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Aladdin (2019)

★★½ — Aladdin (2019)

Guy Ritchie was a curious choice to helm Disney's live-action remake of their beloved 1992 animated classic, given that his filmography ran almost exclusively to crime capers (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, the Sherlock Holmes films) with very little in the musical or family-friendly territory. Disney had reportedly considered a long list of directors, including some with stronger musical credentials, before landing on Ritchie. The film was shot largely on elaborate sets at Longcross Studios in Surrey and on location in Jordan, with a $183 million budget that reflected the scale of the enterprise. Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott were both relative newcomers when cast in the lead roles, and the production generated considerable pre-release discussion (some of it sceptical) around Will Smith filling the Genie role originally voiced by Robin Williams. It opened in May 2019 and crossed a billion dollars at the global box office, making it one of Disney's more commercially successful live-action revivals of the period.

Let’s be honest: casting anyone as the Genie after Robin Williams was always going to be a losing battle. Will Smith steps in with charisma, energy, and that trademark smirk, doing his best to make the role his own, and he’s not bad, exactly. He brings a modern, laid-back cool and manages a few solid laughs. But he’s still Will Smith playing Will Smith. There’s no manic genius, no whirlwind of impressions, no soul-stirring shift from comedy to warmth. Williams wasn’t just performing, he was channelling pure, unpredictable magic. No amount of blue paint can fill that void. The rest of the remake follows the now-familiar Disney playbook: step by step recreations of the animated classic, glossy CGI replacing hand-drawn charm, and a few awkward attempts to “update” the story without changing much at all. Mena Massoud is likeable as Aladdin, Naomi Scott sings well as Jasmine, but the chemistry between them is thin and the romance feels rushed. The expanded role for Jasmine, giving her dreams beyond the palace, is well-intentioned, but it’s tacked on rather than woven into the story. Visually, it’s clean and bright, but soulless. The magic carpet still has charm, the songs are competently performed, and “Prince Ali” is a lively set piece, but it’s all so safe, so calculated. The sense of wonder, the spontaneity and the heart of the original are all lost in translation. It’s not offensive, not a disaster, just another in a long line of hollow, by-the-numbers remakes. Technically fine, emotionally flat. They kept the tunes and the plot, but forgot the magic. Another lifeless echo of something that once sparkled.

Rating: ★★½ | Year: 2019 | Watched: 2025-08-06

View on Letterboxd →

Where to watch (UK)

Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Sky Store
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Sky Store
Physical: Amazon UK

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