Film review: ‘PINOCCHIO’ by Nick Gardener from ‘Built For Speed’
There have been numerous film adaptations of Italian author Carlo Collodi’s 1883 Pinocchio story but the most famous is the 1940 Disney animated film. That movie is apparently a favourite of a number of renowned directors including Steven Spielberg who used its ‘wish upon a star’ theme over the closing credits of Close Encounters and essentially remade it as AI: Artificial Intelligence in 2001. Pinocchio also apparently holds a special place for Robert Zemeckis who has now remade it as a mix of live action and CGI. Zemeckis has made this collision of live action and animation, including motion capture films, a specialty in the last few decades but with extremely varied results. Some loved Who Framed Roger Rabbit although this reviewer found it extremely irritating, some disliked Beowulf although this reviewer found it appropriately dark and many understandably disliked his ugly and unpleasant version of A Christmas Carol. His take on Pinocchio is also a mixed bag but for the most part, this (at times) technically marvellous film lacks charm.
Zemeckis, who also co-wrote the script with Chris Weitz, adheres very closely to the plot of the original. A lonely and childless old Italian cobbler, Geppetto (Tom Hanks) wishes that his latest creation, a life size puppet named Pinocchio might transform into a real boy. When the benevolent Blue Fairy (Cynthia Erivo) partially grants that wish (Pinocchio is still clearly wooden but is now a sentient and sensitive being) an elated Geppetto immediately tries to give him the normal life of a child. A walking talking puppet, however, proves a lucrative prospect for greedy and unscrupulous adults such as the sneaky puppeteer Stromboli who abducts our little friend and propels him on a wild and at times traumatic adventure.
Occasionally, this version of Pinocchio is a stunning technical achievement with remarkably photorealistic animation that even captures the intricate woodgrains in Pinocchio’s face. At other times it’s a little dodgy, including scenes on the notorious Pleasure Island where characters don’t seem to fit with the elaborate backgrounds.
This film also presents a bit of a dilemma for parents hoping it will be a fun experience for their children. The tone of Pinocchio is often quite dark which may be in keeping with traditional fairy tales and with Zemeckis’ other animated works but here it means the film is often quite intense and a little scary for youngsters. The second half of the film, which sees naughty children violently transforming into donkeys and an encounter with a much nastier whale than in the 1940 film, will prove particularly alarming for children.
Young Benjamin Evan Ainsworth does a fine job voicing the animated Pinocchio making him a likeable and sympathetic character. Tom Hanks is typically reliable as Geppetto and succeeds in giving what could be a one-dimensional character some emotional depth. Joseph Gordon-Levitt delivers one of the best performances voicing the film’s Greek Chorus and Pinocchio’s conscience, Jiminy Cricket. Keegan Michael-Key is also amusingly sinister as the malevolent, foppish Fox who sees a buck in the living wooden boy.
While Zemeckis tries to wring some emotion from Pinocchio’s perilous situation, his heavy-handed approach often leaves the film feeling a little cold. Consequently, it’s unlikely that many will find this movie the unforgettable heart-wrenching experience so many encountered with the 1940 film.
Nick’s rating: **1/2
Genre: Drama/ Action/ Adventure/ Animation.
Classification: PG.
Director(s): Robert Zemeckis.
Release date: Streaming on Disney+
Running time: 105 mins.
Reviewer: Nick Gardener can be heard on “Built For Speed” every Friday night from 8-10pm on 88.3 Southern FM.