#had to draw their iconic costumes from the og

[sir-walton-goggins]

It’s blue cop and red girl, you know the ones

[audsthoughts]

I get it, live actions aren’t for everybody and that’s totally fine. Not everyone’s gonna like it. But to shit on the stupidest things, or draw the dumbest conclusions??? Blocked. Y’all look dense as fuck. Views will be mixed as they always are, quit clogging up the tags with your negativity and find some chill 😂 The originals are still there to watch or read and enjoy…so go do that…it’s literally on the same app 👏🏻 I’m trying to be understanding I am, but some of y’all are so damn hung up you’re letting it completely destroy something you’d otherwise enjoy

Anyways!! Here’s some of the stuff I loved from the atla live action!

•cinematography, soundtrack, costumes - all on point

•getting to see the airbenders flourishing!!! Also the dude who played Gyatso?! Didn’t think I could love him more!! Even though it was painful as FUCKKKK getting to see the first invasion of the fire benders was an epic masterpiece

•speaking of, the first scene?? With the earthbender soldiers in the fire nation?? Iconic

•Omashu: unpop opinion I’m sure (bc y’all hate change but simultaneously hate when it’s carbon copy????????🤦🏼‍♀️) I loved how they incorporated like 3 or 4 episodes into one, and they flowed really well together. Jet is FOINEEE. Mechanist was perfect & his son is a freaking badass, amazing casting! Even though it was change, the secret tunnel scenes were still really freaking cool and the badgermoles were SICK AS FUCK. Also I love that Bumi was still cooky but not just randomly cooky? Like mans was run down from being king basically the entire war…which FAIR. And it made sense that he was peeved with Aang BECAUSE they were such good friends. Like the other avatars being mad at him? Yea that’s whatever. But for Bumi it was kinda personal. Also CABBAGE MAN WE MISSED YOU 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Oh! And the way they mentioned other episodes like they were lore when Zuko was trying to find Aang? That was an amazing way to tie back to the OG series

•I love how they incorporated the blue spirit, Koh, the fog of lost souls & parts of the ep where sokka and Katara got sick & Aang had to get them frogs - just reimagined it. Oh also Hei Bai! Yea, I loved that whole episode. Koh & Hei Bai were SCARY as fuck, it was awesome!!

•HAHN MY BELOVED…I ADORE YOU! Favorite character that they added/changed. Katara getting the other women involved in the battle?! Tui & La? The oasis?! 😭😭 stunning!!!! I also LOVEDDDDD Aangs avatar spirit that he turned into, literally perfect! And I loved the change that he gave himself over to the spirits wrath..fucking SICK. Also right before aang turned into the spirit/whatever that’s called, I was praying they’d do the line and thEY DIDDDD!!!

•Fire lord Ozai?? 😳😚 nothing needed to be said - perfection

•Kyoshi?! The Kyoshi warriors?! SUKI?! - speechless

•I like that they’re making more of a point to show how smart Sokka is! Mechanist calling him an engineer…I hope they play more into that! Ik they did a bit in the show with the subs (cartoon), but still

•”~hE rAn~” seriously my favorite line, I was DYINGGGG!!! The scenes with Zuko and Iroh, Zuko before the war meeting, the leaves from the vine being in the background at the funeral….ARE YOU FUCKING WITH ME?! Zuko’s crew being the crew he SAVED?! And when they find out they all do the fire nation bows to their prINCE?! 😭😭😭😭

I’m being fair y’all - things I don’t love/hope they change:

•this one I’m 50/50 on - I don’t love that they tried to give Kuruk a reason for disappearing. They tried to pull shit from Korra to make him look meaningful & not useless as an avatar and it didn’t hit for me

•some of the wigs: obviously we won’t see Yue again, but I wanted her hair to be white. I didn’t love the wig but it wouldn’t have been as bad for me if it wasn’t so grey. Also do NOT love Azula, Tylee or Mai’s hair. Ik they look just like the show but whether that’s wigs or their actual hair (I’m clueless) it needs some serious improvement. Azula’s looks great down, I just don’t like how big the side pieces are that frame her face when it’s up.

•Katara, my love, I am PRAYING part of your development is also going to be her becoming more outspoken and badass, bc this season we saw the tiniest of glimpses of it, not a fan (unless it’s a part of her development…she did grow up in a tiny ass tribe so I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt)

• IK they’re going with a much more serious Aang, but pleaseeeee give us some actual moments of him being a kid. We saw that like twice 😭

•Dante is the PERFECT ZUKO, I will hear NO slander. However, I need him to be more of a dick. I’m hoping we’ll get that when he gets super desolate when they’re on the run & then we have Zuko alone & he has his inner battle. I need snarky dickhead Zuko, so you can truly see the big differences between what he’s fighting (himself vs. who his dad wants him to be)

Have fun kids!

In case I haven’t made it clear, idgaf if you disagree. I go so hard for these live actions because it’s fun! It’s just supposed to be fun and different and new. If you get so serious about it you’re ALWAYS going to be disappointed, there’s no way around it bc nothing is ever going to be as good as the original book, the original show, the original tale. OG atla is ALWAYS gonna be the winner, nothing will compare! So sit back ~relax~ and find some joy in the little things

[scarlet--wiccan]

(Slight spoilers in FotHoX in this ask) You’ve talked a lot about pietro’s costume lately, do you have any thoughts on Lorna’s? I feel like her og costume was pretty great, idk why she gets so many redesigns (although I really like her new one) especially compared characters like Kannon who direly need an updated look. Not sure what’s going on with her hat/helmet head/hairpiece, though

Lorna has had a lot of notably different costume designs. I think that's partly due to how often she's been mind-controlled-- she gets a new look whenever she's possessed by Malice, or manipulated by Eric the Red, or turned into a Horseman, etc, etc. A lot of these incidents happened relatively early in her history, so I feel like she just never got to settle on one iconic, defining look. She has this dark, kind of edgy aesthetic that comes and goes over the years, and she's also been shuffled around a lot of different X-teams, so she's worn a lot of different uniforms.

Her original costume is probably my personal favorite. The outfit itself is really pretty, and her headpiece is clearly evocative of Magneto's helmet while still retaining a unique look. The updated, 2006 version of this look is really popular, but I think it lacks the unique charm of the original, and I don't like how it makes her look like a green version of Wanda, especially with the simplified headpiece.

I want to like her darker, edgier looks more. The Dark Seduction design is amazing, in concept, but I never like the way it's drawn. The 2003-era Uncanny X-Men design feels better suited to a magical, fantasy character, and this purple-and-green look from 2010s X-Factor is just really ugly, which is unfortunate because I quite like the silhouette on her.

I think I'm in the minority of readers who really, really liked Lorna's X-Men (2021) design. Her writing in the Krakoan era was a little all over the place, but this outfit suits her personality in the book really well. It's cool, it's modern, it is a very successful example of how to incorporate a short dress into a superhero costume, which, next to early-Krakoa Jean, feels like a win. It stood out like a sore thumb because it was one of the only new designs in the book, but I think you could build a cohesive collection of team uniforms around this one design, if you wanted to.

That brings us to today, and the first issue of Fall of the House of X. Let's cut to the chase-- I love this look. It's beautiful, it's elegant, it's imposing, the details are very modern, and it brings back that darkness, which I think Lorna is going to be drawing on quite heavily this year. I don't like it when people reduce Lorna to just "girl-Magneto," but having her take on Magneto's mantle makes sense in moments like this, and I think this design still has a distinct personality. It feels like a very elevated version of this short-lived look from IvX.

[dglvr1760]

sobbing

my eyes hurt rn and I had the want to draw but can't rn, so here's au info that imma drop:

Hercules one piece au:

The couple who took zoro in (hercules) is actually just the dojo

Whos zues in this au? Idk um, smoker idk-

Then mihawk comes and is so done with this kid, but oh well-

Anyways, zoro just happens upon luffy, not made for him, just happens to find him while he got lost finding a mentor-

He saves sanji from a sea monster/beast (og thought was saving him from one of sanjis brothers buuuut idk, seems odd but it still could work)

Sanji had his heart broken by a woman, big surprise and his father set up the breakup so sanji could never leave or want to (aka, women are overrated kid)

See, I also want to do one where big mom is hades, it'd fit more ig....

Anyways, take this au with a grain of salt, so much in the works!

To the theater one piece au:

Im taking a theater class so-

Shanks in the iconic hat scene gives luffy a hat and a script shanks had written and told him to become the greatest director (changed from actor to director-)

Shanks works on on the road Broadway stuff

Zoro is a fight choreographer

Nami is a stage manager/ stage producer (yes ik the differences but still)

Sanji is the normal choreographer (dance and he has to work with zoro alot)

Usopp work with set but wishes to become a great actor one day

Chopper is on props and is a stage hand

Robin is another manager that helps with stuff back stage and helps give everyone a break

Franky is our man for tech, lights, and sound

Brooke is on it for music and some sound

Lastly Jimbe is here because he retired but is helping the gang make some amazing musical (teacher who helps)

Ace and the white beard pirates are a group that goes around doing musicals on the road too, but mainly stationed in one area

Marines can be the government or even critics

Sabo and revolutionaries do postmodern stuff

Buggy does circus stuff

Mihawk is king at fight choreography while perona is out here with costumes

Some of the crews are actually doing some stuff as actors too, like they aren't just crew

Sea kings *thats the name* are minor inconveniences

Fights that occur are actual fights so yes, adults r having beef with teens here too

When it comes to devil fruits they are still in play, and yes... even Chopper or Brooke and no, Fishman don't exist neither do I other species besides humans. So everyone else is human, an animal (via gum gum fruit) or dead/skeleton (gum gum fruit) no exceptions unless mentioned in comments

What do yall think, it's v long but I just wanted to get it out there

have a good day and here

Have men who always have their tits out for ur troubles-

[radroller]

CAPTAIN BRITAIN COSTUME RATINGS

Totally impromtu and totally subective to my tastes! Focusing on Brian because his are the costumes i have the strongest feelings towards. Here we goooo!!!!

Original: 6/10

This one is a-okay and ive seen it look really cool in the hands of some artists, but it’s not a fave. The mask is cool, i like the big lion, and the Union Jack armbands are pretty neat, but it just doesnt really come together to me. Also i think Lionheart wore it better, but nobody gives a damn about her 😔

Alan Davis design: 10/10

PLEASE look at this suit, the simple iconic design, the color placements, the boots, the COOL helmet with the chin guard, i love it so much. I used to be confused by the huge X his costume makes but it does fit with how much he associates with X-Men characters. This will always be one of my favorite Alan Davis designs, and now that I’ve seen the other potential costumes he drew when brainstorming i can say we hit the fucking jackpot here.

Alan Davis Redux: 9/10

I dont like this one as much as Davis’ original design, but it’s still really good. The color balance is more or less the same, and as as a person who has drawn the previous Captain Britain suit i do appreciate the simplification. Plus, the biggest thing I appreciate Davis bringing to Captain Britain’s design is his beefy physique, and that has yet to change. So what’s to complain about?

Britannic: 2/10

In terms of 90s redesigns this is about as inoffensive as you can get, but it’s so damn boring. This looks like something Brian would wear for some one-off Excalibur mission, but it’s just his regular suit. Hell it looks like an undersuit that’s missing some kinda armor! Literally only thing worse than this costume to me is the name “Britannic.” Like are you kidding me. The only reason he isnt 1/10 is this is some of the best hair Brian has ever had. Literally a helmetless version of any of his costumes with this flowing hair would be SICK.

King of Otherworld: 3/10

Really don’t give a fuck about this one tbh. It’s not all bad, it’s clearly drawing from his original costume with some of the iconography and i can certainly see that working, but without the mask??? The best part of his original costume??? Or maybe some variation on helmets? Also, again, Lionheart basically wore a version of this suit that was better in every way.

New Excalibur: 8/10

Okay now we’re talking!!! A nice update of the classic design that makes a few interesting changes. I always thought the black sleeves were kinda neat, as is the helmet resembling a more traditional superhero mask. The modern detailings, however, i’m completely indifferent toward. You could tell me this was Ultimate Captain Britain and id believe you (which is funny as some of the Ultimate designs resemble the classic suit way more than this one does). Still, not bad at all!

M.I. 13: 4/10

Im gonna be real, this is probably my least favorite one, but i don’t think it’s the worst. It’s just so bland. It’s not like a helmetless look couldnt work, Brian and Betsy rock that look quite a bit, and Ultimate Jamie Braddock KILLS with it. But like the overly simplistic design, thinner build, lame haircut, he’s just missing so many vital qualities.

Sword of Might: 7/10

This design is very cool and i love how it combines his og and classic looks in a more armored appearance. If he had blue covering his mouth this would be my favorite upgrade of his original design. However i ultimately don’t think this is a design id wanna see regularly because i just don’t like his original suit that much. But still, so cool to see!

Captain Avalon: 6/10

I greatly appreciate the return of the BEEF but i find this suit kinda mid. It’s just a Captain Britain reskin, like he’s Thunderstrike or the Scarlet Spider. But that’s perfectly okay. Frankly my biggest problem with it is that I don’t get why it exists. Like okay Brian is retired and he seems fine with that but there’s a million Captain Britains. There are LITERALLY retired Captain Britains hanging out in Otherworld all the time! Did they get new costumes too? Who knows. On the other hand, this is the least connected to Britain he’s ever been in terms of name and design, so in a way that makes it a secret 10/10!!! Wow!!!

[lunesprite]

FNAF movie talk - (spoilers beneath the cut) (i did enjoy it it was very fun we saw it twice)

ok now that we're safely under the spoiler bar

I LOVED the set and the animatronics. The costumes were amazing and they did such a good good job with them. You could feel the love that went into making everything and just. Ah! Ah! I thought that they did a good job with Mike! Like yeah, let's stack on the motivation to stay here.

The issues I had are mostly around a couple confusing bits. And I bring them up because I had the mortifying realization as I was explaining to my partner's younger brother that - yeah. I know too much about this.

Anyway.

I think they kiiiind of bungled two of the ghost kids. Freddy's ghost, and golden freddy.

They really, really conflated the two throughout the film, and it makes the line later of him being like 'not freddy :)' quite confusing to someone who hasn't spent an agonizing amount of time in the lore. Like, even in the Freddy death scene with the bite? I am like 90% sure the kid shown leading to that was GF kid, not the OG freddy ghost kid, and it was definitely normal Freddy in parts and services and not golden.

I think they either needed to show golden freddy in that scene, or have the freddy kid ghost shown. By equating and confusing the two there, it really makes golden freddy later... confusing.

I think that actually, having golden freddy get that kill would have worked better. Because then it's shown before it's suddenly in their house! Or have both of them in there. Having just freddy and then being like oh uhh yeah there's five and you've not actually been talking to freddy ghost but GOLDEN freddy ghost hehe :) it's not great. it's a bit sloppy.

Making either direction more clear would have been a good benefit to the film.

And I think really the only other thing coming to mind right now is the kind of climax scene. It would have been stronger, I think, if Afton had kept the mask on. Like ok. Ok. Then the audience doesn't get the OHHHH THAT"S AFTON!!! recognition from the first scene, but then you wouldn't have the kind of weirdness of like... The impression I carried, perhaps wrongly, was that the ghost kids simply didn't connect springtrap with the man who killed them, and that's why in the games he is shown diving back into the suit; it masks who he is from the vengeful ghosts, because the funny bunny didn't hurt them, it was the bad purple guy.

Having afton take the mask off to gloat is a bit weird. I feel like they could have shifted that to have him still talking in the mask but referencing things from their interview talk to have as the reveal instead. Have Mike listen to him say something, idk, that clues him in to the fact that this is technically a set up. Afton with the mask off should, by my understanding, have drawn ghostie aggro. I know this is another canon, but it makes the whole... ghost situation a little odd.

I actually don't have problems with the drawing cluing the ghosts in, I just think the idea that they didn't aggro at Afton with the mask off to be strange. I would think at least GF would have gone aggressive, but again, his role is just... odd.

I also think, perhaps suggesting this is a sin, but I wish they'd sacrificed his iconic line there at the end. If they'd changed it to him just generally gloating about how he'd be back, instead of him always coming back, because like. It's a great easter egg, but you've really gotta be into the franchise to get it. To an outsider, it's just a little weird for him to say.

Springtrap looked fucking great tho, 10/10 loved him.

They were 10000000% right to give him a knife.

I'd give it like. A 7/10 overall. A 10/10 for sheer fun tho.

I am going to buy a big fuckin' poster for this movie and buy it the second it comes out on disc. I am dying to see what extras it will come with.

[cryptocism]

So since pretty much everyone agrees that Tim needs a name change, and I think most people dislike the first two RR costumes (I dislike the pretty much Robin one too, because it seems like he hasn’t accept losing Robin, when I feel a lot of his comics right after Bruce W died was about that?) which leads me to: What do you think Tim’s costume would look like if he got a good outfit, and what name?

o yeah i was not a fan of the cowl. and the n52 design is just… so busy and excessively accessorised (excessorised???) - i drew it a couple times for this project im workin on and the whole process was me squinting at reference panels and whispering softly but passionately “what the fuck” - and i agree on the rebirth RR design, it looks more derivative of dick and jasons retconned robin costumes than inspired by tims og 80s design (however. the unternet costume - its simple and appealing and clearly nightwing-inspired and i am a fan, also the giant scythe/halberd/mace thing was so ridiculous i loved it)

which is why i thank pat gleason for my life bc tims new outfit is such a good modernisation of his original robin design. so i mean to answer ur question i think tim has a p good design right now (although not for long i guess since they announced hed get a new look/codename soon) BUT if i were in charge of debuting a new design and name… hm……….

whatever his new name is, it’d preferably have something to do with wherever his personal storyline is headed, which i dont know, and for all my complaining abt how red robin is a shit name i dont actually have great alternatives lol. i did see somewhere the suggestion for the name “Cardinal” which i dont hate, so ill use that as a placeholder for now (although “Halcyon” is an interesting option)

tangentially, my personal preference for his robin graduation would be a miniseries featuring tim and damian both as robin, begrudgingly having to work together to fight some greater enemy and becoming true brothers along the way. ending with tim giving damian his blessing to be robin (a post-mantle blessing but still) with the first amicable passing on of the robin title literally ever

as for Look: his new design should a) accurately reflect his character b) mesh well with whatever tone his personal storyline is going for c) be a natural progression of gleasons newest iteration while still d) able to stand as its own iconic look

i always thought tim would do really well in a more grounded noir-style detective story, both using and especially subverting the tropes of the genre (for instance tim befriends every femme fatale and romances absolutely zero of them. theyre pals and have weekly movie nights or smthn) obvs using some of the mystery elements to springboard into classic comic wild times etc etc. theres also a great opportunity to include some more cyberpunk aesthetics to the look and feel ofthe story

i.e. tim is part of the waynetech r&d teams, working with them to develop new technologies, and proceeding to test out some of the prototypes while doing vigilante work (bc terry had to get his rocket boots from somewhere ok). gotham is still gotham, but its starting to see some of that neo-futuristic/blade runner flavour from batman beyond.

so. cyberpunk detective story starring cha boy tim drake. im not gonna draw it rn but lemme just gather some ref elements here in case i ever do

first off - motorcycle, obviously. redbird is back babey and this time its a two-wheeler. all his gear would be modded the hell out of, but the motorcycle itself would be an approximate balance of 70% ducati and 30% tron lightcycle situation. a speedy bike with ample room for the edgy overkill batfam aesthetic, with maybe a little akira in there who knows

same goes for helmet; 70/30 on this modern/cyberpunk situation. heres a quickly photoshopped “cardinal” helmet lol 

although theres totally room for some daft-punk leds in there. serving as a heads up display AND a fun neon aesthetic. I really want to play into that John Wick neo-noir situation.

besides that… ive got a preference for street style over the superhero spandex, so… detective jacket. every detective has a good jacket. norm breyfogle made a comment on his early tim robin designs that itd be pretty either/or on jacket vs cape, merging the two looked a little silly. for robin they probably decided on cape to keep things classic, but for cardinal i can do what i want

and i want to bring back some of this popped collar.

which i basically did for that other tim design i drew, which i still like, so this one would probably be at least a lil borrowed from that. 

attempting to merge cape/jacket might end up smthn like these:

which admittedly i like. 

admittedly… i do also like the concept of wings introduced in tims n52 design, i just think they couldve been hidden/incorporated better

greig rapson had a sweet robin design that had a sort of flight-suit (which dove into the actual mechanics??? i love) and since id want to dive into tim testing out waynetech prototypes, its a pretty good natural progression from him to terrys glider thing

the whole ensemble would be fairly understated however - enough to semi blend in with any crowd, hero or civilian. after all the story focus would be just as much about solving the mystery as it is punching the bad guy

the various interchangeable gadgets would be both prototypes of terrys eventual batsuit, and also all the failed prototypes that never managed to get off the ground. just to add an element of tension/plot devices wherein tims gear could break or malfunction pretty much anytime.

im fixated on this rocket boot situation though so itd be a paired down version of terrys eventual seamless/invisible design. still noticable and clunky, but working with the sleek modernish style outlined by gleason

smthn almost similar to the prowler actually from spiderverse - as in: Clearly Rocketboots, and clearly diy’d the shit out of, but still working with that Aesthetic

(most of the screencaps of prowler are dark af so im taking this from jesus alonso iglesias concept art) 

im debating on the addition of more overtly birdlike/cyberpunk elements, so ill add this here cause its dope as fuck (from ahmet atil akar). 

and a lot of batclan capes tend to end with that concave spiked look, which works great for bats but not really for birds. a tailcoat might emulate the bird tail, but it also might evoke Penguin a lil too much idk.

also in the interest of keeping everything within the same sort of design language, i would Love to see some new villains emulating deconstructionist/architectural kawakubo fashion:

like could you imagine the supervillain potential

so uhhh yeah. budding cyberpunk detective story with a little noir and a little technological advancement progressing in fits and starts. taking from the gleason foundation with heavy black featuring brighter coloured accents and modern sleekness, made a little dorky via prototype technology, with some extra neon blade runner shit thrown in there.

depending on how much i love or hate the new codename/design reveal i might draw this via inspired motivation or spiteful motivation lol

[wltdisneys]

Y’ALL I SAW ALADDIN TODAY !!!

pls excuse any of the nonsensical parts of this review, ‘cause i have lots of THOUGHTS and FEELINGS™

read ahead 4 my (not spoiler free) thoughts

okay so first off i want to say that i had very low expectations for this movie. when it was announced i was excited (aladdin is one of my favourite disney movies), but when the first teaser came out i felt majorly disappointed because i was not feelin’ the movie or the visuals, AT ALL. then the most recent trailer came out and my interest rose to a “tentatively looking forward to but still wary of” level. basically i expected this movie to be a 4/10 and i was solidly surprised that it was more like a 8.5/10

gospel truth, this movie is amazing. honestly, i’d say that personally it’s my favourite disney live action adaption thus far, and objectively the most well rounded.

first off, mena massoud. imo his singing voice actually sounds A LOT like brad kane, to my surprise, and he definitely has that youthful energy you need to see from aladdin. i feel like he added an earnest sincerity to the role, he spent a little less time pretending and swaggering around than his animated counterpart, but make no mistake, he was still smooth as hell though. he’s a talented guy and i think he made a great aladdin.

naomi scott as jasmine is undoubtedly the breakout role of the film, and the cast member who’s performance people are going to be talking about. she’s definitely been given more material to work with than in the animated version (no criticism to my girl og jasmine, who i think has a solid basis as a character anyways, especially compared to earlier disney princesses), and she absolutely rocks it. she brings a sincerity to the role as well, playing jasmine as less spoiled and short-tempered, and more outspoken and yearning. she’s still fierce and stubborn though, and speechless should absolutely be given major recognition- she sang the hell out of it. actual goosebumps. i’m not usually a fan of new songs being inserted into classics, but this one worked really well. also, jasmine as sultana? slay me.

their chemistry?? amazing. god tier. 

will smith is really the big draw for the audience, and it’s obvious. for the aladdin purist, or really anyone who grew up with the animated version, it takes a bit at first to get used to him, but to be fair, when you have robin williams owning the role so strongly in the original, of course it’s going to take some time to adjust. other than some song lyrics, he didn’t use a whole lot of robin’s iconic original lines, which is good. robin had his own material (hours worth of it, seriously), and will has his. i thought his humour would be overbearing, but the jokes in general were genuinely funny. it didn’t feel forced, or like it was trying too hard, which was my original concern. and keep an eye out for easter eggs from him :)))

one of the complaints i saw a lot on here was that jafar was way too attractive. i can see that. but he’s so slimy and misogynistic to me that it kind of overshadowed any potential attractiveness. i LOVED the small detail of him being a thief, that was just enough backstory to move the plot along in certain places (aka getting the lamp back from aladdin)

nasim perdrad as dalia. first of all, i love her character addition. jasmine having a friend and confidant in her handmaiden fit in seamlessly. i personally find her quite funny, so her comedic role worked for me. i do wish they had cast someone… less white-passing i guess?? but she’s iranian, so i’m not sure how much i can speak to that whilst staying in my lane. her and genie’s mutual crushes on each other?? adorable.

the costumes !!! they looked stiff and slightly cheap to me in the promos, but they were so gorgeous on screen. the colours, the materials, everything. jasmine’s makeup was bomb af and i can see people flocking to yt to watch tutorials on how to achieve it. aladdin’s street rat costume was slightly weak in my eyes, but not anything to hold against the movie. also, the colours?? the vibrancy?? the fuckin’ flavour jumped right out there. (sidenote: jafar should’ve had more guyliner, full stop)

minor roles: abu was too cute, and i definitely wanted more rajah, but that’s just a personal thing and less of a complaint (@ his proportions were… strange though. hmu if it’s not just me lmao). iago… idk my thoughts there. i’d argue gilbert gottfried has an iconic voice almost equal to robin williams (not necessarily as iago, just in general), so maybe that’s why he wasn’t a fully articulated parrot. or maybe it was in the interest of realism, i have no idea truly.

i’m not a cgi person. i’m a big fan of creative stunts and set ups, and irl location scouting. but it seems inevitable that i’ll have to get used to it. the cgi in aladdin was largely inoffensive (though i should note i did not see it in 3D). carpet truly had a spectacular design/animation though.

re: soundtrack. for me, it’s always weird when lyrics are changed to famous music, especially ones you sing along with like disney songs. so arabian nights is probably the most egregious in that regard, but then again it’s the opening song, and the audience’s introduction to will smith’s voice, so it could be that too. one jump was slightly better (the reprise was 👌👌), prince ali was fantastic, a whole new world made me goddamn cry like a baby. one of my biggest complaints in disney live action adaptations is that they don’t seem to use the scores from the animated source material, which is such a shame. the fact that they used the musical cues, esp. the kiss (which KILLED ME, i died. in fact, i’m writing this from beyond the grave) made me sf happy. i came out of the theater ready to get that OST y’all !!!

i wouldn’t say this movie is an amazing feat of directing on guy ritchie’s part, and i’m hesitant to give him props when i feel like the actors, the set decorators, costume designers, choreographers, etc, are the ones who made the film so praise-worthy. 

one of my complaints was going to be “ah i wish this movie had more of a bollywood influence in it”, and as soon as i thought it BAM, we get a crazy dance scene/sequence. i liked it, it wasn’t just a well-choreographed insert. it had a purpose, a way to show how aladdin’s showing off is actual a detriment in his quest to win over jasmine. also, i loved how jasmine called the sultan “baba”, which i believe is a sort of word for “father” used in india.

only negative thing i can think of besides some of the awkward lyric changes is prince anders (when he came on screen i was literally like “oh shit hey it’s macklemore”). i just… don’t get it?? is billy magnussen really that big of a draw? does aladdin share that large of a common fan base with mamma mia? they don’t even really say what happens to him at the end of the movie, but i suppose i’d rather have a weird exaggerated accent on a yt dude than some stereotypical one given to a poc in a role solely meant to get laughs :///

speaking off, one my biggest concerns going into the movie was the treatment of poc. animated aladdin is no pocahontas, but it definitely does have its racially tone deaf moments, and in general the main cast of the movie are animated in a MUCH more westernized way than all the other roles in the movie (i.e. the guard, the merchants, background characters, all have less euro-centric features and thicker accents in their dialogue, if they were even given any). i was wondering how that’d translate in this adaption, and when the whole guy ritchie/brown face makeup thing came out it was a big ahshitherewegoagain.gif mood for me. the movie is nothing to write home about in terms of representation. i don’t think it makes a large (if any) statement in regards to that, but it makes up for it a bit in the unapologetic addressing of the lack of power in traditional female roles; speechless in itself is a whole-ass ode to the act of kicking the idea of “a woman should seen but not heard” to the curb :)))

i guess what i’m trying to say is that while you won’t find a ton of overtly racial stereotypes in this movie, it doesn’t exactly bring anything to the table in respect to challenging the level of racist humor that is normalized in movies. people may argue that a children’s movie is no place for those types of statements, but if not that, where and when? racism is a learned behavior and the media we consume is a such a large part of that, especially in regards to what is presented to kids. in that sense, every movie is essentially an opportunity to put forth a new normal of introducing humor not rooted in over-the-top caricatures of specific cultures. i’d be lying if i said i didn’t think a poc director would’ve given the subject more weight and consideration whilst making this movie.

overall this movie has great acting, pretty decent dialogue, is genuinely funny, contains good music, and in itself, kind of appears like a diamond in the rough. but most importantly, it deserves to be given a chance. i loved it 😊😊