ALADDIN

Funny, It really is a good video of the Aladdin story.

My grandkids received this as a gift. The movie was great quality. They enjoyed and still enjoy watching it.

This movie was so much fun. The songs and dancing were all entertaining as heck. The characters all got fleshed out more and given actual personalities beyond their One Defining Trait. The visual effects for the magic were, well, magical. The comedy was just right to fit with the overall feel of the movie. The actors' performances were all spot on. Everyone felt like the character they were portraying but also didn't feel like cheap copies of the originals. There's a sense that there's more going on with the characters than just what the plot calls for from them. (SPOILER WARNING for those who haven't seen the original) The relationships between all the characters were so much more believable. You can see why Genie and Aladdin would become friends. You can see how Aladdin and Jasmine fall for each other. You can see why the Sultan would have bought into Jafar's BS even when the staff hypnotism isn't being used. Also, Iago was given a more realistic bird personality which not only fit in with the rest of the movie better, but also gave him room to be more than just another chance to throw in a joke or gag. The original animated Aladdin movie was great, but I wouldn't hesitate to pick this live action version as my favorite of the two. It's simply a better movie with better character portrayals, a better storyline, and better musical performances, IMO.

The DVD arrived undamaged--new, as expected. As for rating the actual movie, I'll just say it can't replace the original animated film, but it didn't destroy the story or characters like I feared it would. Taking movies from my childhood and remaking them--I'm not thrilled about that. I'd prefer Disney left the classics alone. However, every musical score, every repeated line ("Do you trust me?"), every nod to the original made me smile with nostalgia. (I do wish they'd kept "Desert Moon" in the movie. And it felt to me that Jasmine had more screen time than Aladdin, making me wonder if the movie should've borne her name as its title, but hey, that's just me.) I thought the actors playing Aladdin & Jasmine were superb. The ending was lackluster (in animation, we get a giant Genie lifting the palace to the heavens; Aladdin and Abu are banished to an action-packed wintry wilderness; Aladdin relies on his quick-thinking and bravery to take on the powerful snake, Jafar); takes place basically in a courtyard, with unspecified torture methods, and Genie seems more of a hero than Aladdin (sending carpet to help, understanding Aladdin's angle of goading Jafar). Eh. So much for a short review! Overall, I liked the new take, and longtime fans of "Aladdin" can breathe a sigh of relief that their favorite show didn't get mutilated by modern reinterpretation. But you won't be wowed by the whole new world scene--they rarely even fly in the clouds, staying near the ground; impressive there, Prince Ali. But, the couple can sing beautifully, so you've gotta be happy about that! I think young viewers will be okay with the 'violence' and action, and us older viewers can roll our eyes at times and be glad we grew up when we did.

The new live-action Aladdin movie is packed with colorful visuals and is a real treat to watch. Will Smith CRUSHES IT as the genie and is a superb lead; he's one of my favorite actors and really shines in bringing the genie to life. Will, I'm sure you & the cast and crew worked hard on this one, and it shows. props. He brings his own epic cool flava to the iconic role and makes it funny, human, memorable and Disney-magic. 10/10 update 9/12: I've watched this three times in less than two weeks and really enjoy it. Brilliant special effects for the Genie; world-class visual effects; especially the swirling cloud at bottom of genie + face work w/cgi; totally sells the shots, isn't obvious; blends perfectly; masterful compositing. cgi for the lion & abu is wonderful; I predict an Oscar for best special effects; they were some of the best work I've seen. Set design was amazing; and truly great costumes (the ending sequence was hollywood classic big-screen style & terrific). Choreography for dance numbers was tight, stylish and original; well done. Intro 'Friend Like Me' with Will is a legendary win; the singing, effects & 'sparkle' makes it easily the top song. Naomi looks great; she's graceful & strong. ... um and the other actors were ok, too. I liked the Aladdin actor, and the handmaiden was hilarious & a big plus for the movie; more of her & Will would've been great. Their dialogue for their first date was fun & well-written & acted, at the doorway. Plus she has great comedic timing for her lines, and she's funny; good casting. Casting could've been better for other characters imho. fwiw the character actors at Disneyland Anaheim who portayed Aladdin & Jasmine (many years ago) in person looked a lot more like the original movie's version. - the Jafar actor was not sinister/foreboding/tall like original movie. . At least the camera should've been a low-angle up to give impression of height; that's a DP/director miss. His voice is not deep or sinister enough. Movies are only as great as their heroes & villians. - Imagine if Dwayne Johnson played Jafar instead; this movie would've been So much better. - Jasmine actress Naomi was good; would've liked more curves & sass, like original. But why did they censor/change her outfit vs original so much? In the animated version she wore a tank top showing shoulders, in this one she's all covered up. And she's written Not as a typical princess but more an independent smart modern woman in ancient times; misses the mark from a character standpoint a bit. I will concede though that this princess portrayal is much better as a role model for today's generation of girls vs classic helpless princesses; I support that; I 'get it' re modernizing princess. Naomi's acting is well done; I like her confidence plus she looks great. - the other actor playing her suitor; hmm a caucasian prince courting arabian princess in ancient times is not realistic. good comic relief though. It's Will's movie and he *really* brings it. (btw it would be great to interview you by phone for yt vid for my traders if you're interested, longtime fan since fresh prince days) A worthy family-fun film that's simply spectacular; one of the year's best. Ken Calhoun, founder TradeMastery p.s. Will Smith is great - epic fun and he's why i'll watch this movie a few times, super-fun & enjoyable. Overall a big winner. Grade A movie thx to Will, without him in it the movie would be a c+. True star power from Will brings this classic remake to life. Brilliantly done. (-mic drop-)

Good

Look, I really wanted to like this movie. Like a lot. But it is just missing something. It isn't Robin, I know that much. I thoroughly enjoyed Will as the Genie. He did a great job. I think it is emotion. I didn't believe any of the characters in any of the emotion they were trying to portray. Aladdin's songs spoke to me as a kid, especially when he was walking back to his house. It was such a deep connection feeling worthless myself and then hearing him. The song still resonates with me today and I definitely don't feel worthless anymore. And then when he decided that he wasn't going to release the Genie? Man that whole scene was garbage. In the animated version, Aladdin struggled really hard. You hear it in his voice and you see it in the animation. But in the live action, it looked like such an easy decision and he was so nonchalant about it. Jasmine didn't feel like the oppressed locked up princess that she is, but maybe that had to do with the scenes that they had her in. Idk. Jafar was mildly scary and was more a lunatic than anything else which really sucks because with his back story he should've been such a good villain. Maybe it just wasn't captured well. IDK. There is a lot more that I thought was bad about the movie. But there is good. I loved the songs, I thought the new songs were awesome. I loved that they gave Jasmine such empowering songs. I liked Aladdin's reprisals, and I even liked the Genie's rap/singing. They nailed it on A Whole New World (though it would've been nice if they would've you know, had them go over side ways and under or some things like that.) I understand it wasn't supposed to be a shot for shot remake, and it is a decent flic. I just don't think it can even hold a candle to the original. And I so desperately wanted it to. I gave it three stars because Amazon doesn't let us give half stars. Real rating 2.5

After seeing the trailers I wasn't really excited for this movie. Even though as a kid Aladdin was one of our household Disney favorites among my family, and we watched it many times, the remake looked merely "okay" according to the trailers. So I waited for the digital rental to give it a shot for old times sake. I was PLEASANTLY surprised at how well it was redone into a live action movie. I see a lot of complaints about Will Smith not being as good as Robin Williams as the genie... And I kinda felt that way up until towards the end. The reality is that Will did an incredible job overall, and that it's kinda unfair to compare. After all this movie isn't about getting a better actor to play the genie, it's about allowing an entire new generation of people to experience the magic, the music, the wonder and the inspiration of the tale of Aladdin. And I believe that this movie helped execute that in ways that a brand new audience could be thrilled by. And even for those of us who have seen the original cartoon version, if you take off your "comparison" glasses and just enjoy the new version of the "tale of Aladdin", I think many can also find this new version to be quite captivating. Overall probably one of the best Disney remakes so far, and I hope they do many more! Sincerely, a 35 year old male who used to love Disney movies as a kid, and just simply enjoyed reliving a glimpse of that childhood again but in a new way :)