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COLME AARON
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  • Movie Reviews
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Movies In RevIew

Aladdin(2019) - Review

5/24/2019

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Release Date: May 24, 2019​​​​​​​​
Genie Doesn't Suck? How?

As Disney continues to double dip by remaking their animated classics into live action, there still isn't a guarantee whether each one will be good. It would be hard to mess this one up though, as the source material is inherently very strong. Aladdin(1992) is a simple story that is equal parts fun and charming. Supported by really great music and Robin Williams' performance, the animated movie became an instant classic. Whether its the sinister undertones or the dramatic color palette change during the third act, it seems sacrilegious to try and alter anything about it. So Disney's choice to keep this new interpretation very close to the original was a smart choice, even if they did change a few things. 

What caught me immediately off guard was how Will Smith wasn't the worst thing about the movie. We all saw the terrible looking Genie and I was sure it was going to be a cringe-fest. In an unforeseen turn of events, Will Smith makes up some of the best things about the film. Right from the start, you know you're about to watch a musical with Smith's rendition of Arabian Nights. It lacks
the ominous tone of the original but works for the more upbeat version of the story. His impressive streak of musical numbers continues with each song retooled to be more fun. They are accompanied by unexpected visuals interwoven with classic iconography which makes each musical sequence pop. It helps that all the iconic songs are still here and keep most of the charm from the original. Apart from Smith, the other songs are good enough to stoke the nostalgia flames but never recapture the whimsical nature of those sequences. 

Now here is where everything starts to fall apart. The first thing I noticed was the city of Agrabah didn't feel real. I could tell each little set was stitched together in wide shots to create a bigger city. The sets themselves didn't feel lived in as they were too clean. You can't show dirty homeless people begging on the street in the cleanest city ever seen in a desert, it just doesn't work. The off-putting feeling bleeds into the actors as well. The most egregious is sadly Aladdin, played by Mena Massoud. He doesn't work in this movie, and although by the end you get used to it, he always seems out-of-place. Its a completely different story when it comes to Marwan Kenzari who plays Jafar. It wasn't the acting that made his character more of a caricature but the direction that he was given. The plot gives Jafar a back story so he can seem more like a delusional evil man. It's weird how the live action version of the character seems more like a cartoon than the animated version does. 

I also have to point out that this is the least Guy Ritchie film I have ever seen. Apart from the opening chase sequence, the film seems tamer than anything he has ever done before. It looks like the Disney executives had a lot of say in how the movie would come together. Even Ritchie's iconic speed ramp shots are used sparingly, only ever really used in completely CGI compositions. I don't know if all of this is good or bad, it was just weird going to see a Guy Ritchie film and not seeing his flare for most of it. 

There were more technical things I noticed as well. The first time the audience is officially introduced to Princess Jasmine, the shot is out of focus. It's not a stylistic choice, you can't see anything in the center of the screen. It's a wide shot so it doesn't make sense for it to be blurry. Another thing I noticed was the new music. The score had new songs that used motifs from the original soundtrack. It was a little off-putting to hear the melody from A Whole New World that would transition into a completely different composition.

Overall, I am pretty indifferent to the movie. It shocked me that Will Smith is the best part of it. All of his musical numbers top all the others and even when he's not big and blue, he still makes it work. That is in stark contrast to the rest of his costars that either seem out of place or chew the scenery a little too hard. Then there's the story setup that makes key plot transitions clunky. The scene before A Whole New world does not make sense for that chain of events. Plus, I really wanted Jafar to turn into a giant snake like he does in the original, but they changed events so that wouldn't work. I guess if you need to watch something unoffensive this is a sure-fire bet. If you have access to the original, that will probably be a better time than this.

6/10
I think its a 6 instead of a 5 because I was entertained enough, though your mileage may vary 
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Christopher Robin - Review

8/3/2018

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Release Date: August 3, 2018​​
As Cute As Can Be?

I wanted to see this movie the first time I heard about it. Ewan McGregor playing an older Christopher Robin with CG stuffed animals around him? Sold. The first teaser trailer came out and a lot of people were surprised by Pooh's face, that it was the classic look rather than the modern one. It did look a little suspect at first but I didn't really have a problem with it. After two trailers with opposing tones, I was a little worried about the movie. So, how is it?

I liked Christopher Robin in spite of itself. I thought that the messages it was trying say were good and executed to varying degrees. There isn't too much aggressively bad about the movie. Most of my problems are little things that pile up as you watch it. Pacing issues, some dialogue, and story tropes could have been better. It plays out very cliche at the end which made me cringe very hard.

Sidenote. The movie visually is very grey. It is not very colorful and lacks a sense of simple happy wonder.

You do not have to see this in a theater. In fact, you might have a better time watching it at home. It isn't the warm fuzzy feeling you might have wanted, but it's decent enough. The movie definitely could have been better but I'm ok with what I got in the end. There really was something so joyous about seeing a bunch of realistic stuffed animals come to life. Their voices were perfect and did a lot to pull this movie in the positive for me.

                                              6.5/10                                       
I just realised that the poster is way more colorful than the movie itself
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Beauty and the Beast - Review

3/18/2017

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Release Date: ​March 17, 2017
The Best Live action Princess Story

Beauty and the Beast is going to probably be one of the best performing movies of this year if not of all time. There is no denying its success of capturing and engaging audiences’ attention. But is it actually deserving of all the praise.

The movie, like so many of the live action fairy tales from Disney, is essentially a remake but with people instead of animation. The past live action fairy tales have done a good job converting the movies in this way and Beauty and the Beast is no exception.

There is not really too much for me to stay on the movie. It acts like a checklist for me. You need to have the songs that everyone remembers and loves, but you also need the story to act as a string to guide the movie. Since it is a Disney movie though, you also need lots of beautiful set design as well. The sets were nicely put together and the clothing was good too. I do have to point out that the green screen and landscape CGI left something to be desired. It was easy to realise what was fake and what was real environment wise.

The whole debacle about Lefou being gay was not a factor. I think that it was actually a mismanagement on the director’s part, trying to make it seem like a big deal. There is about 1 second of footage that the director can feel proud of himself, for getting the movie banned in Malaysia. It was an over extension and it was unneeded. I am referring to making a big deal about the whole situation.

Other than that I think the movie did a better job being a musical that La La Land. People thought that La La Land was going to be the movie that brought the musical back, but Beauty and the Beast does such a better job showing off that skill set.

Overall Beauty and the Beast was pretty similar to the original and you should go see it just for Gaston (the musical number) and Be Our Guest. Let’s be honest, you were probably going to see the movie eventually.

                                     7/10
                       Be Our Guest is still Great
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The Jungle Book - Review

5/25/2016

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Release Date: April 15, 2016
Where Avatar Left Off

The Jungle Book from first glance is just a continuation of Disney's line of live action fairy tales. Just another classic story brought to life in a realistic setting. But there is so much more to this movie and it operates on so many different levels. 

The first thing you might notice about The Jungle Book, is how amazing it looks. The animals, the forest, everything pops out and sucks you into this incredibly realized world. You forget, or keep reminding yourself, that 98% of everything on screen is CGI. Very similarly to how Avatar was shot, there was a heavy use of computer graphics and it blows people away. The only thing not CGI is Mowgli (played by Neel Sethi) and he does an incredible job. Its a compliment to compare an actor's capability to give a convincing performance alongside no other humans at such a young age to those who have done it before. Much older and seasoned actors have tried the same thing with a lesser degree of success, so to provide praise for this young actor is truly a feat to remember. 

Not only was the acting superb, but the voice work was fantastic as well. The many people who voiced characters including Bill Murray (portraying Baloo), Ben Kingsley (portraying Bagheera), and Idris Elba (Shere Khan) to name a few. These characters filled their roles and then some, providing a world so convincing that you would have never guessed it was all made in a computer.

As a movie it was great fun to watch, and as a film it was an amazing one to spectate. There was a common complaint though for some viewers that cannot go unnoticed. Some miss the iconic ending of the original film and wish it had been in the movie. I understand that for some that was the defining version of the movie, but there was a reason not to include it. To be able to start building a brand for this live action franchise, there had to be some deviances from the original. You do not see Disney making a Cinderella 2, but do however see them working on a Malificent 2 and fast tracking a Jungle Book 2. The reason for this stems from that both the movies getting sequels expand on what the original brought to the table when those stories were first told. 

All in all, I would be surprised if this movie was not part of the higher portion of my top 10 movies of the year list.

                                                 9/10
                                  A great watch anytime
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