[movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Everything else!

Moderators: Bakhtosh, EvilHomer3k

User avatar
Daehawk
Posts: 63530
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:11 am

[movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Daehawk »

I searched for Aladdin because I know we talked about this. Must have been inside another thread. Smoove can show me if theres a normal thread :)

Trailer 2

--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
User avatar
Jaymann
Posts: 19324
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 7:13 pm
Location: California

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Jaymann »

So Sinbad wasn't available?
Jaymann
]==(:::::::::::::>
Black Lives Matter
User avatar
stimpy
Posts: 6102
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 6:04 pm

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by stimpy »

Jaymann wrote: Fri Feb 15, 2019 8:23 pm So Sinbad wasn't available?
He's playing Jafar.
He/Him/His/Porcupine
User avatar
Smoove_B
Posts: 54567
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 12:58 am
Location: Kaer Morhen

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Smoove_B »

Hmmm...I don't remember seeing us talking about this elsewhere, so you'll get away with it this time! :D
Maybe next year, maybe no go
User avatar
Rumpy
Posts: 12674
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2005 6:52 pm
Location: Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Rumpy »

Maybe it will grow on me with later trailers, but I wasn't super impressed with Smith's version of the Genie. Talk about the uncanny valley.
PC:
Ryzen 5 3600
32GB RAM
2x1TB NVMe Drives
GTX 1660 Ti
User avatar
wonderpug
Posts: 10342
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 4:38 pm
Location: Albuquerque, NM

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by wonderpug »

Rumpy wrote: Fri Feb 15, 2019 9:28 pm Maybe it will grow on me with later trailers, but I wasn't super impressed with Smith's version of the Genie. Talk about the uncanny valley.
Reminds me of the special effects used for the sun with a face in Teletubbies.
User avatar
Rumpy
Posts: 12674
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2005 6:52 pm
Location: Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Rumpy »

Hah, you're right! Now I can't unsee it.
PC:
Ryzen 5 3600
32GB RAM
2x1TB NVMe Drives
GTX 1660 Ti
User avatar
Suitably Ironic Moniker
Posts: 3601
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 9:09 pm
Location: Asheville, NC

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Suitably Ironic Moniker »

This movie was doomed from the start. No offense to Robby Benson as the Beast, but nobody can replace Robin Williams as the Genie.
Last edited by Suitably Ironic Moniker on Sun Feb 17, 2019 8:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
When I was a boy, I laid in my twin-sized bed and wondered where my brother was. - Mitch Hedberg
User avatar
Rumpy
Posts: 12674
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2005 6:52 pm
Location: Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Rumpy »

Yeah, Smith has big shoes to fill, and no offence to Smith, but Robin Williams threw himself into it that was quite evident in the vocal delivery. I just see stilted delivery here and I worry that Smith just doesn't have the vocal range based on this short clip. Could turn out different, and I realize he's going for a different style of Genie, but still.
PC:
Ryzen 5 3600
32GB RAM
2x1TB NVMe Drives
GTX 1660 Ti
User avatar
Skinypupy
Posts: 20335
Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2004 10:12 am
Location: Utah

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Skinypupy »

Not one single thing about that trailer makes me interested to see that movie. Will Smith has no chance as the genie, the actor playing Jafar looks completely wrong (his age, his voice, and his complete lack of menace), and the CGI is laughable.

Looks like an utter train wreck, imo.
When darkness veils the world, four Warriors of Light shall come.
User avatar
YellowKing
Posts: 30126
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 2:02 pm

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by YellowKing »

Yeah the Jafar casting really puzzled me. He's far too young.
User avatar
Isgrimnur
Posts: 82094
Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2006 12:29 am
Location: Chookity pok
Contact:

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Isgrimnur »

Saw the trailer last night. Not a single bit of it looked decent.
It's almost as if people are the problem.
User avatar
Apollo
Posts: 1789
Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2008 10:57 pm
Location: Gardendale, AL

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Apollo »

Will Smith is one of those actors, like Vin Diesel or Nicolas Cage, that once you hear they are going to be in a movie, you know that there is a 95% chance that it will suck.
User avatar
Isgrimnur
Posts: 82094
Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2006 12:29 am
Location: Chookity pok
Contact:

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Isgrimnur »

It's almost as if people are the problem.
User avatar
Rumpy
Posts: 12674
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2005 6:52 pm
Location: Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Rumpy »

Apollo wrote: Sun Feb 17, 2019 5:16 pm Will Smith is one of those actors, like Vin Diesel or Nicolas Cage, that once you hear they are going to be in a movie, you know that there is a 95% chance that it will suck.
Well, I dunno. I've enjoyed quite a few movies he's been in, and I don't think I'd quite classify him that way. I think the problem is that he's now stuck in a rut and likely needs a better agent to help him find better scripts. I mean, on the outset, being in Aladdin is a very exciting prospect, and who wouldn't jump at the chance when being offered a role? I don't think anyone but the creatives could have foreseen just how his role would have ended up looking like and it would have been pretty much impossible for him to know how his Genie would have looked before signing on.
PC:
Ryzen 5 3600
32GB RAM
2x1TB NVMe Drives
GTX 1660 Ti
User avatar
Ralph-Wiggum
Posts: 17449
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:51 am

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Ralph-Wiggum »

Will Smith 15 years ago was pretty good, but I can’t remember the last time he was in a good movie. Nick Cage is all over the place; some of his movies are brilliant, but most are terrible.
Black Lives Matter
User avatar
Daehawk
Posts: 63530
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:11 am

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Daehawk »

Ralph-Wiggum wrote: Sun Feb 17, 2019 7:05 pm Will Smith 15 years ago was pretty good, but I can’t remember the last time he was in a good movie. Nick Cage is all over the place; some of his movies are brilliant, but most are terrible.
I know my wife and should would tell you 2008 Seven Pounds. Me Id say I Am Legend 2007.
--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
User avatar
YellowKing
Posts: 30126
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 2:02 pm

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by YellowKing »

Will Smith was only good in I Am Legend because the CGI was so terrible by comparison. That said, I still like him as an actor. Even when he's in a bad movie, who can hate the Fresh Prince?

As far as Nicolas Cage goes, he's always good because he's so bad.
User avatar
Daehawk
Posts: 63530
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:11 am

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Daehawk »

Ya we loved The Fresh Prince and of course Independence Day. I dont think we ever skipped that movie if we caught it . The part where he is dragging the alien and complaining of it stinking and beating it up always got us.
--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
sgoldj
Posts: 751
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 11:34 am

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by sgoldj »

Watched the latest trailer. It’s better than I thought, but I am still left with the feeling of “Why bother?”

I did like Will Smiith’s opening lines as the Genie, but if this is like the “Beauty and the Beast” live action. I will pass until streaming. So you can’t gage it, I did like the “Jungle Book” remake. It was different enough for me, more like a mash up between Kipling and Animated Story I thought. What I don’t want is a scene by scene reshoot using different techniques. (I am hesitating callenimg them “live action” with the amount of CGI used not just for SFX but for important characters as well.)
User avatar
Skinypupy
Posts: 20335
Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2004 10:12 am
Location: Utah

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Skinypupy »



Full trailer today, doesn't change my opinion much. Still looks like a train wreck.
When darkness veils the world, four Warriors of Light shall come.
User avatar
Octavious
Posts: 20035
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 2:50 pm

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Octavious »

Actually that looked pretty good to me. I lean towards the why bother as well, but I'll watch it once it hits rental.
Capitalism tries for a delicate balance: It attempts to work things out so that everyone gets just enough stuff to keep them from getting violent and trying to take other people’s stuff.

Shameless plug for my website: www.nettphoto.com
User avatar
Ralph-Wiggum
Posts: 17449
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:51 am

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Ralph-Wiggum »

It looks like Disney heard the feedback on their genie graphics...
Black Lives Matter
User avatar
Rumpy
Posts: 12674
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2005 6:52 pm
Location: Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Rumpy »

Admittedly, that is a MUCH better trailer. It actually looks like the Genie as portrayed in the teaser trailer is more of an homage to the animated Genie and that it's not his regular appearance. You still see it at least one other scene, but it doesn't seem to be dominant. So, maybe there's hope for this movie yet?
PC:
Ryzen 5 3600
32GB RAM
2x1TB NVMe Drives
GTX 1660 Ti
User avatar
YellowKing
Posts: 30126
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 2:02 pm

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by YellowKing »

Better but still not interested. Jafar is still horribly miscast.

Admittedly most of my bias is that I never liked the original.
User avatar
Rumpy
Posts: 12674
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2005 6:52 pm
Location: Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Rumpy »

The one thing I really didn't like was hearing the hip-hop styled riffs on the original music. It turns what is supposed to be fantastical into urban, and if the full movie is like that, it's going to be pulling me out of the movie.
PC:
Ryzen 5 3600
32GB RAM
2x1TB NVMe Drives
GTX 1660 Ti
User avatar
Scuzz
Posts: 10901
Joined: Tue Jul 08, 2008 5:31 pm
Location: The Arm Pit of California

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Scuzz »

I would agree that second one is a much better trailer. I won't see it in the theater, I don't see many movies in the theater. But I would watch it on a home channel. But this will no doubt end up only on Disney's new streaming channel for a couple years I imagine. So I will probably see this on TNT in 2023.
Black Lives Matter
User avatar
Kelric
Posts: 30196
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 5:20 pm
Location: Whip City

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Kelric »

Meh.
User avatar
EvilHomer3k
Forum Moderator
Posts: 7918
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 10:45 pm
Location: Cedar Rapids, IA

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by EvilHomer3k »

Yes, this trailer is significantly better. Still not a movie I'm interested in. Every time they show the blue genie I'm out. I wouldn't see it in theater no matter what (well, if they brought back Robin Williams from the dead but...). So many more movies I'd rather see.
That sound of the spoon scraping over the can ribbing as you corral the last ravioli or two is the signal that a great treat is coming. It's the washboard solo in God's own
bluegrass band of comfort food. - LawBeefaroni
User avatar
msteelers
Posts: 7157
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 9:30 pm
Location: Port Saint Lucie, Florida
Contact:

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by msteelers »

YellowKing wrote:Admittedly most of my bias is that I never liked the original.
I loved the cartoon. I even had the horrible direct to video sequel.
User avatar
Scuzz
Posts: 10901
Joined: Tue Jul 08, 2008 5:31 pm
Location: The Arm Pit of California

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Scuzz »

Having kids who grew up in the era of most of the Disney films that are being remade I know them by heart and love much of the music and humor. To me they are, for the most part, an easy sell. I will admit though that this one will suffer much more from the comparison to the original because of the work of Robin Williams.
Black Lives Matter
User avatar
killbot737
Posts: 5660
Joined: Wed Mar 02, 2005 11:19 pm
Location: Next to America Jr.

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by killbot737 »

"Good teenagers, take off your clothes."

Now put them back on and stop whatever "studying" you were doing.
There is no hug button. Sad!
User avatar
Victoria Raverna
Posts: 5013
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 2:23 am
Location: Jakarta

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Victoria Raverna »

Took my 4 years old (nearly 5) daughter to watch this yesterday. She loved it. My wife and I also loved this.

Will Smith's genie is very entertaining.

Jasmine also got a new song.

My daughter fell asleep before the Cave of Wonders scene and missed Will Smith's version of Friend Like Me, because she was too tired from her swimming class in the morning but woke up just before the A Whole New World part and enjoyed the rest of the movie.

Don't let the trailers stop you from watching this in theater.
User avatar
msteelers
Posts: 7157
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 9:30 pm
Location: Port Saint Lucie, Florida
Contact:

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by msteelers »

I thought the movie started off very weak, but improved as it went on. 4 out of 10 for the first act, but the ending was fun enough that I would give it a 7 out of 10 overall. My wife really liked it though, and thinks it’s better than the cartoon.
User avatar
Victoria Raverna
Posts: 5013
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 2:23 am
Location: Jakarta

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Victoria Raverna »

The new song becomes the "Let It Go" of 2019 for my daughter.

So for people hate "Let It Go" and have your daughters, maybe not a good idea to bring your daughter to watch the live action Aladdin. :)
User avatar
msteelers
Posts: 7157
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 9:30 pm
Location: Port Saint Lucie, Florida
Contact:

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by msteelers »

Aladdin is one of my favorite Disney films, and possibly is my favorite. I was around 9 or 10 when it first came out. I didn't have any of the toys or anything like that. My room was decked out in Ghostbusters and TMNT stuff. But I did have the direct to video sequels for Aladdin, and rewatched them all of the time. So I have a lot of thoughts on this live action version.

Spoiler free thoughts.

- The first act is a mess, and I think most of the blame can go to Guy Ritchie. I've liked a lot of Ritchie's movies, and I think he is really good at showing the action in a film in creative ways where you still know exactly what is happening. But the staging and implementation of the songs felt abrupt and not at all in line with the rest of the film. It felt like when you went to switch gears on your bike, only to throw the chain and have to bring everything to a stop before you can get going again. I told my wife after the movie that the song scenes all felt like old school big budget music videos, they looked impressive but didn't make any sense. The movie gets better as it goes on, and I think that's because there are less and less songs as we move through the story. The third act is almost all action, which Ritchie does really well. But it bums me out that the music didn't work for me, because I love all of the songs. Again, I'm not knocking the actors. They were phenomenal (minus Will Smith to an extent). Naomi Scott crushes her song Speechless, which is brand new for the film.

- Will Smith was asked to do the impossible. There's nobody alive who could fill in the shoes of Robin Williams as the Genie, but that's exactly what they asked Smith to do when he first emerges from the lamp. As the movie went on he was able to bring more of himself to the character, and I found all of that to be very interesting. And the blue somehow worked in the movie! It was horrifying in the trailers, but never bothered me once during the film.

- I'm ok with them aging up Aladdin and Jasmine, but Jafar was too young. The actor is only 9 years older than the actor portraying Aladdin. Marwan Kenzari did really good in the role, but I think the character would have worked better if it was someone in their 50s. Someone old enough to know what needs to be done, and young enough to still do it.

- The colors in this film are amazing, as are the costumes. Incredible.

- It's really good to see that the actor who played Dr. Strange's Cloak of Levitation get to work again. His work as the Magic Carpet was incredible and spot on. Keep a close eye on the carpet. There's a great blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment in the background.
Spoiler:
My big complaints come with the way they introduced the characters in the first act. The cartoon establishes the characters very quickly and in a way where we know exactly who they are. Aladdin is a starving kid who needs to steal in order to survive (gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat), which makes the world see him as a street rat. When he gets away from the guards and is finally able to eat his bread (which again, he needs to live) he gives it to two other starving young children. We immediately see he's the diamond in the rough who can enter the Cave of Wonders. In the live action version he's stealing jewelry, not bread, and he's trading the stolen goods for food. When he meets the two young kids, he shares the food with them instead of giving them all of it. Small changes, but meaningful changes IMO. We also see that he's built mechanism's to keep his home hidden and protected. It doesn't make any sense for his character to be able to do this, and doesn't even come into play later on in the film. Plus, they show him parkouring all over Agrabah. He can't do some cool parkour moves to jump up to his home? Stupid.

Jasmine also has her introduction botched. In the cartoon she turns down a prince, saying she wants to marry for love and not be forced into it. We see she is protected and sheltered in the palace, so it makes sense when she runs away and runs into Aladdin. In this movie we meet Jasmine after she has already run away from the palace. We first see her giving someone else's bread to two kids. She's called a thief when Aladdin jumps in from nowhere to save the day. In the cartoon he sees Jasmine in the crowd and instantly has the hots for her. That's why he stepped in to save her. Here, he just kind of swoops in like Agrabah's Spiderman.

The cartoon Jafar finds out Aladdin is the diamond in the rough because he asks his version of the mirror mirror on the wall. That's admittedly clumsy and should have been updated. But here, Jafar and Iago realize that Aladdin is the diamond in the rough because he can break into the palace? That's lazy writing.

The cave of wonders was a big CGI fest. We could have had a fun action set piece here, but instead it was just all CGI with no real sense of anything. Probably the only action scene that didn't work for me in the film. And while we're on cave of wonders, they totally ignore the golden scarab that Jafar needs to piece together in order to find the cave. Not a huge deal, but it does imply that this cave is just out in the desert somewhere ready for anybody with a working GPS to find.

The movie started to pick up at this point though. Smith's version of Friend Like Me felt too much like he was trying to channel Robin Williams, but he started to put his own take on the role when they finally get out of the cave. Things really started to hit a high note during the Prince Ali song, and outside of a couple of hiccups I thought the rest of the movie was somewhere between good and great.
Despite my strong dislike of the beginning, I overall enjoyed the film. My wife really liked it. She went so far as to say that she liked it more than the cartoon :shock: and never really even liked the original all that much. :o :naughty:
User avatar
disarm
Posts: 4951
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 6:50 pm
Location: Hartford, CT
Contact:

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by disarm »

We took our kids this evening, and I'm a bit surprised to say that I really enjoyed it overall. I have to agree with msteelers that the first part of the movie struggles with bad pacing and unimpressive action. Aladdin's chance to shine during 'One Step Ahead' falls pretty flat due to bland singing and surprisingly slow action for what should be an exciting song. It's like a different movie incense they get out of the Cave of Wonders though...much better pacing, better music, and Will Smith actually comes to into his own as the genie. He no Robin Williams (noone ever will be), but there are funny jokes and some great parts where his own personality gets to show through. The final half of the movie is actually a lot of fun, and the action is much improved when Jafar takes control of genie.

While I never expected this movie to top the original, I have to admit that I enjoyed it a lot more than I ever expected. It's definitely worth seeing.
User avatar
Rumpy
Posts: 12674
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2005 6:52 pm
Location: Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Rumpy »

Saw it last night and loved it! I think it's one of their best live-action efforts, to be honest, and perhaps in the end, one of my favourite Will Smith movies.

1) The new versions of the songs work much better when viewed in the movie. The song trailers don't do the movie justice, imho. A Whole New World, for instance is actually a much better visually in this version as the whole magic carpet ride takes advantage of the live-action setting better.

2) I had some big reservations about Will Smith as the Genie, and I still think the first trailer they chose to release was a misstep. For that trailer, they could have chosen a much better point in the same scene to show. Still not a big fan of his blue form, as there was still a bit of uncanney valley to it in some places, and hell Robin William's genie shoes must have been size 17's as it was impossible for Will Smith to fill those shoes, but once I realized I'd seen other genies in other movies, I was able let those comparisons fade and accept Smith's version. And he kicked ass as the Genie in the end.

3) If anything, I felt they made Jafar more sinister this time around. Sure, they couldn't do what the animated version did, but they made up for that by ramping up the sinister tone. I'll agree though that he was fairly young for the part. I just took his version as young and ambitious though. The one thing this version of Jafar ends up working better with is in the first scene between Aladdin & Jafar when Jafar tells Aladdin he was once a street thief like him. That line works better in this version as it feels more believable. In the cartoon version, I remember thinking, "Pfft, yeah right you were."

4) The new song, Speechless, I didn't care for. It's pretty much Let it Go 2.0, and stylistically it doesn't match the rest of the songs. Stylistically, it would be more at home in the Frozen sequel.

There are even a couple of homages to Robin William's Genie in the form of illustrations in the animated style of the original Genie.

Overall, I thought the movie was a blast, and it gets a clear recommendation from me.
PC:
Ryzen 5 3600
32GB RAM
2x1TB NVMe Drives
GTX 1660 Ti
User avatar
gilraen
Posts: 4313
Joined: Wed Sep 04, 2013 7:45 pm
Location: Broomfield, CO

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by gilraen »

We saw it this morning in 3D. I thought it was adorable. Bonus points for having actors that can sing themselves.
User avatar
Cylus Maxii
Posts: 3348
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2004 10:13 pm
Location: Denver, CO
Contact:

Re: [movie] Aladdin live action..Will Smith genie

Post by Cylus Maxii »

Daughter (20) and I saw it last night and we both enjoyed it a lot.
My nephew, Jake - "I mean is there really anything more pure? Than sweet zombie monkey love?"
Post Reply