The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

This month cinema theatres are not keeping up with their usual game, but that’s a very normal phenomenon during the month of Ramadan. That being said, this week a monumental movie is being released: Aladdin. The remake promises to bring back our childhood, but in a more vivid form and, fortunately for us Egyptians, Mena Massoud (who plays Aladdin) is the star of this movie (technically Massoud is an Egyptian-Canadian).

Two days ago, Massoud uploaded a video on his Instagram account. Throughout the video Massoud speaks in our mother language (Arabic), greets Egyptians, and introduces the movie.  He then uploaded another video of the Oxford Maqam band covering a song by the legendary Egyptian musician/actor Abdel Halim Hafez.

 

 

 

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A post shared by Mena Massoud (@menamassoud) on May 19, 2019 at 1:58pm PDT

 

 

 

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This was a moment to remember on the set of #Aladdin. Got the incredible Oxford Maqam band to play the legendary Egyptian musician/actor Abdel Halim. ‎كانت فى لحظة و أنا بصور علاء الدين افتكرت فيها الفنان الأسطورة عبد الحليم حافظ المطرب و الممثل المصري فطلبت من الفرقة الموسيقية ان تعزف أغنية لة

A post shared by Mena Massoud (@menamassoud) on May 20, 2019 at 8:20pm PDT

So, without further a do, Here is everything you need to know about this week’s – only- release.

Aladdin

What’s it about? A street rat (Mena Massoud) frees a genie (Will Smith) from a lamp, granting all of his wishes and transforming him into a charming prince, in order to help him marry the beautiful princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott). But soon, an evil sorcerer (Marwan Kenzari) becomes hell-bent on securing the lamp for his own sinister purposes.

The good: It is a heart-warming musical, full of energy and powerful performances. Will Smith is all about perfection, and Naomi Scott’s marvelous talent speaks for itself throughout the trailer.

The bad: Critics state that the romantic fairy tale lacks some chemistry between the two love birds Mena Massoud (Aladdin) and Naomi Scott (Jasmine).

To find out where and when you can catch these films, check out the Cairo 360 Cinema Guide.