Aladdin - magic lamp vs. arm candy - DVD

Movie: The hit French comedy "Aladin - One Thousand and One Laughs" enters its second round. Aladdin (Kev Adams) has conquered the heart of the beautiful Shallia Sofia (Vanessa Guide), but he just can not get along with the boring life in the palace. And he hasn't proposed to the princess yet either. So it's no wonder that the mood between the couple isn't exactly the best. But then a powerful rival appears on the scene in the form of the nasty Shah Zaman (Jamel Debbouze), who is courting Shallia - and who, incidentally, wants to gain power over the palace. Aladdin has no choice but to reactivate the Djinn (Eric Judor) and work with him to stop Shah Zaman from his dark plan. Too bad the Djinn is mighty out of practice, causing more chaos than any real help....

Following the huge success of "Aladin - One Thousand and One Laughs" came "Aladin - Magic Lamp vs. Armleuchter" the sequel in French cinemas, which could still attract 2.2 million visitors. While in front of the camera again Kev Adams, Vanessa Guide and Eric Judor could be gathered, there was a change in the director's chair. For Part 2, Lionel Steketee took a seat there. Steketee had previously worked as a second unit director on productions such as "Hotel Rwanda" and "Pact of the Wolves". Unfortunately, there isn't much of the quality of those films in his slapstick sequel.

Admittedly, there are a few decent gags and nice touches, but for the most part the humor relies too much on flat-out corny jokes. Compared to the first part, the gag level has been lowered significantly. In addition, even at the beginning still igniting gags are ridden to death in such a way that even they only provide a tired smile. It's a pity, because part 1 was quite fun despite various silliness and overdone moments. Another weak point is the frame story. As in the first film, this one takes place in the present. This was already strictly unnecessary in "Aladin - A Thousand and One Laughs", but still worked quite well. Here now the reason why Sam again tells a child a story of Aladdin, just seems strained and downright disturbing.

Here and there it becomes clear, however, that there would have been quite the opportunity to be able to incorporate a bit more cryptic humor and original ideas into the action, from which the comedy would have definitely benefited. But since these opportunities are hardly used, "Aladin - Wonder Lamp vs. Poor Man" is ultimately an almost entirely disappointing sequel that lacks not only the wit but also the charm of the first part. For this, there is then the "Seeable" only with significant limitations.

Picture + Sound: As with the first installment, the DVD's picture impresses with rich color, decent overall sharpness, and coherent contrasts. Particularly in the bright outdoor scenes, smaller details also come into their own well, although weaknesses in the visual effects then become more apparent. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is pleasantly powerful, especially in the more action-packed sequences, but can also score points in quieter moments with the rather directional mixed dialogue and the well-matched film music. Good!

Extras: The only extra is the trailer for the film.

Conclusion: "Aladin - Wonder Lamp vs Arm Candelabra" is a rather disappointing sequel that fails to match the wit and charm of its successful predecessor. The DVD presents the slapstick in good picture and sound quality. The only bonus is the trailer. All in all, unfortunately, only conditionally recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp