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CLEVELAND, Ohio – And if I told you that the best time of the "Aladdin" remake based on live-action is not the magic carpet ride to "A whole new world", the introduction of the genius on "Friend Like Me" or even the The Great Musical Number "Prince Ali", which also sparked spontaneous applause at the screening I attended.
Do you trust me?
The fact that it actually acts as "Speechless," a new original song written for Princess Jasmine, not only shows how Disney has improved the animated classic, but also how the film addresses the problematic aspects of the film. 39; original to make it more modern and more easily accessible.
Written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul ("The Land," "Dear Evan Hansen") "Speechless," interpreted at the crucial moment when Jafar takes control of the realm, is a popular anthem ready for women's empowerment interpreted with conviction and emotion of Naomi Scott in a star performance. The result, beautifully staged by director Guy Ritchie, is more moving and rediscoverable than anything in "A Star Is Born" or "The Greatest Showman", two recent great movie musicals.
In many ways, this new "Aladdin" is Jasmine's movie. While in the original in which she dreams of letting Agrabah impose herself in the world and finally asking her father to change the law in order to marry Aladdin, she is much stronger and resolutely more feminist here, taking charge of her own life, defending what she believes and becoming Sultan.
Jasmine's bow is at the top of the list, which is why "Aladdin" is much better than "Aladdin" animation, but that's not the only reason.
Ritchie ("Sherlock Holmes", "Snatch") comes in second place and brings his signature style: constantly moving cameras, frenzied editing and hyper-realistic action, and combines it with the style of Hollywood's fashionable musicals. Bollywood. to create a show that not only breathes life into the source material, but the genre itself.
The film also behaves better in its representation of the Middle East. Jafar, as played by Marwan Kenzari, is no longer a racist caricature. The offending lyrics of "Arabian Nights" have been changed. Aladdin (Mena Massoud) and Jasmine (Scott) are performed by actors whose ethnicities correspond to their characters.
This brings us to the elephant in the room: the genius of Will Smith. To say that Smith is not up to Robin Williams' legendary performance is not fair. No one could ever recreate the high energy improvisation and random awareness current that the deceased actor had brought to the role.
Smith is doing very well, reminding us of the guy who made his debut in comedies before becoming a serious actor. His voice is somewhat suspicious, but he has the charisma to pull the jokes and meta-references of Genie.
And if the trailers are worrying you, do not pretend that this blue guy, who changes shape, looks like IRL on the big screen. The CGI is no worse than the Hulk in all these "Avengers" movies and we all bought it.
Another thing you will not have to worry about: the movie ignores the Broadway version, so there are no superfluous characters or tedious songs you've never heard before.
Add it all up and, sorry, "Beauty and the Beast", you get the best Disney remake to date.
Aladdin arrives in theaters on Friday with previews on Thursday.
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