Aladdin: Reaching a Whole New World

The sad thing about films nowadays is that unless you are young enough not to be jaded, it’s very hard to go into many without having some original version or animated classic to compare it to. Sure, it’s fun to see a story told in a new way, but it also makes it difficult to judge the new version fairly, because your feelings towards the original can color your opinion. In the case of 2019’s live action remake of Aladdin, the original story that may be at the forefront of your mind is one of Disney’s 90’s animated classic films. Whether it was your favorite or not, whether you even liked it or not, it’s what you’ll be thinking of while watching it in 2019. Some elements are the same – many of the songs are carried over from the original, and your favorite characters are back (just with some updates). There are also new elements too – because this is live-action, the story is told in a new way, and that is worth considering when you settle yourself in to your seat with a bucket of popcorn. It’s easy to preemptively judge because there was already one good version of the story, but that doesn’t mean it has to be the only one.This new version of Aladdin may not be an complete diamond in the rough, but it’s not a lump of coal either.

Mamma Mia 2’s the Real Dancing Queen

I sat down to watch the original Mamma Mia! (2008) before seeing the cast dance back on screen. I’d seen the musical on stage before, but it amazed me how much cheesier the movie was in comparison, and I started to worry that I wouldn’t enjoy the sequel at all. It seems, however, that the ten years have taught the moviemakers some important lessons. The most important? That a movie can be fun and a little ridiculous without being cheesy at the same time. Sure, there is less of a plot in this movie than the original (after all, once they decide never to find out who the dad is, there isn’t a whole lot left to talk about), and sure, there’s just as much dancing and singing, but there’s more effort put into it all, and it falls together in a way that you can both dance and cry to. Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again is still a love letter to ABBA, but there’s absolutely no reason you can’t dance and jive, having the time of your life (I promise I’m done).