Pinocchio – Review
105 Minutes, Rated PG
Written by Robert Zemekis and Chris Weitz
Directed by Robert Zemekis
**NOTE: You can read Mark’s review below, then listen as he and Ryan discuss Pinocchio, along with the other big Disney+ release this week: Cars on the Road.**
Synopsis:
Disney’s live-action adaptation of the classic fairy-tale.
Not to be confused with the upcoming Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio, this version is definitely Disney’s live-action update of their own, classic rendition of the fairy-tale.
With Tom Hanks as Geppetto, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jiminy Cricket, and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as the titular marionette, directorial legend Robert Zemekis behind the camera, what could possibly go wrong?
Turns out… a lot.
Dont’ get me wrong, it’s not like I hated the movie, but it’s pretty much the movie you remember, only with a “live action” Pinocchio.
**God, I still hate this whole Disney “live action” nonsense, BTW…**
But what really, really bums me out about this movie is, unbelievably, Tom Hanks performance.
What?!
I know, I know, but it’s true.
After the trainwreck that was his portrayal of Colonel Tom Parker in this year’s Elvis (a film I loved), I thought he’d bounce back and nail this one.
Nope.
I don’t know what happened to Hanks; I really don’t. Am I suffering from Hanks fatigue? Has he lost his Oscar-winning chops?
Or has he simply started picking films and/or characterizations that simply don’t work?
Geppetto’s accent is one part Viktor Navorski, one part Colonel Tom Parker, and one part Tom Hanks. It is all over the place.
Cynthia Erivo’s take on the Blue Fairy is wonderful, though. Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Jiminy Cricket is spot on, but overall, the film just feels like an exercise in “so what?”
I think everyone expects the Guillermo Del Toro version (releasing in December) to bring a new sense of darkness and/or GDT wonder to the tale, but like so much of what Disney is releasing/updating/rebooting of late, Pinocchio simply feels… inconsequential, in a cinematic sense.
So, while I can’t tell you not to watch it, I can say that you don’t need to make it an opening night must-see. I mean, you won’t die if you wait until the weekend or whenever you have free time for the family to sit down and watch it together.
Pinocchio will release exclusively on Disney+ September 8, and stars Tom Hanks, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Cynthia Erivo, Sheila Atim, Lorraine Bracco, Keegan-Michael Key, Guiseppe Battiston, and Luke Evans.
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