Movies

'Aladdin' Early Buzz: Despite Questionable Trailers, The Disney Remake Is Surprisingly Good

Aladdin Early Reactions
By Ethan Anderton/

Right now, it doesn't seem like many Disney fans are all that excited about the arrival of the studio's remake of their 1992 animated classic Aladdin. The marketing certainly isn't doing the movie any favors, whether it's because of the seemingly wooden performance from Mena Massoud as the titular street urchin or the boring choreography for what should be one of the most lively parts of the movie. However, if the early buzz is any indicator, this movie is much better than the trailers make it seem.

Get the rundown of early Aladdin reactions from social media below.

Aladdin Early Reactions

Our own Peter Sciretta was pleasantly surprised by the movie, but still didn't think it was a total hit:

On the other hand, some were impressed by Mena Massound as Aladdin and his chemistry with Naomi Scott:

Meanwhile, our old buddy Germain Lussier was a little more enthusiastic, feeling some of that nostalgia:

Kristen Lopez thought it felt like a High School Musical version of Aladdin and also said this:

Despite how he appears in the marketing, apparently Will Smith is the best part of Aladdin. Mike Ryan says:

Drew Taylor also added that a lot of the skepticism of Will Smith's role as genie will disappear once they see the movie:

Others sang the praises of Will Smith as well, so maybe the trailers really were just making him look bad:

Some were just generally pleased with the remake, and they even said the musical numbers worked well:

One of the shortcomings appears to be Jafar, as well as some of the visual effects for the genie, but it doesn't ruin it:

And while there's a lot of praise for Will Smith, it's Billy Magnussen who gets a shout out for being fantastic too:

One critic even said Aladdin is Disney's second best from the recent round of remakes of their animated movies:

But it's not all praise, as there was some criticism among the reactions, but not enough to call it awful:

Even people with some of the lowest expectations came away mostly enjoying what Disney did with the remake:

You can buy tickets for Aladdin now at Fandango and wherever tickets are sold. The movie opens May 24, 2019.

A thrilling and vibrant live-action adaptation of Disney's 1992 classic, "Aladdin" is the exciting tale of the charming street rat Aladdin, the courageous and self-determined Princess Jasmine and the Genie who may be the key to their future. Directed by Guy Ritchie, who brings his singular flair for fast-paced, gritty, visceral action to the fictitious port city of Agrabah, "Aladdin" is written by John August and Ritchie based on Disney's "Aladdin."

Recommended