Pinocchio (2022): Movie Review

Pinocchio (2022) Movie Review: Wooden and Soulless

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There's a scene in "Pinocchio" where the character looks at shit on the floor. Why this was in the film we couldn't really grasp. Was it for comedy? Was it for realism? Was it an easter egg by Robert Zemeckis on how completely senseless and shitty this live-action remake was? There's one thing for sure though, 2022's "Pinocchio" didn't justify its existence and it may look visually great but at its core, it's missing a whole lot of heart and soul.


It's 1895 in a small village in Italy and the wood carver Geppetto (Tom Hanks) has just finished a wooden puppet based on his deceased son. He names his latest creation as Pinocchio as he is made from Pine. Before he falls asleep, Geppetto wishes on a falling star and the Blue Fairy (Cynthia Erivo) appears to grant his wish. She gives life to Pinocchio (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) and appoints a cricket to be his conscience (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). As Geppetto discovers that Pinocchio is alive, he is overjoyed and helps Pinocchio become a real boy - but not without challenges that will endanger Pinocchio's life.


Sometimes, doing nothing is the best thing one can do and with the live action remake of "Pinocchio", Disney should have just kept the classic as-is. This modern "re-telling" (if you could even classify it like that) was a complete waste of time. On a technical level, this was magnificent as the visuals showcased were on the bleeding edge of realism. But like the uncanny valley, most of the scenes lacked life, depth, and soul. Things just came off as wooden as its lead character. It doesn't help that Disney didn't shake things up that much. The narrative came off as dated and lacked a coherent and consistent pace. Things just happen to Pinocchio (and to Jiminy Cricket and Geppetto) without much emotion or drama or development. This was as wholesome as you can get and yet, even knowing that this film was made for kids rather than adults, we still found ourselves not enjoying the film as much as we wanted to. How we wish that Disney could rethink hard on there live-action remake plans because as-is, these films are just a sad recreation of their animated classics in which they are based from with "Pinocchio" being the worst one yet.


Rating: 1 and a half reels



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