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

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.

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

#Aladdin is better than expected. Not the complete disaster critics were expecting, but also not a home run. It's surprisingly fun. Naomi Scott's a great Jasmine, but Didn't love the actor playing Aladdin. The music is better the less it tries to evolve the songs we know.

— /Film (@slashfilm) May 19, 2019

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

The pair of them absolutely should have been used in the marketing more. They anchor the whole movie.

— Alisha Grauso (@AlishaGrauso) May 19, 2019

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

The second #Aladdin started, I began to get choked up. The original is an all-time fave & the remake plays to that nostalgia beautifully. It improves on the original in some ways & is inferior in others but as a long time fan, I truly enjoyed it. It made me feel like a kid again. pic.twitter.com/6VOFGsS001

— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) May 19, 2019

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

#Aladdin isn't terrible but that's where we are with these remakes. Beautiful but hopes that will be enough. Massoud and Scott are solid. Marwan Kenzari says every line like it's dirty and I was here for it! Someone give him something!

— Kristen Lopez (@Journeys_Film) May 19, 2019

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

Will Smith is legit funny for the first two acts, then he kinda disappears and the movie suffers.

— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) May 18, 2019

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

Not going to lie, was pretty enchanted by @Disney's #Aladdin. Not a lot else to say besides how delightful I found the whole thing (@ILMVFX knocked it out of the park) and how everyone doubting Will Smith will be eating their words by the end of next week. 🧞‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/y0XMNwKbC5

— Drew Taylor (@DrewTailored) May 19, 2019

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

Well guys. Will Smith is literally a fantastic Genie in @disneyaladdin and I am HERE👏FOR👏IT👏 Also I only want to hug Abu with everything in my heart. #Aladdín

— Tiff Mink ✨💜 (@minkus) May 19, 2019

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

#Aladdin is a charming crowd-pleaser that keeps getting better, thanks to contagious musical numbers, Will Smith's charisma, and a fantastic Naomi Scott.

— Nestor Cine (@NestorCine) May 19, 2019

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:

#Aladdin Thoughts: A lavish and enjoyable retelling, but not enough of A Whole New World to fully succeed.

Mena Massoud/Naomi Scott are great, while Will Smith brings a fun energy to his take on the Genie, even if the CGI lets him down. The less said about Jafar, the better 😬 pic.twitter.com/LTJfkVZKYn

— Digital Spy (@digitalspy) May 8, 2019

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

He's not in it near enough, but Billy Magnussen just slays

— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) May 18, 2019

Can confirm that the majority of your concerns about #Aladdin, especially anything Will Smith-related, will vanish once that first big song kicks in, but my pick for MVP has got to be @BillyMagnussen! He might just be a comedy genius in waiting. pic.twitter.com/0rMs5S0axn

— Rory Cashin (@roarEcashin) May 8, 2019

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

So #Aladdin is Disney's second-best recent remake, after Pete's Dragon.

Proudly a musical fantasy adventure, the jokes are strong, Smith's Genie is a lot of fun, the human leads work well. It's 20 minutes too long, but works a charm for the entire run.
Will Smith credits rap!!!

— Andrew Jones – Social Distancing Champion (@EthanRunt) May 8, 2019

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

Just out of #Aladdin. Not a disaster but v uneven – some of the fistpumpy moments don't feel earned, and some interesting ideas are a bit undercooked. But Naomi Scott does well, and once the sub-Robin Williams intros are out the way, Will Smith is good fun too

— Shaun Kitchener (@ShaunKitchener) May 16, 2019

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

My expectations were in the gutter, but #Aladdin was so much more fun than it had the right to be. The two leads were great and the visuals were amazing. Much better than Dumbo.

— Joe 🥤 (@JoePassmore) May 16, 2019

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."