While Aladdin fans from all over are eagerly awaiting the live-action remake, the road to launch has been anything but smooth. Leading up to its release, Disney has come under fire for casting a white actor, using brownface to darken light-skinned characters, and, of course, Genie’s new look, which some have criticized for his unnatural skin tone and visual appearance situated right in the middle of the uncanny valley.
While we’ll still have to wait a couple of weeks to see how the final product holds up, the film has premiered at the Grand Rex theater in France, and first reactions and impressions have finally made their way to social media. As CinemaBlend reports, the overall response has been generally positive, albeit with a few caveats.
Taking to Twitter, Digital Spy shared their thoughts, praising the performances of lead actors Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott (who play Aladdin and Jasmine, respectively), while also giving a shout-out to Will Smith’s energy-filled take on Genie, even if the CGI doesn’t do him justice. That being said, the outlet was not too fond of Jafar, the film’s antagonist. Unfortunately, though, they didn’t shed any light on what they took issue with.
#Aladdin Thoughts: A lavish and enjoyable retelling, but not enough of A Whole New World to fully succeed.
Mena Massoud/Naomi Scott are great, while Will Smith brings a fun energy to his take on the Genie, even if the CGI lets him down. The less said about Jafar, the better 😬 pic.twitter.com/LTJfkVZKYn
— Digital Spy (@digitalspy) May 8, 2019
Andrew Jones, a self-described podcaster and video editor, also had the chance to catch an early screening of Aladdin. He praised Will Smith’s role as Genie and commending the film’s humor and leads. While Andrew did find that the movie ran a little too long, he did shed some light on the end credits, which apparently feature a rap from none other than Smith.
https://twitter.com/EthanRunt/status/1126201396775325696
BBC reporter Haroon Rashid, meanwhile, called the film “amazing,” comparing it to a few Bollywood classics.
I just watched the new #Aladdin movie and it is amazing! It was so good that I forgot my roza had opened 🤷🏽♂️. Also if Sanjay Leela Bhansali ever made a Disney film, it would be this! I felt like I was watching a cross between Ram Leela/Bajirao Mastani but without people dying. 😂 pic.twitter.com/lI7IfeLCJU
— Haroon Rashid (@iHaroonRashid) May 8, 2019
Thankfully, fans won’t have to wait long to check out Aladdin for themselves, as Disney’s latest live-action remake is due out in theaters on May 24th.
