“No wish that I fulfil will bring true happiness, for that comes from within. Any desire you seek, you have the power to achieve yourself. And, the journey is its own reward.”
– The Jinn of Wisdom in Aladdin 3477: The Jinn of Wisdom
A song, a painting, a novel, a poem, or most anything, really, can pull from within a storyteller a vision that only they can create. Pulling from “Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp” from the One Thousand and One Nights collection of stories, known more commonly as the Arabian Nights collection, sophomore filmmaker Matt Busch (Conjure) utilizes his experience as a storyboard artist and utilizes sci-fi fantasy artistry with his own grounded space opera Aladdin 3477: The Jinn of Wisdom, the first of a trilogy. What began as a vision and a 2022 Kickstarter now comes available at home in what appears to be an intentionally camp retelling/revision of the Aladdin story that seems less interested in a simplistic straight-forward approach, opting for as much grandiose bombast as possible, occasionally to its own detriment.
R-L: Aladdin (Erik Steele) and his sidekick robot FIDGI roam the barren alleys of Old Kowloon, Hong Kong in ALADDIN 3477: THE JINN OF WISDOM. Photo Credit: Alex Jacobson. Photo courtesy of Buffalo 8.
Its 3477 and things are both very much the same and very different. There’s still class disparity, there’s still an obsession with escaping the real world through the internet, and there’re still those who dream to change their stars. For Aladdin (Erik Steele), a scoundrel, thief, and liar (sometimes all at once), the opportunity for him to begin a new path starts with an offer from Harshad (Tony Miello) to help retrieve a trinket in exchange for a sky sail power key. But, as does tend to happen in such a dealing, there’s betrayal and discovery, leading Aladdin on an adventure to a whole new world.
The first thing one must do with 3477 is put away their assumptions. Especially when most fables and legends have been commodified by Walt Disney, there’s a sense that all adaptations are going to follow a similar water-down, family-friendly style. 3477 is not that. Aladdin is, frankly, an asshat — he’s abusive, misogynistic, and a creep. If not for a little bit of charm coming through Steele’s performance, Aladdin himself is no diamond in the rough, he’s just, well, rough. Smartly, there’s somewhat of a reason for this explored in the script that viewers who make it to the end start to get details on, even though they may not make up for the creeping or his more selfish tendencies. It’s due to this characterization that siding with Aladdin at any point of this first tale is, admittedly, tricky, and it’s not just because the character is usually more of a kind-hearted scamp versus thieving peeping tom, but because the presentation of his morality lies more in the amoral, a description that fits Harrison Ford’s iconic Han Solo (Star Wars) and from whom this version of Aladdin seems to borrow a bit of style, though not necessarily accomplishing the swagger.
In the year 3477, the Sultan’s royal palace is the Taj Mahal, now a hovering vessel which travels from city to city in ALADDIN 3477: THE JINN OF WISDOM. Photo Credit: Matt Busch. Photo courtesy of Buffalo 8.
It’s not just Aladdin who borrows heavily from Solo, it’s much of the film itself. Do keep in mind that Busch has a background working on Star Wars-related materials, which may explain so much of the Eastern influence coming through in the locations (Hong Kong, China, and Angkor Wat, Cambodia, primarily), the sci-fi elements, and story structure. For the unaware, the original Star Wars created by George Lucas, while heavily influenced by the politics of the era, was inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress (1958), thereby making the jump to Hong Kong, specifically to New Kowloon where Aladdin resides (an area with a deep history in the 1800s which became an important home for refugees in the 1980s before it was demolished) a clear corollary between the source material of Aladdin and 3477 in terms of acknowledging its inspiration. What this establishes is that Busch isn’t just making wayward choices. The original tale of Aladdin is reportedly not part of the original One Thousand and One Nights collection, but was a late addition to the collection by Antoine Galland (a French translator whose inclusion of the story would forever connect the orphan story with One Thousand and One Nights) that told the story of an orphan set in China. Busch is specifically returning Aladdin to the character’s roots and taking him away from the Persian elements that other adaptations insert. By setting the film in a far-flung future, the inclusion of androids, artificial intelligence, and netizens is not so bizarre (see: the Blade Runner series or The Fifth Element (1997)), but, here, as Busch integrates secular ideas and faith with advanced tech (such as a robotic character meant to serve as a g-d-like being) the influence from Lucas shines particularly brightly. It doesn’t help that Harshad delivers some of his lines like Watto (Andy Secombe) from The Phantom Menace (1999), some of Aladdin’s later attire is reminiscent of Solo, there’s a specific call-out to Lucas specifically that makes the films cannon in-world, and other, smaller, potentially unintentional references like a certain silent protector and an uncontrollable princess. These are not dings against 3477 in the slightest as Busch is merely another in a long line of fans given the opportunity to create something of their own, but at least he appears to possess the awareness to make something (a) for adults and (b) that touches on the source material in a real way.
Where things get sticky with the film is multi-layered and dependent on how one wants to view the film. If taken straight, there’re a number of concerning issues that border on uncomfortable (Aladdin’s lesser qualities) or downright offensive (possible brown face with the Indian Royal Guard). Not to mention the sheer number of action set pieces that, individually are fine, but, within the whole, create drag on the narrative due to the sheer length some of them run while achieving very little. This mostly applies to the set piece shortly after Aladdin’s introduction which mostly serves to show how Aladdin thinks on his feet through the market place of New Kowloon, though it could use some trimming to get to the point and on to the other intrigue elements that the film is trying to set up for payoff within the trilogy. If taken as camp, 3477 doesn’t really come into its own until nearly the first hour once the characters are better established and the adventure begins. The outlandish and gross dialogue from characters like Pich (Robert Shannon), the perpetual shock by the Jinn (Aaron A. Golematis) to this era’s lack of chivalry, and the devotion of the silent-but-deadly Oomi (Lin Zy) become something to be laughed at as one rolls with the increasingly bizarre circumstances the characters find themselves in. At least, that seems to be what the narrative wants through a camp lens, even when Aladdin is being a feckless jerk.
The mysterious drifter Oomi (Lin Zy) watches Aladdin from the surface below in ALADDIN 3477: THE JINN OF WISDOM. Photo Credit: Alex Jacobson. Photo courtesy of Buffalo 8.
As an independent production, there’s a lot of promise within 3477 so that even the rough first hour is saved by the curio of the second, resulting in one possessing a general curiosity for how things will progress in the upcoming Aladdin 3477 – II. The next feature will confirm whether 3477 is meant as a straight adventure fantasy or something within the realm of camp, solidifying whether all the anchored historical elements that ground the tale are blown out by some poor casting/makeup choices. These are not entirely disqualifying elements which prevent one from enjoying the ride, but they are things which reduce the obvious knowledge-heavy aspects of this adaptation. Given the obvious DIY nature of 3477, much can be forgiven if a film is a good time and there’s plenty to enjoy about the film once it gets past the world-building and centers the characters who walk through it.
By the by, make sure to stay through the credits if you want to get a glimpse at the upcoming sequel.
Available on VOD and digital January 3rd, 2025.
For more information, head to the official Aladdin 3477: The Jinn of Wisdom website.
Final Score: 3 out of 5.
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