Aladdin Premiere and Film Review

Aladdin has been my favourite film since I was a little girl. It was the first film I watched that featured characters who had the same skin colour as me, and I’ve always adored the storyline, songs and overall excitement of the film. It has its faults, for sure (notably the Orientalism and generalisations of Eastern and Muslim cultures) but it reminds me of my childhood and always takes me back to good times when I watch it. I’ve been anticipating the live-action version of Aladdin since it was announced a few years ago, constantly keeping up to date with any clips or news that was released, and when I saw that they were to hold a premiere in London, I randomly and very last-minute decided to go.

Now, I’m so glad I did! I arrived at Leicester Square and waited for a little while, where I managed to get a glimpse of all of the stars of the film and got a high-five from Mena Massoud! Also, the fact that I was within a few feet of Will Smith is still getting me gassed. Then, a lovely security began handing out tickets for a lucky few people to actually go in and see the film, myself included! I couldn’t quite believe my luck, and definitely had to pinch myself as I walked down the magic carpet into the screening.

Director Guy Ritchie and Will Smith had such warm words to say about the film. When asked what he was most proud of regarding the film, Guy said just "the film itself actually, [it's] pretty much what we set out to make and I hope we accomplished the goal, so all in all, I suppose I'm most proud of the cast", which was met with a loud round of applause.

"I'm very excited to be here," said Will, excitedly "I started travelling the world with this, and Aladdin is in the hearts and minds of so many people around the world... and this film is spectacular". He also gushed about his co-stars, shouting out Naomi Scott's parents and saying how she "did a spectacular job, and Mena did a wonderful job also". Naomi then ended by giving a heartwarming shout out to her parents in the audience, shouting "love you Mum and Dad!", followed by Mena who jokingly added "love you Naomi's Mum and Dad!".

The film itself was truly magical. My first thoughts were that it was very visually exciting and immersive, I thought the CGI and special effects were executed brilliantly and it was a thoroughly entertaining viewing experience. Every scene was so colourful and intricate, with even small details such as the produce in the markets being thought through. It truly brought you into the fictional land of Agrabah, and it is one I definitely want to experience again in 3D. Plot-wise, I thought it could have done with a little bit more build up at the beginning, as it pretty much went straight into the action but what I would say is that it was a fresh, modern twist on the original film. It stayed largely true to the first plot, and the deviances didn’t make the film any less enjoyable either, which I find to be the case in other remakes (especially those from books). It added an exciting new feel to the fairytales, making it less predictable and more enjoyable overall.

I thought the acting in the film was brilliant, Will Smith’s genie was the perfect comedic relief and I like how it was completely unique from Robin Williams’ version, which is now untouchable, in my opinion. Will’s portrayal of the Genie was really refreshing and entertaining, his lines (and the film overall) were written very well and I think his performance has to be seen and appreciated.

I found Mena Massoud really likeable as Aladdin, he constantly reminded me of the original in the best way possible and I found myself warm to his character immediately. He was extremely charistmatic, charming and a great protganist overall. His stunt work, singing dancing in the film was a really nice surprise too, and to be honest, I’m still gassed that I got a high five from him.

I was definitely sceptical about Naomi Scott’s as Princess Jasmine, as she’s a character that I’ve always adored and I felt that choosing a partcularly light-skinned woman to play the character may not have been the best move. However, her acting in the film was passionate, charming and charistmatic, along with her singing and dancing. I cannot wait for the film to come out, just so people can hear the new song for Princess Jasmine titled 'Speechless', which was a beautifully moving and powerful ballad that I’m sure viewers will love. Also, the feminist twist in the narrative where Princess Jasmine now wants to become Sultan following her father was nice to see and the new character of Dalia, Jasmine’s handmaiden, was refreshing and another great source of comedic relief.

I thought Marwan Kenzari as Jafar was brilliant, he played the role with such passion and emotion, really delving deep into the motives behind his madness and adding a fiery new twist to the classic Disney villain.

Some things that I did find problematic about the film was the generalisations of Eastern culture, mainly through the styling. Characters and extras were adorned in either Turkish, Afghani, Arab, South Asian or Turkic inspired clothing which was very bright and colourful, but it seemed to suggest that all Eastern cultures are homogenous and interchangable. I appreciate that Aladdin is a fictional fairytale, but the film could have stayed true to its original Arab origins rather than collating all Eastern cultures together on screen. Also, much like in the 1992 version, the villainous characters in the film tended to have stronger accents and darker features, which can arguably uphold negative stereotypes about Arab people and Muslims.

Overall, I really did enjoy the film and I was so excited that I was one of the few that got to see it first. It truly did the original film justice, whilst bringing a new, modern twist. I found it thoroughly entertaining and thought it was an exciting viewing experience that I will definitely be watching again when it comes to cinemas on May 24th.

What is your favourite Disney film?