Jay Rohr
Aladdin 3477-I: The Jinn of Wisdom is a wish come true. However, as the saying goes, “be careful what you wish for.” This passion project from writer-director Matt Busch is an honest attempt at a compelling retelling of a familiar tale. Infused with cyberpunk sensibilities alongside globe-trotting qualities closer to the original story, Aladdin 3477 has a certain charm. Yet, this classic adventure is often hampered by ambitions beyond its grasp.
The film quickly establishes its many motifs by visiting Angkor Wat in Cambodia. There, a crooked individual meets a mechanistic mystic who allows access to a cave of wonders. The narrative then jumps to Aladdin (Eric Steele). Things go from bad to worse for this rogue, especially as he spies on Princess Kamala (Christi Perovski) at a spa. Framed for killing her royal guard, he soon ends up with the crooked fellow from earlier. It’s then into familiar territory, as he acquires a magical lamp, awakens the wish-granting Jinn, and life becomes increasingly complicated.
That said, there are some notable differences in Aladdin 3477. This Aladdin isn’t exactly adept at self-defense. Fortunately, his mute friend Oomi (Lin Zy) is never far behind. She’s everything her unrequited love interest likes to think he is, such as stealthy and dangerous. Plus, Aladdin is markedly against the idea of mysticism, rejecting the Jinn’s promises of wish fulfillment.
In a way, that makes the movie about how technology can drain the world of wonder. Instead of magic, fantastical sci-fi innovations put cities in the air, turn people into living holograms, and make digital divinities possible. Yet, the price is banality. None of these marvels seem miraculous to those who’ve lived their lives around them. The cynicism that’s inspired in Aladdin makes him doubt real magic right before his eyes.
Aladdin 3477 plunges its main characters into a cyberpunk dystopia that has them literally fighting for their lives on a daily basis. Everyone is clawing for a glimpse of sunshine at the top of world and pulling each other down in the process. For the most part, Matt Busch does a decent job of world building through dialogue that explains why this society developed. The downside is that not enough of those conversations explore the characters.
Meanwhile, the more familiar narrative is derived from the folktale Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp. In many respects, the filmmakers endeavor to bring the tale closer to its source material than previous adaptations. Although many may know the general plot, certain details have gotten lost through dramatic interpretation. For instance, Aladdin 3477 returns the tale to its original setting in China.
That helps set up one of the film’s best aspects. Matt Busch composes a narrative that takes Aladdin to a variety of locations. Aladdin 3477 is far from unimaginative. However, that strength can be an albatross at times.
The desire to fulfill the total vision is frequently frustrated by low-budget restrictions. There’s often more implication than successful execution of grand vistas or sci-fi grandiosity. Yet, on occasions where the effects work best, it’s easy to slip into the fantasy on display. Although many audiences may not be forgiving, children of a certain age, who haven’t been spoiled by the level of CGI audiences often take for granted, might enjoy themselves.
There’s a young adult quality to the overall movie. Aladdin 3477 is never too mature in its content, nor is it childish in its thematic execution. Not everything is spoon fed to viewers, and I was genuinely surprised by a critical choice Aladdin made at one point.
Matt Busch taps into the moral at the heart of the source material. The movie is mostly about the evolution of a feckless young rogue as much as it is an adventure involving mystical Jinn. In many ways, this interpretation of Aladdin is closer to Jack Burton from 1986’s Big Trouble in Little China than the lovable “street rat” Disney devised. That’s to say, regardless of his main character energy, he isn’t the one doing the heavy lifting, and Aladdin isn’t exactly a hero yet.
The cast is acceptable. Many are making their feature length debuts and, at times, it shows. Still, Lin Zy and Eric Steele, more often than not, manage to conjure a certain chemistry. The latter is especially good at acting overconfident in situations, while the mute Oomi typically says a lot with her facial expressions. The best performer, though, is Aaron Golematis (Technically Alive) as the Jinn of Wisdom. He has an effortless charisma along with comedic timing that revives the film once he arrives. Christi Pervoski’s performance as Princess Kamala is tricky to judge since she isn’t in the movie a great deal.
Aladdin 3477 suffers from a lack of backstory. Despite the world building that gives the film its own history, a lot of the characters aren’t thoroughly explored. This may be because the movie is part one of a planned trilogy. However, even if the plan is to make certain characters mysterious, they still don’t feel established. Princess Kamala is generic with general motivations for her discontent seemingly derived from other adaptations. Oomi’s obvious infatuation with Aladdin and his utter disregard for her wellbeing demand an explanation that’s never given.
Some parts of Aladdin 3477 are better constructed than others. This applies across the film from effects to dialogue to set pieces. Consequently, when the movie slips in quality the lesser elements become more pronounced. Practical effects always trump the shoddy CGI. Dialogue that might be decent is lost to poor performances. Matt Busch’s background doing production illustrations for Star Wars has clearly influenced certain choices.
While Aladdin 3477 is worthy of praise for being brought to life, its budget clearly couldn’t carry the movie to the heights it desired. Anyone willing to see past its technical flaws will find an ambitious picture with a fresh take on an old story. Still, it could be better. Aladdin 3477-I: The Jinn of Wisdom is a testament to possibility more than quality.
