JASON EVANS' 100-WORD REVIEWS: Aladdin

Courtesy of Disney

The literary giant Ernest Hemingway once said, “My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way.” So, to honor that message, film critic Jason Evans is writing the simplest film reviews he can. Each review will be exactly 100 words long, so you can quickly digest what you need to know about the film and decide if it is worth spending time and money to see. This week, Disney’s new live-action version of Aladdin.

The Premise: A remark of the 1992 animated film, this flick tells the age-old story of the “street rat” Aladdin (Mena Massoud) who finds a magical lamp with a genie (Will Smith) inside and enlists the help of the genie to win the heart of the princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott). The story here is almost identical to the animated film with just a couple of small song changes, a couple of new characters, and a couple of new scenes.

The 100 Words: I’m not sure why Disney keeps on doing these carbon-copy remakes of animated classics. But, much like 2017’s Beauty and the Beast, this live-action reimagining works and is easy to sit through. Naomi Scott absolutely shines as Jasmine, with a magnetic voice and a convincing argument that a beautiful woman can be more than just window dressing. Will Smith’s hip-hop take on the genie is funny and fun. There’s some great choreography and a few timely humorous additions to the story. This is not an essential film, but not a bad one either, and it certainly left the audience cheering.