Aladdin

I'll bet you know about Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp. But did you know Aladdin had two genies in Arabian Nights? One in a lamp and the other in a ring. So when's the Genie of the Ring gonna get his time in the spotlight?

Answer: not this year.

Disney's Aladdin is its latest live-action remake. It has only one Genie, he of the magic lamp, and he is played by Will Smith. Director Guy Ritchie and his co-writer, John August, conjur up an entertaining spin on an old story. It has some issues, but they're easy to overlook.

Aladdin (Mena Massoud) is a "street rat" in Agrabah. He meets a disguised Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott), who passes herself off as her own handmaiden. Aladdin sneaks into the palace to see her again. That's when he's arrested and brought before Grand Vizier Jafar (Marwan Kenzari). Jafar needs Aladdin to retrieve a magic lamp in the Cave of Wonders. He does, but Jafar traps him in the Cave.

But at least Aladdin has the lamp. The Genie inside gets him out. Aladdin wishes himself to be a prince to win Jasmine's heart. He succeeds despite a few fumbles. But he doesn't want Jasmine to know that he's not a prince. That drives a wedge between him and Genie. In steps Jafar, who wants Genie to help him conquer Agrabah, and then, the World! Aladdin has to stop him from winning.

It's hard to imagine anyone but Robin Williams as Genie. But Will Smith's Genie fills the void spectacularly. He's a fun character whether he's subdued or in manic mode. He's also a capable mentor for Aladdin. His CGI-induced Blue Form is surprisingly easy on the eyes. The screenplay gives him a love interest in Jasmine's actual handmaiden, Dalia (Nasim Pedrad). Dalia, herself, is a great new character and her chemistry with Genie is endearing. The film's framing device tries to hide the identity of its narrator and his family, but it's beyond obvious it's them once you see them.

What about the rest of the cast? Mena Massoud is a capable Aladdin; sly and honest, he gets the audience's favor right away. Not even his second-act selfishness diminishes the "diamond in the rough." He has great chemistry with Naomi Scott's strong-willed idealist Princess Jasmine. Marwen Kenzari's Jafar is a formidable and intimidating foe. Billy Magnussen plays another new character, Prince Anders, a suitor for Jasmine, a dunce who barely plays a part. Navid Negahban has a much bigger part as the Sultan, a sympathetic man despite his stern ways. Numan Acar and Robby Haynes also stand out as the Sultan's main guards, Hakim and Razoul.

Alan Menken's score mixes some new material with his original work. The songs' arrangements are more extravagant than the original film's. They sounded too much at first but I got used to them overtime. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul revise some of Howard Ashman and Tim Rice's original lyrics and add a new song for Jasmine, Speechless. It's a strong ballad for Jasmine, though its reprise stalled the film rather than support it.

And for some technical highlights. The editing is fast-paced but it's not as frantic as Legend of the Sword. At least it fits with the fast paced music. Production Designer Gemma Jackson and Costume Designer Michael Wilkinson create the bright, colorful Arabian world of Agrabah. Every color stands out spectacularly. The CGI and Practical sets complete the film's visually appealing setting.

What else can I say? Aladdin's plot points are familiar but their executions aren't. It was intriguing to see these new ideas play out. There's rarely a dull moment or a baffling one during its 128 minutes. You can thank the all-mighty Genie for much of that. Oh yeah, and the leads too. Now let's see how this theoretically live-action The Lion King will do.