It’s emblematic of what has to be this movie’s big drawback: by and large, it’s always happy to be a pretty close facsimile of the animated version. But when it comes time for his wish-fueled selfishness to start driving his decision-making, it feels like it’s just happening because that’s how the story’s supposed to go and not because this version has done the legwork to make us believe Aladdin could so easily become a jerk based on what we know about him. Aladdin is shown early on, through a little act of Robin Hoodism (that’s a thing, right?), to be a good-hearted guy looking out for those that have it worse than him. Massoud is definitely strongest in his comedic scenes as Prince Ali, stumbling his way through trying to woo Princess Jasmine and finding new and painfully awkward ways of messing it up. ![]() ![]() Massoud’s Aladdin is rather sheepish and when you’re up against Blue Fresh Prince, you need to bring a little more to the table to stand out. This isn’t helped by a script that always seems to be more interested in the characters surrounding Aladdin rather than Aladdin himself. Perhaps inevitably, Smith’s charisma does end up overshadowing newcomer Mena Massoud as the title character. While Smith does fine work, how reliant this Genie is on Smith’s personality does make you wonder if an actor pushing farther out of their comfort zone would have gotten us closer to the boundless creativity that made Robin Williams’ performance so memorable. While Robin Williams breezed through dozens of different voices and personas to bring the Genie to life, never letting us know what to expect, this version of the character very much feels like blue Will Smith (blue Hitch may be closer), so your mileage with the character is going to vary a lot based on how willing you are to accept that. But does Smith get by on charm alone? It’s going to depend a lot on your opinion of Will Smith. The story does give Smith’s Genie a little more depth than just being blue and hilarious, affording him a surprisingly fun and grounded subplot. This Genie relies on Smith’s charm, bravado, and the clear amount of fun he’s having playing the role. Williams’ Genie was an amplification of the actor’s signature chaotic personality and Will Smith wisely steers far clear of trying to match that. Crucially, Smith avoids the one thing that would have derailed the performance: trying to recreate the inimitable Robin Williams’ iteration of the character. “Friend Like Me (End Title)” by Will Smith feat.Disney had a huge challenge out of the gate in conceiving this movie - how the heck do you recast the Genie, a role so iconically played by the late Robin Williams? Will Smith’s turn as the Genie, for all of its blue-tinged pre-release controversy, is largely a success.“A Whole New World (End Title)” by Zayn and Zhavia Ward.“One Jump Ahead (Reprise 2)” by Mena Massoud.“A Whole New World” by Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott.“One Jump Ahead (Reprise)” by Mena Massoud.Let’s put it this way, it’s the hardest song I’ve ever sung in my entire life.” Check out all the lyrics to the ‘Aladdin’ soundtrack on Genius now: It’s just showcasing that she gets to a point where, ‘It’s not going to be easy and I may lose this fight, but I need to step up…’ It’s a punch in the face. ![]() ![]() “I mean, how timely is that?” she said, according to USA Today. Scott, who plays Jasmine, spoke about how “Speechless” is about her character finding her own voice. Earlier this month, Zayn and Zhavia Ward released an R&B-oriented version of “A Whole New World.” DJ Khaled is also featured on “Friend Like Me.” The soundtrack is relatively sparse on outside talent, as the film’s stars Will Smith, Mena Massoud, and Naomi Scott round out the first half of the album.
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