---
title: "Aladdin"
year: 2019
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/aladdin-2019"
fi1m_id: "aladdin-2019"
imdb_id: "tt6139732"
tmdb_id: 420817
wikidata_id: "Q27188178"
fi1m_score: 57
critics_score: 56
critics_reviews: 27
published: "2026-09-23T14:41:33.648869+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-23T14:41:46.126733+00:00"
region: "EC"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Aladdin (2019)

Directed by Guy Ritchie · 2h 07m · Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Family

## Identity

Aladdin

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/aladdin-2019
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** aladdin-2019
- **IMDb ID:** tt6139732
- **TMDB ID:** 420817
- **Wikidata ID:** Q27188178
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6139732/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/420817, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q27188178

**Fi1m score: 57** · Critics 56 from 27 reviews

*In a sentence:* Will Smith is having a lovely time and the computer keeps turning him into a blue thumb

> Guy Ritchie’s live-action Aladdin repeats the 1992 cartoon almost beat for beat, with forty minutes added. Naomi Scott and Nasim Pedrad give it a pulse; the computer-made Genie and the anonymous direction take it away again.

## Synopsis

Agrabah, a desert city with a palace on the hill and a market below it. Aladdin (Mena Massoud) is a street thief who steals to eat and gives most of it away, with a monkey called Abu for company. Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott) slips out of the palace in disguise while her handmaiden Dalia (Nasim Pedrad) covers for her; her father the Sultan (Navid Negahban) wants her married to a prince, and Prince Anders (Billy Magnussen) is the latest to try. The vizier Jafar (Marwan Kenzari) wants a lamp hidden in the Cave of Wonders and needs a thief to fetch it. Aladdin goes in, comes out with the lamp, and releases the Genie (Will Smith), who offers three wishes. The first is to become a prince.

## Review

Disney has remade its 1992 cartoon [*Aladdin*](https://film.one/film/aladdin) with actors, and it is the same film: a street thief, a princess in disguise, a lamp in a cave, a genie with three wishes and the same songs in nearly the same order. Guy Ritchie directs, and he and John August have added a new number for Jasmine, a handmaiden for her to talk to, a love interest for the Genie and a framing device in which Will Smith, as a mariner, tells the story to his children. It runs 127 minutes, roughly forty longer than the cartoon. The additions are the best of it; the length is the worst.

Naomi Scott is the reason to stay. She has the voice for the songs and a straight back for the palace politics, and when the film stops so she can sing Speechless, the new song, she carries a number that belongs in a stagier show. Mena Massoud is quick on his feet and easy to like, and his scenes with Scott have the right nervousness. Nasim Pedrad, as the handmaiden Dalia, is the one invention that pays off: dry, sceptical of everyone, and funnier every time the film remembers she is there.

When Smith first comes out of the lamp as the Genie, blue and enormous, with a topknot and a torso made by a computer, we felt a small embarrassment on his behalf. The face was his, the body was not, and the join showed. Then he wishes himself down to a man in a waistcoat and the film relaxes, and so did we. He is not attempting Robin Williams, and he is right not to. He does Will Smith: fast, cocky, a hype man far better at teaching Aladdin how to talk to a girl than at being a hundred feet tall. Whenever the plot needs proper magic, the film hands him back to the computer, and the computer does not love him.

Alan Stewart shoots Agrabah in pink, gold and turquoise, and Gemma Jackson’s city borrows from Morocco, Rajasthan and the Gulf without settling anywhere: stacked fruit and hanging brass in the market, a palace like a wedding cake above it. Michael Wilkinson’s costumes are embroidered to within an inch of their lives. The Prince Ali parade is the one set piece that earns its money, a street full of dancers doing Bollywood shoulder work with Smith out front. James Herbert cuts the opening chase with the speed changes Ritchie has used since [*Snatch*](https://film.one/film/snatch), slow then fast then slow, so that One Jump Ahead looks like an advertisement for trainers. After that the editing could be anyone’s. Alan Menken, who wrote the songs the first time, returns, and his tunes survive the louder arrangements.

The villain does not work. Marwan Kenzari plays Jafar young, quiet and whispering, a reasonable idea, but he never frightens anyone, and a film like this needs its children a little scared. The Cave of Wonders is a dark digital cavern with gold in it, and the finale is more of the same at greater volume, storms, smoke and shouting. Ritchie has made a film any competent hand on Disney’s books could have made. Apart from that chase, there is no sign he was there.

We should own the moment it got us anyway. A Whole New World, sung on the carpet over the rooftops and out across the desert, is played straight, Scott and Massoud sing it well, and for four minutes we were sold and slightly annoyed about it. Then it cuts back to plot.

Disney’s remakes have, at their best, found a reason to exist. [*The Jungle Book*](https://film.one/film/the-jungle-book) (2016) had a technology to show off. This one’s reason is that people liked the last one, and it produces a film you watch while checking it against your memory. Children who do not know the cartoon will have a good time, and it is a PG they can be left with. Adults who know it will spend two hours noticing what has been moved, and will come out wanting to watch the original, which is a recommendation of a kind.

*Fi1m score 57, published 23 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics come away neither delighted nor appalled. The reviews lean mixed, with a majority finding a lavish, energetic remake that gets the job done without improving on the 1992 animation. Praise settles on the cast: Will Smith’s Genie is the most discussed element and often the most enjoyed, Naomi Scott’s Jasmine and her expanded arc are widely liked, and Nasim Pedrad’s new handmaiden is singled out even in hostile notices. The Bollywood-influenced dance numbers and the central romance also earn regular mentions.

The reservations gather around whether the film needed to exist. Many critics see a glossy retread that cleaves too closely to the original to justify itself, with the CGI Genie a frequent complaint and Guy Ritchie’s direction described as anonymous. The spread is wide: The Guardian and IndieWire call it lively and unexpectedly funny, while Film Comment and Slant find it moribund and perfunctory. Smith himself divides the reviews, with Empire finding him constrained and The AV Club subdued.

## Straight answers

**Is Aladdin worth watching?**

*Aladdin* (2019) is worth watching for children who do not know the 1992 cartoon, and we scored it 57. Naomi Scott, Mena Massoud and Nasim Pedrad give it a pulse, and A Whole New World still works on the carpet, but the computer-made Genie and forty added minutes drag. Adults who remember the original will spend two hours checking it against their memory.

**How long is Aladdin, and what is it rated?**

*Aladdin* runs 2h 07m. It is an adventure and fantasy film.

**Where can I watch Aladdin in Ecuador?**

*Aladdin* is streaming on Zee5 and Disney+ in Ecuador. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How does Aladdin compare to Aladdin?**

*Aladdin* (2019) tells the same story as the 1992 cartoon almost beat for beat, with forty minutes added and a Genie built by a computer rather than drawn. The original is the tighter and funnier of the two, with Robin Williams unleashed; the remake has the better romance and a good new song for Jasmine. Children new to both will enjoy either, but the cartoon is the one we recommend.

**What should I watch after Aladdin?**

After *Aladdin*, try [*Aladdin*](https://film.one/film/aladdin) (1992, Fi1m 82): The original, ninety minutes, Robin Williams unleashed; watch it and understand the remake’s problem. Then [*Paddington 2*](https://film.one/film/paddington-2) (2017, Fi1m 91): The family film Disney keeps failing to make: kind, funny, and not a minute too long.

### Reviews we read (27)

- **IndieWire**, Kate Erbland (80/100, inferred): The critic calls it an unexpectedly fun and frisky remake that is far better and more coherent than trailers suggested. Will Smith's full-force performance as the Genie steals the show and is singled out as the standout element. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/aladdin-review-will-smith-guy-ritchie-remake-1202143206/)
- **The Guardian** (80/100, inferred): The critic finds Guy Ritchie’s live-action remake lively, colourful and genuinely funny, with judicious tweaks to the original that keep it fun without overhauling a strong story. They single out the respectful casting of brown-skinned actors and Will Smith’s human, life-of-the-party Genie as highlights. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/may/22/aladdin-review-live-action-remake-will-smith-guy-ritchie)
- **Evening Standard**, Charlotte O'Sullivan (77/100, inferred): The critic finds it a fun spin-off rather than superior to the original, praising the energetic quadruple-act dynamic (especially Will Smith’s entertaining, elastic Genie performance and the new romance subplot), the revamped Jasmine with her new song and agency, the choreography and action, and the lavish production, while noting the villain Jafar is a weak point. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/film/aladdin-film-review-guy-ritchie-will-smith-disney-a4150471.html)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang (69/100, inferred): While far from vital, the movie isn’t the disastrous remake feared; it is mostly middling, fitfully funny, and never unpleasant, slyly disarming questions about its necessity with charm and some upgrades. The critic singles out the music, Nasim Pedrad’s performance, and the central romance (including the magic carpet ride) for praise while noting the slick anonymity of the direction and cosmetic nature of the changes. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-aladdin-review-will-smith-20190522-story.html)
- **Screen Daily** (62/100, inferred): The film is sometimes dazzling but more often workmanlike, achieving a faithful supersized recreation of the animated original. Despite sublime songs and occasional arresting moments, the most potent element is its intentional air of déjà vu and the sense that little risk is taken. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/aladdin-review/5139273.article)
- **Empire**, Dan Jolin (3/5): The critic calls it another lavish and largely entertaining Disney re-do with strong turns from Massoud and Scott, but notes it feels like standard remake business with little of Ritchie’s distinctive style beyond a slick opening and minor Jafar tweaks; the main complaint is Will Smith’s Genie feeling disappointingly constrained by the original and marred by ghastly CGI. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/aladdin-2-review/)
- **Radio Times**, Trevor Johnston (3/5): The remake is glittery and energetic with digital spectacle and a strong-willed Jasmine, ultimately getting the job done. It lacks the wit and magic of the original, with Will Smith's Genie feeling effortful and unsettling. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/aladdin-film-review-will-smith-guy-ritchie/)
- **The Telegraph** (3/5): The critic calls it a big-hearted fantasy musical with a gorgeous colour palette and strict moral code that tries hard but does not quite improve on the 1992 original. They single out Will Smith’s manic chutzpah as the Genie and flashes of Ritchie’s brilliance in the latter half. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/aladdin-review-rollicking-adventure-creative-missteps-guy-ritchies/)
- **Time Out**, Joseph Walsh (3/5): The live-action version lacks the fizz of the 1992 animation but retains street-smart charm through strong leads and dazzling Bollywood-influenced dance numbers. Will Smith's Genie never fully captures the original magic and slow-motion effects occasionally drag scenes. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/aladdin)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Frank Scheck (59/100, inferred): The critic finds the live-action remake serviceable but lacking magic, with a politically correct diverse cast and female empowerment themes that fail to deliver wonder. The main praise goes to the engaging central love story chemistry between Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott, plus Will Smith's enjoyable take on the Genie. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/aladdin-review-1212553/)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Matt Zoller Seitz (51/100, inferred): The live-action remake directed by Guy Ritchie is more often lumbering, patchy, and meandering than fun, a dancing elephant of a movie that prioritizes photoreal CGI over the charm and inspiration of the 1992 animated original. The critic singles out the pedestrian filmmaking and over-reliance on CGI for complaint while noting some decent moves from the cast, particularly Will Smith's Genie in emotional moments. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/aladdin-2019)
- **Sight and Sound**, Kim Newman (51/100, inferred): The critic finds the live-action remake a dutiful but uninspired retread that leans on digital effects and Will Smith's Genie without adding much new. Ritchie invests in the thief-and-princess story but the result feels smug and pantomime-like in its staging. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/aladdin-review-guy-ritchie-polishes-disneys-lamp)
- **The AV Club**, Ignatiy Vishnevetsky (C-): The critic pans the remake as the worst of the recent lifeless Disney live-action updates, feeling anonymous, sluggish, and lacking the original's zip and charm. The unimaginative staging of musical numbers and Will Smith's subdued Genie performance are highlighted as major complaints. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-lifeless-disney-remake-aladdin-can-t-muster-the-ori-1834938396)
- **Vulture** (50/100, inferred): The critic views the film as a slick, generated corporate product engineered for maximum effect with no downtime or real magic. Guy Ritchie's roller-coaster energy and Will Smith's eager, campy Genie performance are noted positively amid the synthetic feel. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2019/05/disneys-live-action-aladdin-review.html)
- **The New Yorker**, Anthony Lane (45/100, inferred): Guy Ritchie’s live-action version falls short of its animated predecessor, reheating tropes and tunes but taking all the fun out of them with strained musical numbers, confounding action, and graceless CGI. The critic singles out Will Smith's less mutable Genie and the loss of the original's charm for complaint, while noting honors for Naomi Scott and Nasim Pedrad. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/06/03/a-live-action-aladdin-falls-short-of-its-animated-predecessor)
- **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (43/100, inferred): The film is a threadbare magic-carpet ride to nowhere special, pointless in an aggressive way despite some craft and a few pleasant elements like the early chase scene and Bollywood-inflected numbers. The critic singles out the incoherence highlighted by the familiar songs and the casting for mixed note, while complaining that it fails to convey novelty or wonder. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/22/movies/aladdin-review.html)
- **Little White Lies**, David Jenkins (2/2/2): The ultra-glossy remake cleaves too closely to the 1992 original to justify its existence, feeling creatively bankrupt despite lively leads. It offers manufactured déjà vu rather than any ounce of originality. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/aladdin)
- **Film Comment**, Michael Sragow (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the remake maladroit, overlong, and moribund, with Will Smith's Genie trapped by digital effects in contrast to Robin Williams' animated freedom. They single out Nasim Pedrad's new character Dalia as the standout for her timing and emotional sense, while criticizing the film's length, messaging, and lack of wit. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/deep-focus-aladdin/)
- **Slant Magazine** (30/100, inferred): The critic sees it as a perfunctory, shot-for-shot corporate remake that drains the original of vitality and settles for botched delivery of familiar material. Lack of chemistry between leads and the draining of the Genie's larger-than-life quality by Will Smith are singled out negatively. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review-aladdin-is-a-magic-corporate-ride-to-nowhere-special/)
- **HeyUGuys**, Linda Marric (4/5): The critic finds it a fitting remake of the classic, with Will Smith’s Genie carrying the film through strong casting and a sense of nostalgia and magic. Some leads lack familiarity and Jafar feels downbeat, but overall it delivers the goods with modern touches on the songs. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/aladdin-2019-review/)
- **The Playlist**, Griffin Schiller (B): Despite a noticeably tame Guy Ritchie, the film offers more than a typical Disney remake through fresh interpretations, strong world-building, and character updates like a more empowered Jasmine. Some musical numbers feel too Broadway and execution can be cartoony, but it feels distinct and modern overall. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/aladdin-will-smith-review-20190522/)
- **Digital Spy**, Ian Sandwell (70/100, inferred): The critic finds it a lavish and enjoyable retelling that doesn't fully succeed as a new world but offers plenty of fun, with strong performances from Naomi Scott and Will Smith. They single out the expanded Jasmine arc and new song 'Speechless' for praise while noting issues with Jafar and the CGI-heavy finale. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a27481164/aladdin-review-2019-will-smith/)
- **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (C): The critic finds the film competent but unnecessary, with new song arrangements that fall short and little of the original's magic; it feels like Disney cashing in on IP rather than a worthy update. Praise goes to Will Smith's fresh take on the Genie character despite the CGI design. [Read](https://collider.com/aladdin-review/)
- **Polygon**, Matt Patches (50/100, inferred): The remake settles for recreating familiar beats rather than capturing the original magic, resulting in a confectionery musical that feels less entertaining than it should; the soundtrack and new song are central to both its strengths and weaknesses. The critic highlights the songs as the boldest choices but notes the film gets a bit pitchy overall. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/2019/5/22/18635556/aladdin-2019-movie-review-soundtrack-disney-will-smith/)
- **The Wrap** (47/100, inferred): The critic finds Guy Ritchie an odd fit for the material, delivering a chintzy live-action remake that feels sanitized and focused more on Will Smith's entourage than the story. It singles out the production design and costumes as underwhelming compared to the source material. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/aladdin-2019-film-review-guy-ritchie-delivers-chintzy-live-action-remake-with-will-smith/)
- **/Film**, Josh Spiegel (4/10): The remake is a well-meaning but hollow effort that lacks its own identity and suffers from unconvincing CGI, especially the Genie. It fails to fully embrace or reinvent the source material, resulting in a film that falls apart upon closer inspection. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/aladdin-review-a-well-meaning-but-hollow-remake-of-a-classic/)
- **Den of Geek**, David Crow (2 out of 5): The critic calls the film soullessly barren and a cynical product that fails to recapture the magic of the original, with perfunctory recreations and uncomfortable musical staging by Ritchie. They single out the dance scenes and Nasim Pedrad's chemistry for praise amid the general dispassion. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/aladdin-review-disney-remake-will-smith/)

## Details

- **Director:** Guy Ritchie
- **Director:** Guy Ritchie
- **Screenplay:** John August, Guy Ritchie
- **Cinematography:** Alan Stewart
- **Editor:** James Herbert
- **Music:** Alan Menken
- **Production design:** Gemma Jackson
- **Costume design:** Michael Wilkinson
- **Producer:** Jonathan Eirich, Dan Lin
- **Cast:** Mena Massoud as Aladdin; Will Smith as Genie / Mariner; Naomi Scott as Jasmine; Marwan Kenzari as Jafar; Navid Negahban as Sultan; Nasim Pedrad as Dalia; Billy Magnussen as Prince Anders; Numan Acar as Hakim
- **Runtime:** 2h 07m
- **First release (France):** 8 May 2019
- **Genres:** Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Family
- **Budget:** $183 million
- **Box office:** $1.05 billion
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h44kpghglWw

## Where to watch in Ecuador

- Zee5: streaming
- Disney+: streaming, uhd

*Checked 2026-09-23.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Aladdin* (1992), Fi1m 82: The original, ninety minutes, Robin Williams unleashed; watch it and understand the remake’s problem. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/aladdin.md)
- *The Thief of Bagdad* (1940): Technicolor Arabian Nights with a flying horse and a genie who really is frightening.
- *The Adventures of Prince Achmed* (1926): Paper silhouettes, a flying horse and a sorcerer, made in Germany nearly a century ago.
- *Om Shanti Om* (2007): Bollywood spectacle done by people who mean it, with dance numbers Prince Ali only borrows.
- *Paddington 2* (2017), Fi1m 91: The family film Disney keeps failing to make: kind, funny, and not a minute too long. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/paddington-2.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/aladdin-2019