Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Old woodcarver Geppetto fashions a wooden puppet, Pinocchio, who magically comes to life. Pinocchio longs for adventure and is easily led astray, encountering magical beasts, fantastical spectacles, while making friends and foes along his journey. However, his dream is to become a real boy, which can only come true if he finally changes his ways.
This Italian live-action adaptation directed by Matteo Garrone hews closely to the original Collodi story with a notably faithful and somewhat grim tone. While Garrone's visual craftsmanship brings a distinctive fairy-tale texture, the plot remains episodic and familiar with little narrative tension or fresh interpretation. The acting is competent, with Roberto Benigni as Geppetto providing warmth, though the performance feels restrained overall. Cinematography captures a dusty, earthy Italian folk aesthetic that is pleasing but not exceptional. The film offers little novelty given how many Pinocchio adaptations exist and this one, while earnest, doesn't reframe the material in a meaningful way. The ending follows the expected redemption arc without emotional payoff sufficient to elevate it.