->
-> The story has Aladdin and Jasmine getting married and Aladdin
-> discovering that his father isn't dead. (We should all be so lucky)
-> There were a lot of nice songs in the movie too. By the end of the
-> video there was a hint that there might be a fourth one but I believe
-> three is enough to satisfy me for now.
->
-> Comments anyone?
I thought it was lame, and I'm one of the few people that actually LIKED
the second installment of Aladdin. This latest one has several serious
falws that take away any chance of being entertained. First of all, it
doesn't have a good, solid villian like the previous two. Jafar working,
plotting and scheming against Aladdin make for the excitement in the
first two Aladdin movies. Now that he's gone we are left villianless.
Aladdin's father kind-of comes in as a villian, but is character can't
decide whether to be a good guy or a bad guy so he ends up not being
either. The story just isn't there to justify this one.
Secondly, the Genie wasn't central to the story. It was obvious that he
was just thrown in so that Robin Williams would help the video sell. He
isn't needed and really doesn't have any top-quality lines like in the
first movie and the second one (voiced by someone else). He's really not
that funny - and why does he still have those gold arm-bands that he was
freed from in the FIRST movie? They are a symbol of his slave
relationship in that he is FORCED to grant the three wishes of his
master and FORCED to live in a tiny bottle. For the last two movies the
Genie has not been a slave and has not lived in the bottle. The whole
ending of the first film made it clear that Aladdin freed him from all
that. It showed the gold bands falling off his arms and he was free. In
the next two movies the arm-bands are back. I know this is not central
to the plot of this third movie, but really there is a very weak (read:
almost non-existant) storyline in this one so there has to be SOMETHING
to count on. Disney has been famous - from the beginning - for being a
great storyteller. In this case Disney failed us with this non-story of
a movie.
Also, the music was terrible. The songs are not singable or memorable.
They don't help you identify with the story (because there is no story)
and really make the movie drag on. It is obvious that were placed in the
film for only two reasons: 1) so the film would HAVE music like most
good Disney films, and 2) to make the film last a little longer,
because, without a story it makes it hard to go on for an hour.
There are other things wrong with it, but, suffice it to say, this
project was disappointment to me. I looked forward to it ever since the
last one - and was excited when it hit the video shelves. Because it was
NOT out on laser disc, I rented instead of buying it on the first day. I
let my kids see it first - without me. They are 12 and 13 years old and
MAJOR, hard-core Disney junkies. Their reviews? They said it was pretty
boring. I showed it to my wife and we weren't so generous with our
reviews even 'though we are harder-core Disnisical junkies.
My advice to people who have not seen it but are wondering if it is
worth it - go rent the thing first. Most Disney films you can just buy
off the shelf, never having seen it before and rest assured that you
will be taken to worlds unknown and wildly entertained. This is NOT such
a film. Rent it, view it and then make your buying decision. You'll
thank me later.
Kit Ballantyne
Christian Disney Enthusiasts of Utah
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