Aladdin Movie Review: Has enough funny moments to keep you tickled

AladdinUAAdventure Comedy FamilyDirectorGuy RitchieCastWill Smith Mena Massoud Naomi ScottRatingDirector Guy Ritchies most entertaining turn for Disney has Will Smith as the Genie who makes all things possible Its a whole new world a reimagined liveaction animated version of the timeless classic all thrilling vibrant colourful and magicalRitchies gilt spangled version adapts elements from the east and the west to create a spellbinding alchemy of song dance music romance and magicThe main characters have a lot more to do some with newer arcs than seen before and each is explored with greater depth The basic story is the same of course ndash Princess Jasmine Naomi Scott plays commoner by day and bumps into a petty thief street rat Aladdin Mena Massoud who eventually steals her heart But Jafar Marwan Kenzari second in command to the Sultan Navid Negahban has his own plans for the kingdom and its beautiful Princess He has been searching for the magical lamp in a cave but Aladdin gets his hand on it and manages to preempt him from getting to the Genie Will Smith first An added subplot of a romance between the Genie and Jasmines maid Dalia Nassim Pedrad adds in a new spin to the age old story thoughMost of us remember the 1992 animated version which had Robin Williamss iconic voice performance as the Genie of the lamp accompanied by a double Oscarwinning score by Alan Menken Menken of course is back with some brand new compositions and elevating orchestrations So its pretty much apt to be Speechless in a Whole New World for A friend like Me in this Arabian Nights fantasyWatch the Aladdin trailer hereWill Smith as part of the framing device is a mariner telling the story of Aladdin to his two young children while sailing on a boat The narrative then opens into Agrabah where Aladdin finds the lamp and has to battle it out with Vizier Jafar in order to save the princess and the kingdomWritten by John August and rewritten by Ritchie with music and songs by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman the film is an irreverent enthusiastic and expressive attempt at photoreal reboot with flashy CGI Bollywoodian extravagance in terms of costumes dance art direction Ravi Bansal is also credited intriguing casting and vigorous singing performances Alan Stewarts CGI enhanced cinematography lends strong mystique to this fairy tale while Gemma Jacksons production design makes it all look fanciful and vividly enchanting Naomi Scott and Mena Massoud draw you in with their faultless vigour vibe and chemistry while Will Smith lends hip hop geniality to the allpowerful Genie This film is childfriendly villainy is pretty mild doesnt get too serious about its feminist leanings and has enough funny moments to keep you tickled and enthused all through its runtimeAlso readWill Smith on how he added Bollywood touch to AladdinCatch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates