Aladdin: director Guy Ritchie may be a counterintuitive choice for this material, and the end result may not land too far from the “original” source, but that doesn’t mean this film is not a joyful experience, simply that it’s not a fresh one. The blueprint is a fun one, and the execution was fine, with lavish musical numbers (the songs are entertaining, and well performed by the cast; the newly added song, however, is a step down from the others), colorful costumes and set designs (by Michael Wilkinson and Gemma Jackson, respectively), and a dynamic pace. The cast is clearly having a lot of fun, too: Mena Massoud makes a good title character, charming and smart. He has good chemistry with his romantic interest, Naomi Scott, who looks great and projects the kindness and defiance of her character. Marwan Kenzari makes a good, threatening villain. But it all begins and ends with Will Smith: as the medium doesn’t allow him the zany visual energy that his character had in the original animated film (which informed the performance in that), his performance is simply different, but also quite effective.