Pinocchio (2022)

"(Keegan-Michael Key) brings the kind of spry delivery and wild, dangerous energy that’s missing elsewhere in this otherwise safe endeavour."

"Something is off – the film is competently crafted, dutifully acted, clearly laboured over with soul, and yet, like its star, lacks a beating heart."

"(Pinocchio's) been flattened out of having a personality at all. His lumpen goodness turns the hot-tempered fairy tale into a dull after-school special about peer pressure..."

"(Hanks) appears to have reached the point where he feels he can give up acting and enjoy making a real fool of himself."

"It’s virtually a beat-by-beat remake of the original, but without the original’s energy and movement."

"Pinocchio is only the second-worst movie featuring Tom Hanks as a puppet master with a thick European accent released in 2022."

"For the most part, things shuffle along charmingly enough for a welcome but hardly necessary reimagining of Collodi’s text—at least until they really, really do not."

"Every frame of Pinocchio is filled with rich and lush detail... and the performances, whether live action or voiced, are universally excellent."

"A lacklustre replica."

"Though not without charm, and some splendid CGI, this scattershot grab-bag of good intentions results in a bit of an emotional flatline."

"One of the best things I can say about the movie is that it likely won't be one that your child will want to watch over and over..."

"Throw the ghoulish Disney+ Pinocchio remake into the wood chipper."

"Something feels particularly unnecessary about the Robert Zemeckis-directed Pinocchio, which revisits nearly every beat of the 1940 animated classic..."

"This Pinocchio isn’t without charm, but it ultimately feels like calculated rehash with nothing new and inspired to add to the story."

"Very little in the movie clicks, and highlights (like the 'I’ve Got No Strings' number) aren’t potent enough to keep us involved."