I'm just as irked by Disney's tendency to churn out soulless live-action remakes as anyone else, but this wasn't bad. Tom Hanks did great in his role as Geppetto and the voice acting by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Jiminy Cricket) and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (Pinocchio) was also absolutely on point. Very faithful performances to the original, and it was refreshing to see actors like Tom Hanks and Joseph Gordon-Levitt take on more light-hearted roles. I also want to give a special mention to Lewin Lloyd's performance as Lampwick; I haven't seen them act in anything else, but as far as child actors go, I think they have a bright future ahead of them. I was very impressed by how naturally they delivered all of their lines. Reminded me a bit of Will Poulter, actually.
As for the movie itself, well, it is a kids' movie and when I watch movies meant for children, I try to view it through the lens of one. And the question that always sits at the forefront of my thought process is "would I enjoy this movie if I was a kid?", and with Pinocchio, I can confidently say that I would. The movie is, simply put, a fun watch. It looks visually interesting, the acting and writing is on point, and it doesn't drag at any point. Some might even argue that it moves a bit too quickly, but if I were a kid, I don't think I would see that as a negative.
I think my only criticism would go to the side plot with Sabina. I don't actually remember if this was in the original movie, but I felt like it didn't add that much. It could have, but they didn't focus on it enough to make it necessary to the overall plot in my opinion.
For a solid kids' movie, I'll give this one a 7/10.
As for the movie itself, well, it is a kids' movie and when I watch movies meant for children, I try to view it through the lens of one. And the question that always sits at the forefront of my thought process is "would I enjoy this movie if I was a kid?", and with Pinocchio, I can confidently say that I would. The movie is, simply put, a fun watch. It looks visually interesting, the acting and writing is on point, and it doesn't drag at any point. Some might even argue that it moves a bit too quickly, but if I were a kid, I don't think I would see that as a negative.
I think my only criticism would go to the side plot with Sabina. I don't actually remember if this was in the original movie, but I felt like it didn't add that much. It could have, but they didn't focus on it enough to make it necessary to the overall plot in my opinion.
For a solid kids' movie, I'll give this one a 7/10.