Aladdin and his magic lamp is an inspirational folk tale of Middle Eastern origin. It is one of the best known and most “retold” of all fairytales from “The Book of Thousand and One Nights”, which is also dubbed as “The Arabian Nights”.
Director Guy Ritchie’s version, a musical, is actually the live action remake of the 1992 Disney animation. It showcases only a part of the original folklore, which is nevertheless fascinating and fun to watch, as it enthralls you in many ways.
Narrated in a non-linear manner and set in Agrabah, a city in an Arabian Kingdom, it is the tale of Aladdin (Mena Massoud), an impoverished “riff-raff, street rat” who along with his chattering monkey comes into possession of a magic lamp that houses a genie.
How Aladdin wins the heart of Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott) and stops the scheming Jafar (Marwan Kenzari), a street robber who becomes the trusted Wazir (vizier) of the Sultan, from his nefarious plans, forms the crux of the narrative.