'Aladdin' another needless remake

Outside its ability to make gobs of money for Disney, the live-action remake of “Aladdin” has little reason to exist. A lifeless shell of the 1992 original, “Aladdin’s” unimaginative production design and effects already make it seem dated.

There has yet to be one of these Disney remakes to truly take advantage of a more-modern approach. Most attempt to rehash the classic bits but fail to bring anything new to them. In the case of “Aladdin,” the rehashes come off lazier than usual.

Will Smith can be an entertaining presence in even the most hastily-conceived films. However, he never really had a chance recreating the manic energy of Robin Williams’ original vocal as the Genie. Without the benefit of rapid-fire animation to match Williams’ riffs, a “live-action” Genie can’t be the forceful showstopper this story needs. Smith could’ve done something totally different, but director Guy Ritchie and his team instead decided to feed him much of the same lines and beats (and an especially terrible iteration of “Friend Like Me”).

Internet rage already blasted the Genie’s monstrous CGI appearance, and the filmmakers obviously knew the effect looked off, because the movie takes every opportunity to depict Genie as a regular looking Will Smith. This stretch of the movie works better, as it’s also the middle segment that attempts to stretch the original story a bit and add new content.

The basics remain — street urchin Aladdin (a mostly forgettable Mena Massoud) falls for a princess, gets suckered by the villainous Jafar into spelunking a Cave of Wonders, then uses a magic lamp and three wishes to trick the princess into thinking he’s a big deal. All the songs return in lesser form, alongside a couple new songs to pad the runtime.

The original “Aladdin,” while entertaining in its storytelling and comedic approach, hasn’t exactly aged well when it comes to cultural sensitivity and gender dynamics. At least credit the new “Aladdin” for being far more respectful, and the character of Jasmine (played here quite compellingly by Naomi Scott) gets more autonomy and a better-defined, female-forward story arc. She’s an actual character here, and her decision-making is arguably more compelling than Aladdin bumbling over his own self-inflicted problems.

It’s the new elements that work best in “Aladdin,” which makes it all the more frustrating when they repeatedly get suffocated by an endless run of callbacks and line readings from the original film. A better approach would have been to focus more on Jasmine, sprinkle in a few Easter eggs for fans and let the movie earn a chance to be its own thing.

The diversity and celebration of culture in “Aladdin” should be commended. But what good is all that if the movie itself is lifeless and unnecessary?

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The hilarious ‘Booksmart’ needs your help

“Aladdin” crushed the box office competition last weekend, including the high school-set, “one-crazy-night” comedy, “Booksmart.” Skip the Disney rehash and give a boost to a more deserving and smaller-budgeted piece of entertainment.

In her directorial debut, actress Olivia Wilde delivers a fast and funny comedy in the spirit of “Superbad,” but from the perspective of two overachieving seniors who, on the eve of graduation, feel like they might’ve missed their opportunity to party.

The stars, Kaitlyn Dever (TV’s “Justified” and “Last Man Standing”) and Beanie Feldstein (“Lady Bird,” “Neighbors 2”) are outstanding in breakout roles, offering a fresh perspective in the teen comedy genre that still often ignores the female perspective. Their chemistry together as best friends feels authentic from the outset, and the two navigate ever-escalating conflict as the young women bounce from one insane graduation party to the next.

“Booksmart” shares similarities with “Superbad” in terms of structure (Feldstein’s older brother also happens to be Jonah Hill). However, Wilde’s confident direction coupled with a fresher take on modern teenage culture helps to keep “Booksmart” from feeling like too much of a genre offering. It’s authentic enough while also being filthy and fiercely funny.

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Tyler Wilson can be reached at [email protected]