Ron Jacobsohn Reviews Disney’s Aladdin

I am sure that many of you, like me, did not envision Guy Ritchie, the man who brought us such movies as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch or even Sherlock Holmes, as the first choice to direct a Disney live-action remake of Aladdin. Yet Disney’s daring move paid off, as Ritchie delivered a very rewarding remake to the animated classic.

Probably the most daunting of tasks of making the 2019 version of Aladdin must have been how to recreate the iconic Robin Williams portrayed character of Genie. In the pantheon of memorable Disney characters, Genie probably stands out as unforgettable. Rather than casting another Caucasian Comedian in the role, Ritchie made a 180 and transformed Genie in his movie into an African-American contemporary character portrayed by Will Smith.

Honestly, there would not have been any logical reason for Disney to touch its classic animated treasure, if not for the fact that those live-action remakes have made a gazillion dollars in the box office. And from the looks of it, Aladdin is definitely headed in that direction too.

Being the original movie came out 27 years ago, contemporary adaptations to the plot had to be implemented, especially to the character of Jasmine. In the original, she was but a beautiful princess to be had, in the current version she actually has a voice and a purpose: she wants to fulfill her destiny in succeeding her father to become the new ruler of Agrabah.

I doubt the 2019 version of Aladdin will be as timeless as the 1992 one. Yet it is adapted close enough to the original where it still makes it a lot of fun to watch. I give it a Thumbs Up!

About Ron Jacobsohn

World renowned, award winning, correspondent, Ron Jacobsohn, brings from his very entertaining world to Ron's World.

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