Pinocchio is a faithful screen adaptation of the original source material of the same name, originally written by Carlo Collodi. When a toy maker carves himself a lifelike boy to keep him company, the toy actually comes to life. Now the wooden boy must strive to become good so that he can turn into a real boy, despite a host of menacing characters who try to lead him astray.
A lonely and poor old wood carver named Geppetto (Roberto Benigni) tries to remedy his solace by carving a child for himself. After much time and effort, he carves a magical log into a puppet boy that he names Pinocchio (Federico Ielapi); he is so lifelike that he actually is able to move around like a real human boy.
However, the wooden boy is also imbued with his own personality and thoughts, which instantly brings him into mischief. Despite Geppetto wanting and urging the best for his son, including an education, Pinocchio has other designs for his life.
Pinocchio discovers that if he leads a noble life and becomes a good human being, then he will actually become a real human boy, not just a lifelike wooden replica. But being noble and doing the right thing do not come easily to him.
Pinocchio embarks on a journey of self-discovery, where when faced with the option of doing the right thing, he almost always chooses not to. From one villainous character to the next, his naiveté is taken advantage of at every turn. A tricky stage manager, a fox and cat, a gorilla judge, an enormous marine monstrosity and other magical humanlike creatures make life hard for the simple Pinocchio. After enduring being burned, kidnapped, drowned, and hung on a tree, he must figure out how he can prove that goodness lies deep down within himself, so he can earn his life.
Director and screenwriter Matteo Garrone (Tale of Tales, Gomorrah) brings us back to the darkness of the original tale, which for kids in the early 21st century is likely way too dark. Working with a child star is never an easy feat, yet all of the actors throughout Pinocchio are masterfully directed. There's never a lack of effort with all the attention to detail sprinkled into every scene.
Using prosthetics for Pinocchio and the other anthropomorphic creatures scattered throughout the film, the creep factor is high for almost everyone. Boosted by the drab colors and a land ravaged by poverty, there's no sunshine to be found anywhere.
The Italian settings are gorgeous, lending credibility to the film. Spanning the countryside, the sea and other more fantastical landscapes, there is much beauty despite the ever-present danger. The much larger problem that looms behind all of this hard work is that the story itself is far too dark for young kids, yet too childlike to appeal to older kids or adults. The interesting father-son dynamic disappears for almost the entire middle, with Pinocchio being an unlikeable mischief-maker and Geppetto theoretically searching for his son, though we don't get to bear witness to that until much later in the film.
As visually appealing and well crafted as this faithful new adaptation of Pinocchio is, there's still something missing. Whether a serial morality tale from 1883 doesn't translate to a modern film audience, or that there is a lack of likable characters throughout, the film itself comes off as wooden, hoping that it will someday, through random chance and not its own actions throughout, become a real, heartfelt movie.