Ritchie, who directs and is a co-screenwriter
alongside John August, has basically taken the
1992 film’s structure, added elements from the
Broadway musical and made some nice script
tweaks, most impressively by adding a second
love story and updating Princess Jasmine from
pretty eyewitness to fierce participant. The script
also doubles down on the notion that everyone
seems trapped in roles they are born into.
Mena Massoud gamely plays the title character,
a street urchin with good hair who falls for the
free-spirited princess and has his life changed
with one rub of a magic lamp. Naomi Scott is the
princess and she is a worthy Disney heroine for
2019 — funny, strong, brave and with a sinfully
good voice.
The key Alan Menken melodies from the original
film — including “Friend Like Me,” ?Prince Ali”
and “A Whole New World” — are all here, as well
as “Speechless,” a new song written by Menken
and Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (“La La Land”),
performed by Jasmine. It’s terrific and may finally
replace “Let It Go” as the go-to Disney anthem.
The film’s other highlights are Michael Wilkinson’s
lush costumes, a parade of entirely digital
animals — including the fantastically realized
Abu the monkey, Rajah the tiger and a hugging
magic Carpet — and breakout performances
from “Saturday Night Live” alum Nasim Pedrad
as a handmaiden and Billy Magnussen as a
prince. Choreographer Jamal Sims combines
hip-hop and Bollywood in glorious mashups.
But the production design by Gemma
Jackson is pure Middle Eastern-South Asian
kitsch — complete with the expected food
stalls, crumbling walls and constant bustle.