10-14-2021, 11:52 PM
Pinocchio (2020)
A new Italian version starring Robert Begnini as Geppeto. It’s somewhat surreal which kept me watching. Most of the effects were elaborate masks instead of cgi (but there was plenty of cgi). The masks felt like throwbacks to the 90s - well made but not radically improved since then.
The story parallels the Disney version. There’s a superego cricket, a puppet master, cat & fox, the jackass conversion, a guardian fairy, swallowed by a whale (a shark here), and the lying nose enlargement. There’s also a snail maid, a monkey judge and more.
Begnini is only in the beginning and end so not as annoying as he can be. Pinocchio is a brat and I wanted him to suffer more. The fairy is mysterious, but like so much in this retelling, you just got to accept her ambiguous motivations. I had a hard time believing that any of the characters had any motives beyond the most surface. They were just checkpoints in the fable.
Ultimately I found it rather meh. It had some artsy moments that were likely beautiful storyboards but it just didn’t come together. The old world Italy reminded me of medieval Monty Python - soiled tattered rags.
Not D00M recommended.
Watched on Amazon Prime but posted here just to shuffle the top of the DVD subforum.
A new Italian version starring Robert Begnini as Geppeto. It’s somewhat surreal which kept me watching. Most of the effects were elaborate masks instead of cgi (but there was plenty of cgi). The masks felt like throwbacks to the 90s - well made but not radically improved since then.
The story parallels the Disney version. There’s a superego cricket, a puppet master, cat & fox, the jackass conversion, a guardian fairy, swallowed by a whale (a shark here), and the lying nose enlargement. There’s also a snail maid, a monkey judge and more.
Begnini is only in the beginning and end so not as annoying as he can be. Pinocchio is a brat and I wanted him to suffer more. The fairy is mysterious, but like so much in this retelling, you just got to accept her ambiguous motivations. I had a hard time believing that any of the characters had any motives beyond the most surface. They were just checkpoints in the fable.
Ultimately I found it rather meh. It had some artsy moments that were likely beautiful storyboards but it just didn’t come together. The old world Italy reminded me of medieval Monty Python - soiled tattered rags.
Not D00M recommended.
Watched on Amazon Prime but posted here just to shuffle the top of the DVD subforum.
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