Welcome to a New Age Arabian Night
Updated: Jul 2, 2020
Hey guys, Frosty Phenix here! Listen folks, I got to tell you… The New Age Aladdin movie was that work! I’ll admit, as an original Aladdin movie fan, I had some expectations on how it would go. Along with live action adaptations of our favorite movies, I was very skeptical on whether or not this movie would even meet the expectations of the fandom. After seeing this movie, it confirms my thoughts that “not every redo an adaptation is an abomination”. Allow me to explain.
There are a lot of noticeable difference between the original 1992 Animated Film (which was originally based on the folktale from the The Book of One Thousand Days and One Nights aka Arabian Nights) and this film from a memory perspective. Such as instead of the famous opening in the night market with the Arab Merchant, it opens to a family in a small boat with a character played by Will Smith (this is actually important) who begins to tell his children a tale and opening the movie in a similar fashion of telling a tale that has already happened.
Other small differences include development of minor characters, Genie’s opening lines when summoned from the lamp for the first time and more time spend focusing on Prince Ali’s trials of being a prince. Mena Massoud (Aladdin), Naomi Scott (Jasmine) and Will Smith (Genie) bring life and fantastic portrayal to their roles. I wouldn’t compare them to the original voice over portrayals because they stand in their own lane of the new millennium. Marwan Kenzari brings a new, sinister (dark) light to the character of Jafar, moving away from the menacing yet comically serious tone of the animated version of Jafar. It’s a fun ride to view because the turns they take story wise leave you wanting more, wondering what else has changed while overall keeping the movie’s momentum up throughout its entirety.
And the cherry on top...Jasmine becoming Sultan of the Kingdom. In this era of a need for new leadership and women showing clear capability to lead against all opposition, this story change was more than welcome. The Sultan’s realization in the movie that not only were the old ways out of date but that he overlooked how strong his daughter had become right under his nose. He also notes the necessary story change to the land’s laws of the princess needing to marry a prince but nullifying it, allowing Jasmine to marry whomever she wished...obviously being Aladdin. Also a note, there were a couple new songs in the movie.
It was such pleasure to watch and I highly recommend it for a family movie or a nice date night for couples of all ages. Aladdin hit theaters May 24th, 2019. This has been Frosty Phenix, you can follow me all across the net @frostyphenix. Be sure to follow our group’s activities across the net @phucaname! Until next time!