By Jason Pyles

Just a quick, random note about this side-by-side artwork comparison: I was going to comment on this on Twitter, but I honestly didn’t have the energy. (Besides, Adam Frazier @AdamFrazier on Twitter, ended up doing it for me.) What can be said, really? Studios continually try to ride the wave of other successful films by emulating and imitating their poster art — down to every little detail, even color scheme — trying everything they can to strike gold again. It’s really a non-story, but I must admit that I noticed it instantly when I first saw this “Aladdin” poster art.

By way of preface, my family revisited the original, animated “Aladdin” from (1992) — on VHS, no less — just two days before seeing the new live-action version. And I should also mention up front that I have been a Will Smith fan since about 1988, even before his TV show, because I bought his cassette tape of “He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper.” I’ve been supporting Will Smith (as much as possible) ever since, though “After Earth” even pushed my limits.

Having said all of the above, following in the footsteps of Robin Williams to reprise this genie role is a thankless and futile endeavor. Will Smith does a fine job as the genie, don’t get me wrong, but nobody’s going to give him much credit, regardless of how good his performance is. The world would never let anyone top Robin Williams’ genie performance, especially now that he’s gone and under such tragic circumstances. It would be like remaking “Citizen Kane.” It’s a fool’s errand. Continue reading →