Fantasy Guy Ritchie Directing Disney's Aladdin

[DarthSkywalker]

Watson was cast because she was a holdover from the Del Toro version at Warner Bros, which she was attached to, and that version was not a musical. And Disney was like, "oh look, a star who's already on board to be Belle, how convenient." She should've recognized her weaknesses and bowed out, but oh well.

If Lily James hadn't been so perfect for Cinderella, I'd say I wished they switched roles because with her naturally dark hair she would've been a fantastic Belle, but alas, I'd change nothing about Cinderella. It was the better movie and deserved the better lead.

*Looks at gifs of her in the film*

Nah, I am good with her decision.

 

[Dark Raven]

Emma Watson had a name at the time was coming off Harry Potter. I think she definitely did bring along some of the Harry Potter fanbase as well for the film. She's also a grownup now and I think people were excited about her becoming a romantic lead.

I mean I think she is a beautiful woman, but this is just the direction they went with. But yeah I wish she got someone who could sing as well.

Plus I mean, I imagine there were some pushes from agents/managers etc to get her on this.

Oh, I don't dispute Emma Watson is beautiful. I was saying that she isn't so super beautiful that only she can embody "Beauty" and no-one else, especially when there are other beautiful actresses who are good singers.

Watson was cast because she was a holdover from the Del Toro version at Warner Bros, which she was attached to, and that version was not a musical. And Disney was like, "oh look, a star who's already on board to be Belle, how convenient." She should've recognized her weaknesses and bowed out, but oh well.

If Lily James hadn't been so perfect for Cinderella, I'd say I wished they switched roles because with her naturally dark hair she would've been a fantastic Belle, but alas, I'd change nothing about Cinderella. It was the better movie and deserved the better lead.

I wouldn't change anything about Cinderella either. I loved her in the role and with her blonde hair. I think she's been the best Disney casting so far.

 

[flickchick85]

*Looks at gifs of her in the film*

Nah, I am good with her decision.

Too bad the whole movie wasn't in gif form.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Too bad the whole movie wasn't in gif form.

I rather enjoy her voice, both in talking and singing form. But again, bias.

 

[Web-Head]

I will say that Lily James and Naomi Scott were far better cast than Emma Watson.

 

[Sithborg]

Pity about the movie. Guess it just means I see John Wick again this weekend.

 

[Melpardus]

Listened to both versions of "Friend Like Me" (the only thing I actually wanted to hear/see from this whole project) and I gotta say, I actually like the new one. Don't know how it holds up as a whole musical number w/ visuals and such, but the song and arrangement itself is nice. Something I don't quite understand is why the music/musical numbers don't seem more Middle Eastern-influnced; I figure if you're going to redo the movie to try being more period accurate, then you'd do the songs accordingly, especially since the original film was basically just a giant swing-fest.

As for the movie itself, seeing the reviews hasn't soured my outlook on the movie, but it doesn't change my long-held stance of "I'll see it if someone pays for it/a friend wants to go on a matinee day."

 

[Dark Raven]

Listened to both versions of "Friend Like Me" (the only thing I actually wanted to hear/see from this whole project) and I gotta say, I actually like the new one. Don't know how it holds up as a whole musical number w/ visuals and such, but the song and arrangement itself is nice. Something I don't quite understand is why the music/musical numbers don't seem more Middle Eastern-influnced; I figure if you're going to redo the movie to try being more period accurate, then you'd do the songs accordingly, especially since the original film was basically just a giant swing-fest.

As for the movie itself, seeing the reviews hasn't soured my outlook on the movie, but it doesn't change my long-held stance of "I'll see it if someone pays for it/a friend wants to go on a matinee day."

I don't think audiences want to hear a version of A Whole New World played on a sitar though. It's too late to change the arrangements of the songs now that they've been ingrained in the public's consciousness for years.

 

[LvtLeeTDK]

yeah no, I still think that Robin Williams' A Friend Like Me is far far superior to Smith's. Don't get me wrong, Smith version is really really good, but RObin Williams' version is simply a masterpiece.

Speaking of which, for songs like Beauty And The Beast or A Whole NEw World, I always much prefer the movie's version to the official version by singer outside the movie.

 

[jmc]

Williams had an energy that Smith could never match. I have to wonder what this project would have been like if Robin were still alive. Would he have done the live action version? I suspect given his relationship with Disney in the past maybe not.

 

[MOVIELORD101]

Williams had an energy that Smith could never match. I have to wonder what this project would have been like if Robin were still alive. Would he have done the live action version? I suspect given his relationship with Disney in the past maybe not.

Well, they were planning a live-action prequel movie called "Genies" which Willaims would've been in, but it was canned after his death and replaced with this.

 

[jmc]

Are we sure? He had a rocky relationship with the company after Aladdin.

 

[Ultra Nolanite]

THING I hated the most:

They basically stop the middle of the movie for five minutes for Jasmine to have a #MeToo song. Look, it's fine if you want to rewrite Jasmine, but these scenes do not fit the rest of the movie at all and stick out badly. Aladdin is not the type of movie where you want to have some sort of #MeToo anthem. It doesn't work.

This was such an awful idea. Must we have that in everything now? and so poorly done too. That sequence just took me right out of it.

Other than that I thought the movie was OK, once you keep your expectations in check.

 

[terry78]

Pity about the movie. Guess it just means I see John Wick again this weekend.

Not brightburn?

 

[psylockolussus]

Pretty decent version of "A Whole new World"

Much better than the Zayn version.

 

[Melpardus]

I don't think audiences want to hear a version of A Whole New World played on a sitar though. It's too late to change the arrangements of the songs now that they've been ingrained in the public's consciousness for years.

Fair enough, though the ethnomusicoloigist in me is disappointed. That said, I just gave "Prince Ali" a listen and I actually really like the intro; it's actually more or less exactly what I just lamented about. Very interested in "Arabian Nights" now.

Edit: Oh sh*t, this is impressive. I think this is actually Smith's best song on this soundtrack. The original version (the only song I actually really knew before I started looking into anything Aladdin recently) is still really good on its own right -- the vocalist is definitely better than Smith -- but this is a pretty good alternate take. I'm starting to feel like my overall takeaway is that the movie itself doesn't hold up as well as the music does.

 

[kaypain]

I like Jungle Book, and I know I'm in the minority, but i find it highly overrated.

Just listen to these and tell me what you think sounds better. What's with all the auto-tuning effects and reverberations? Is Will Smith really not a great singer?

Of course he isnt, Will Smith is a rapper. He should have just Fresh Princed these songs.



I dont think they are that bad imo tho

Emmy Rossum was my first choice for Belle

They should have caster John Legend for Aladdin

 

[flickchick85]

Not brightburn?

Brightburn has an even worse score than this on Metacritic, lol.

I didn't need anymore "dark Superman" in my life, anyway.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

I want to know if Dan Castellaneta ever sang 'Friend Like Me' or 'Prince Ali'.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Brightburn has an even worse score than this on Metacritic, lol.

I didn't need anymore "dark Superman" in my life, anyway.

I adore you for saying anymore. I will probably see Aladdin, but might check out John Wick 3 again first. Especially with Godzilla around the corner. If that is good, I will definitely want to see it.

 

[HammerDown]

TOMATOMETER
59%
Average Rating: 5.96/10
Reviews Count: 106
Fresh: 63
Rotten: 43

Critics Consensus
Aladdin retells its classic source material's story with sufficient spectacle and skill, even if it never approaches the dazzling splendor of the animated original.

 

[InvisibleWoman]

I'm still looking forward to seeing this. I've been listening to the soundtrack non stop since yesterday morning. Roll on Sunday!

 

[LvtLeeTDK]

Much better than the Zayn version.

the movie's version always has something magical that the official release's version can never match, both in the 1992 animated movie and this one.

 

[Spider-Fan]

I am bias, but I think she fit Belle very well and I really enjoy her performance. When people talking about the singing, you'd think she was Brosnan in Mama Mia. They auto tuned her a bit (on higher notes), and she isn't powerful, but her singing is perfectly fine. I say this as one who owns the soundtrack and listens to it plenty.

Eh, agree to disagree here. I like Emma Watson, don't get me wrong. But it feels to me like she was cast to play Hermoine Granger as Belle, as opposed to playing Belle. She just didn't work for me. I like the movie on a visual level overall (though some of the CG on Beast looks bad at times, but it is largely good) but the movie felt too self aware of what people cite as "issues" with the original movie. Like it had a mental checklist of changes it just has to point out. It also just doesn't feel terribly original overall. I watched it and felt like nothing was being offered to me in it that the cartoon doesn't offer but better.

I get similar vibes from this movie, but we shall see tonight.

 

[Mandon Knight]

Chris Stuckmann's review...no spoilers