PINOCCHIO

There is only one way to describe this Pinocchio: a soulless cash grab that is as wooden and naïve as the picture's protagonist.

Was there ever any need to make a live action update of Disney's timeless 1940 classic Pinocchio? Of course there wasn't. But considering the talent involved, I still held out hope that the movie would at least be entertaining and bring some fresh perspectives to the often told tale of the wooden boy who longs to be human. Alas, that hope never materialises.

There is only one way to describe this Pinocchio: a soulless cash grab, intended solely to lure people to Disney+, that is as wooden and naïve as the picture's protagonist. Sure, the film adds a scene here, expands one there, and infuses the tale with new characters that are meant to diversify, but at its core Pinocchio repeats the same beats of the original without bothering to see whether the movie magic is carried over intact.

The storytelling just isn't compelling, the CGI visuals lack a unique identity and for the second time this year, after his abysmal turn in Elvis, Tom Hanks delivers a distinctly sub-par performance as Gepetto.

So if you do wish upon a star, maybe erase this version of Pinocchio forever from your mind.

release: 2022

director: Robert Zemeckis

starring: Tom Hanks, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cynthia Erivo, Luke Evans