Friday, October 4, 2013

Movie Review: Aladin (2009)



“Life is a disco, and we are all dancers.” --Genius

From the moment that this film came to my attention on Amazon, I knew I had to have it. The story of Aladdin is just begging for a Bollywood makeover… I’m just surprised that it hasn’t been done sooner.


The movie stars Riteish Dushmukh as the buffoonish Aladin Chatterjee, a college-aged wuss from the fictional town of Khwaish in India. Orphaned as a child under mysterious circumstances, Aladin has been bullied all his life because of his name... forced to rub (presumably fake) genie lamps, taunted, and beaten up when no genie appears.  For some reason, the same gang of boys that have harassed Aladin since childhood, led by Rob Lowe’s Indian doppelganger, Kasim (Sahil Khan), still find this same joke funny, even though they are practically adults. Kasim and his gang are incredibly cruel to Aladin, who is a twitchy, paranoid, insecure wreck as a result.

Riteish Dushmukh as Aladin
Inevitably, because this is Bollywood, Aladin falls in love at first sight with the beautiful American foreign exchange student, Jasmine (Jacqueline Fernandez). Also inevitably, he is too cowardly to make a move. Of course, Kasim relentlessly taunts Aladin about this, and Aladin does absolutely nothing to fight back.


Needless to say, at the beginning of the film, Aladin doesn’t have a whole lot going for him.  Enter Genius (Amitabh Bachchan), the sassiest and smoothest-dancing genie the world has ever seen.


Now, I love me some Amitabh, so I am probably biased, but he stole the show. He brought some interesting emotional depth to a character that could easily have become just another caricature in a film meant more for empty-headed enjoyment than philosophical thinking. The film’s take on genie mythology was interesting, however. Definitely different and more intense/violent than Disney’s Aladdin!  

Amitabh Bachchan as Genius
I enjoyed the dynamic between Aladin and Genius the most out of any characters in the film. Amitabh and Riteish had very good comic timing together and seemed to be having fun. I didn’t buy the chemistry between Aladin and Jasmine as much… but that could be because I found Aladin so annoying for the majority of the film so I wasn’t rooting for them.  


The A and B plots come together through the creepy, top-hatted Ringmaster, played by Sanjay Dutt and his marvellous goatee.  The Ringmaster has has issues with both Aladin and Genius… and will stop at nothing to get what he most desires. His group of circus perfomers/mutants/assassins are truly terrifying at times.


The dance numbers were a tad disappointing. The one highlight was “Genie Rap,” a song from early on in the film where Genius is trying to convince Aladin to make his first wish.   Imagine Big B rapping about “shorties, blunts and 40’s” ... yes, it’s as hilarious as it sounds. Another entertaining song is "O Re Saawariya" ... mostly because of how horrified and awkward Aladin is during the number.

The subtitles let me down a bit here… some of the translations were a bit... conspicuously "off." Part of me wonders if they translated “blunts” as “blondes” on purpose. LOL.

Jacqueline Fernandez as Jasmine
The SFX are where this film really shines. The computer effects were really cool and done as well as any Hollywood production. I particularly loved the scene where Genius runs across a bunch of knives flying through the air. Stunts and martial arts played a prominent role in most of the action scenes, and those were pretty well done as well, albeit pretty hokey. Let’s just say that somebody on the production team must have a thing for classic kung-fu movies.


I watched this movie with my husband, and although we both enjoyed it, we felt that it was a bit slow getting started. However, as is typical of many Bollywood films, once it gets rolling, it’s a nonstop action and exposition festival. If you are confused about certain important plot points in the beginning of the film, keep watching...I promise that all will be explained by the end :P


Will Aladin get the girl? Will Genius be able to thwart the comically villainous Ringmaster and be able to retire in peace? I don’t want to spoil anything major… so if you’re in the mood for a fun, light-hearted Bollywood movie that focuses more on adventure and fantasy than the love story, check this one out. It’s on Amazon for under $10.


Ratings:


Dance Numbers: 3/5
Costar Chemistry: Aladin/Jasmine 2/5, Aladin/Genius 5/5
Entertainment Value: 3.5/5
SFX/Production Value:  4/5
Subtitle Accuracy: 3.5/5


Overall: 3.5/5 Disco Balls. Would recommend.

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