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Of all the Disney remakes of recent years Aladdin is by far the standout showpiece. Regarded as one of the best Disney films of all time, Aladdin was always going to be a tricky one to re-imagine without sacrificing the magic of the original film. After watching the film the superlatives come to mind thick and fast. What a show!!

As a big fan of the original I approached the screening very sceptically. I knew it was going to take a near masterpiece to at least be on par with the 1992 version. Fast forward 2 hours and I’m leaving the cinema with a smile. The film is seriously good fun, guilt free and glorious!

Amongst several good performances and some stunning visuals there is one huge stand out performance from the entrepreneurial genius that is Will Smith. His performance as Genie is simply fantastic. The 1992 original had the same standout performance from the incredibly talented Robin Williams. I’m sure in the mind of Will Smith he will have wanted to deliver a performance worthy of being talked about in the same breath as Robin Williams. Without doubt his flawless performance acted as a brilliant tribute.

As good as Genie was, he was unfortunately contrasted but the rather lacklustre Jafar. Marwan Kenzari delivered an average performance and just couldn’t quite master the sinister yet comedic approach from the Jafar of 1992. That being said it really didn’t detract from the overall feel good factor.

In conclusion, ignore any preconceptions you might have, get out there and watch Aladdin. Heart warming fun with plenty of humour that just happens to be visually spectacular.

Bread and Butter Score – 8.5/10