My daughter and I know and love the Disney classic Aladdin. So, we were thrilled to check out the new live-action Aladdin in theaters. What makes it even better is seeing it in 4DX!
4DX in Nashville
Going to the movies is fun. The kids love the excitement of the big screen (with snacks and drinks, of course!). But, now going to the movies gives the family an all-new experience. Regal Opry Mills 4DX is the first Nashville theatre location to feature the premium large format 4DX. What this means is that during the movie, you'll experience seats that move (up, down, forward, back, side to side) and weather effects (lightning, rain, wind and snow!). With each movie, the experience is different, too. However, there's only one room with this cutting-edge technology. So, limited viewing times are available.
Regal Opry Mills is located at 570 Opry Mills Drive. Tickets for the 4DX 3D movie are $26 adults, $23.20 children. Learn more at myregal.com.
Aladdin in 4DX
— spoilers … spoilers … spoilers —
Mena Massoud portrays the "street rat," with a little more clothing on than in the original cartoon movie; Naomi Scott portrays the beautiful Princess Jasmine; Will Smith as Genie and Navid Negahban is sultan.
Massoud's voice captures the feel of Aladdin from the beginning. However, there are a few instances in his singing that don't quite capture the typical emotions of the character. Our favorite part was the magic carpet ride featuring Massoud and Scott's performance of "A Whole New World." The seats sway along with the carpet ride and soft gusts of wind rumble your hair, which adds to the magic. Like you are on the carpet ride along with them.
A disappointment with the 4DX features was when Aladdin is cast away to a snowy land and the theater produces fake snow. However, it's only the first two or three rows that get to experience this. The rest just see it. The air in the theater gets colder, too. Oh, and we hoped to experience a "scent" feature. When Aladdin runs through the market and kicks up spices and such, there should have been some kind of smell. But, maybe with the rumbling and moving of the seats as he jumped, rolled and dodged away from the chasing soldiers, it would have been too much. Maybe in one of the several scenes of Jasmine's room there could have been a scent.
Scott's Jasmine wonderfully portrays the character with a little more girl power and will to do her best at ruling the kingdom. We were too sure of her songs, though.
Smith's entrance on the screen comes with puffs of fog from the theater (a 4DX feature). He doesn't try to out-do the original Robin Williams' Genie. He does create it as his own with the Will Smith twist. The comedy is there, but delivered in a smooth-like swagger that is Will Smith. It was nice to have him find a love interest in the hand maid, too. A twist we didn't see coming.
There were a few disappointments, too. The biggest one was Negahban's sultan. His character was more serious, like something you'd find in any other movie with a king/sultan. It's the lost feeling of happiness we remember from the original that we hungered for. His cheerfulness was not there and felt as if it were never there to begin with. Then, of course, Jafar. Marwan Kenzari portrays the evil man, but dulled down a little. He's not quite as oil-slicked and serpent like as the cartoon version. Which is OK, but we kinda hoped for a little more. Especially when he wishes to become the most powerful being. He grows to an enormous size, but in the setting we see, the angle still makes him feel small. Not as big and mighty and in your face as he should be.
All in all, it's a must see. Whether you like the original version or not, you should definitely see this one. My son never saw the cartoon version before, but he thoroughly enjoyed the live-action version of Aladdin. As I'm sure you will, too.
Photo source: imdb.com
