatsoever. Nevertheless, the original is one of my favorite Disney animated features, so I hoped to extract some enjoyment in-spite of rock-bottom expectations. Thankfully, it proved slightly better than the train-wreck I imagined.

Though there are occasional alterations, Ritchie's Aladdin largely adheres to the original's narrative and incorporates many of the iconic imagery, moments, and songs from the animation. Unfortunately, these tweaks hardly enhanced anything and often detracted rather than supplement the story. The 2019 version is 37 minutes longer, but the ancillary runtime's rarely justified since the additions either exist purely for the sake of differentiation, including extra action set pieces, or complicating simple story beats. Perhaps the most egregious issues lie in August and Ritchie's script. This live-action incarnation retains the same message as the animated version, but clumsily communicates its lessons to the audience. There are many scenes in which the film's themes are awkwardly over-explained via dialogue. For comparison, dialogue from the 1992 edition was far more subtle, communicating more meaning with far less effort. 

Changes aside, August and Ritchie combine early story beats to sloppily rush through the first act, which I suspect may confuse those unfamiliar with the animation. Without knowledge of the original, there's not enough development or explanation surrounding particular plot points for new viewers to understand the gist of these scenes. Otherwise, Ritchie's directorial trademarks are deeply woven into this magic carpet, to a distracting degree. One of Ritchie's stylistic tendencies is an editing technique which simultaneously speeds up/slows down objects or actors in the foreground/background. This bizarre blend of hyperkinetic motion and slo-mo was especially noticeable during the parkour chases and choreographed numbers on top of looking incredibly unnatural. On behalf of this stylistic choice and some painfully wooden acting I'll address later, there's an awkward energy which is pervasive in the remake. 

Regarding the musical numbers, "Friend Like Me" was by far the most impressive. However, it still suffered from the inconsistent visual effects present throughout the feature. The other songs each suffer from different issues including obvious auto-tuning, awkward placement (the reprise of the new song "Speechless"), and flimsy execution. Most notably, "Prince Ali" is a very high-energy song, and while there's a colorful presentation of costumes, sets, and effects, the choreography and staging felt very restrained and uninspired. And flat cinematography certainly didn't help matters.

So what is Aladdin's most pressing problem? Well, it's actually Aladdin... Mena Massoud is merely miscast as he fails to exude the character's charm or much personality at all. His performance is very wooden, and it sounded as though he was heavily auto-tuned, so the lead of this musical can't even sing... I think I know why he may have been selected though. His inherent awkwardness came in handy when Aladdin's unsuccessfully charming Jasmine and it appeared as though he was physically inclined to perform much of the parkour stunt-work himself. Meanwhile, there's the lingering question of whether Will Smith could step into Robin Williams' shoes as Genie. The role requires a larger-than-life personality, and thankfully, Smith proved up to the task. It's unrealistic to expect him to match Robin Williams' iconic portrayal of the classic character, but he makes the role his own and lends a lot of personality to the film.

However, the runaway star was Naomi Scott as Jasmine. Scott wonderfully realizes Jasmine's fierce independence and empathetic qualities, serving as an ideal live-action iteration of the character. Scott's singing ability is also on a whole other level than her co-stars, to the point where it sounded like she was slightly auto-tuned in "A Whole New World" so Massoud's lacking talent wouldn't be as noticeable. It speaks volumes that the crew went to those lengths. 

Unfortunately, the rich villainous role of Jafar becomes a one-note antagonist in the hands of Marwan Kenzari. Like Massoud, Marwan Kenzari is miscast and offers a dull portrayal of a robust character, and the film really suffers for it... Elsewhere, Navid Negahban, Nasim Pedrad, Billy Magnussen, Numan Acar, and Alan Tudyk are suitable inclusions as Sultan, Jasmine's handmaiden Dalia, suitor Prince Anders, palace guard Hakim, and the squawking parrot Iago. 

The 1992 animated incarnation transported audiences to a whole new world full of magic and wonder, but Guy Ritchie's Aladdin discards the heart, soul, and subtlety from that treasured magic carpet ride. In their place, audiences will discover an overabundance of sketchy CGI, gaudy scenery, and heavy-handed storytelling. If you've desperately hoped for a wondrous retelling of this animated classic, you'll ascertain Disney's magic lamp couldn't grant that wish. 

Film Assessment: C-

'Power Rangers' Review

Power Rangers follows five teenagers in the small town of Angle Grove as they stumble across mystic power coins and are granted exceptional abilities. The teens then must band together and learn to work as a team of heroes if they're to stand any chance defending Angel Grove from the ruinous Rita Repulsa. As I mentioned in my Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie review, I didn't grow up watching Power Rangers and this week was actually my first time to watch anything Power Rangers-related in its entirety so it goes without saying I've never been a part of the Power Rangers fanbase and therefore this review won't be biased with nineties-nostalgia. I did find it immensely interesting to watch a blockbuster for a fervent fandom I didn't have much prior knowledge on as contrasted to a new Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, or DC production where I'm able pick up on the major easter eggs and references with ease. I mention all of this to highlight how successful Power Rangers is in being somewhat accessible to new viewers and to incorporate my own personal background (or lack thereof) with the franchise considering this is a blog and not an editorial review. 

Power Rangers is directed by Dean Israelite with a screenplay penned by John Gatkins and story elements pooled from Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, and Michele and Kieran Mulroney. Israelite does a fine job juggling the responsibilities of director, maintaining momentum in the character-driven storytelling while helming some serviceable action sequences. I wasn't too big a fan of the shaky-cam cinematography Israelite and Matthew Lloyd chose to utilize or the slo/fast-mo editing incorporated in the third act finale but the action is fine for the most part. The visual effects looked great and really sold the more outlandish elements that accompany Power Rangers. The suit's have garnered a lot of comparison to Iron Man's armor but I thought they looked cool in the action scenes and are miles better than the '90s outfits.

One of my concerns going into Power Rangers was that the filmmakers were going to strive to be a gritty, dark reboot of a silly, campy concept and while the film was serious, I was pleasantly surprised with the middle ground discovered by the creative team, even though Power Rangers can be tonally inconsistent on occasion. Gatkins did a wonderful job as screenwriter positioning the lead characters to be both authentic and relatable teenagers without leaning too heavily on teen angst or any other perpetual overblown teenage stereotypes.

All the characters are outcasts but they're outcast in a believable manner; Jason and Kimberly are both twists on the typical popular kids, Billy is on the spectrum, Zack is a rebel with a cause, and Trini is lesbian. I don't think there's nearly as much controversy on that as what surrounded Beauty and the Beast (2017) but Trini is portrayed as the first openly LGBT superhero so that's worth noting I guess. The film doesn't draw much attention to it though so it never felt like a distraction and honestly it didn't do much to affect the story whatsoever. In fact, the element of the screenplay I was mostly interested with was the character dynamics and background opposed to the generic third act battle against a CG-army. If you're going to Power Rangers for the action alone, you may be bored for a good hour and a half due to the nature of being an origin story but I personally liked the decision to flesh out the characters. 

Yes, the script has plot holes, clichés, and the writing isn't particularly strong but the cast assembled really elevate the material. Dacre Montgomery seems to have what it takes to be a star and certainly exemplifies all the attributes of a leading man with his take on Jason (The Red Ranger). Montgomery managed to capture charisma and a vulnerability you wouldn't expect from his character that made him a likable leader. Naomi Scott made for a nice leading female character as Kimberly (The Pink Ranger), who thankfully wasn't there for either sex appeal or to be the damsel in distress but rather turned out to be a compelling character in her own right.

RJ Cyler however, was without a doubt the standout with his portrayal of Billy (The Blue Ranger), channeling autism in a manner that seemed authentic and respectful to those on the spectrum while just being a good-spirited likable presence. Ludi Lin's Zack (The Black Ranger) and Becky G's Trini (The Yellow Ranger) probably have the least to do of the five and feel underdeveloped in comparison but their characters didn't draw my interest so I was ok with that. Across the board, the five Rangers felt well-cast and suited to their respective roles and managed to sell the team dynamic thanks to their friendly chemistry. Elsewhere, Bryan Cranston does as much as you'd expect an actor of that caliber to possibly put forth as a floating head and Bill Hader was a nice source of comedic relief as Alpha 5.

If there's one thing I absolutely hated in this movie, it would have to be Elizabeth Banks' over-the-top portrayal of Rita Repulsa. I got some Suicide Squad Enchantress vibes from Banks' performance and that's not a good thing... Banks goes full-in on the hammy villainy you'd expect to see in the campy children's television series but in the context of this more grounded iteration of the Rangers Banks comes across to be absolutely ridiculous. She's almost singlehandedly the source of Power Rangers' tonal issues and I'd put her up for worst performance of the year with no questions asked.

One thing I'd be remised to leave out of this review is that this film has the plenty of blatant product placement, like most other blockbusters in this day-and-age. However, Power Rangers highlights one specific company to the extent that this company actually became an integral plot point and I thought it was hilarious that Power Rangers ended up being a feature length commercial for this company (I won't mention it for those who'd consider it a spoiler).

In conclusion, Power Rangers doesn't do much to stand out from the packed superhero genre but it offers an entertaining escapade for those seeking a fun time. Power Rangers ultimately suffers from being a tried-and true team superhero origin story but the core cast impressed me and helped make the film an enjoyable experience. I can highly recommend this to hardcore Power Rangers fans, who probably don't need my endorsement to begin with, and would say it's worth at least checking out once for those on the fence. While I may not have left the theater jumping up and down screaming "GO GO POWER RANGERS," I did enjoy it as the superficial popcorn blockbuster it was meant to be and would be up to go go see any sequels.

Film Assessment: C