THE ADVENTURES OF PINOCCHIO

This is a live-action Pinocchio done right — faithful to the classic novel, handsomely produced, and anchored by a superb performance from Martin Landau as Geppetto. It's the kind of morality tale that actually teaches morality: lying is wrong, fame isn't love, people matter more than gold, and standing for your convictions costs something worth paying.

It isn't flawless. The story leans on magic to move its plot along — a witch reference, a magic potion, a puppet master's curse — and in one key moment, Pinocchio consciously lies (making his nose grow) to escape danger, which sits oddly next to the film's own lesson that lying is wrong. These are minor wrinkles in an otherwise gentle, thoughtful film.

For a G-rated family movie with real moral substance and a couple of small things to discuss afterward, this one is worth the trip.

Deep in an Italian forest, Geppetto once carved the initials of the woman he loved into a tree. Years later, he carves a puppet from that same tree — and the puppet, Pinocchio, comes to life. When two thieves spot the living puppet, they sell him to a puppet master named Lorenzini, and Pinocchio finds himself dazzled by the stage lights and the crowds. With his conscience, Pepe the cricket, at his side, he begins to learn that fame isn't love — and that some things matter more than gold.

Three stars means this is a solidly good film, and the reason is mostly one man: Martin Landau's performance as Geppetto is described as superb, carrying real weight and warmth through a story that could easily have felt like a children's trifle. The production itself is called very well-made, giving the classic tale the craftsmanship it deserves rather than a rushed cash-in.

What keeps it from the top mark is the storytelling itself, not the filmmaking. The plot leans on magical devices to solve problems, and at a key moment the hero lies his way out of danger — a choice that muddies the film's own moral clarity, even as the film corrects course and teaches that lying is wrong. It's a well-made movie with a small crack in its own logic.

This is a film that wants to teach — and mostly succeeds. It states its moral principles plainly: don't lie, stand for your convictions, people matter more than money. Pinocchio's whole journey from puppet to boy is a journey toward those truths, and the film rebukes lying, cheating, and stealing rather than glamorizing them.

Where it gets muddled is in its own method. The story uses lying — twice — to move its plot forward: once to solve a problem, once as a kind of vengeful payback against thieves who wronged him. A film that teaches "lying is wrong" while using lies as a convenient plot tool isn't hypocritical exactly, but it is inconsistent, and thoughtful parents will want to name that inconsistency out loud. There's also some magical thinking and a passing reference to a witch — fairy-tale furniture more than a worldview statement, but worth knowing about going in.

Underneath the puppet strings is an old, good longing: to become real, to become known and loved for who you are rather than for how well you perform. Scripture names that longing too, and answers it better than magic can: "Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor" (Ephesians 4:25) — because the truth, not a spell, is what finally makes us whole.

This is an old story told with real craft and a real conscience — Martin Landau alone makes it worth watching, and the lessons underneath are ones worth your family's time. A little magic and one well-intentioned lie are small prices for a movie this thought