I waited anxiously to see Dumbo. I'm actually a fan of these recent Disney live action rollouts because they're magnificently done and they're bringing classics to a new generation in a whole new way. The biggest problem with Dumbo is that it doesn't help up well as it is. If you watch the 1941 original, there is so much content in there that needs to change due to political correctness and such and there is a lot in there that doesn't translate well to live action either. Overall the story just felt really dry to me. There was nothing particularly exciting or different or anything that stood out to make it unique. The performances were fine. Collin Farrell did a good job and the children were both very good and Eva Green was decent. Michael Keaton who I think is amazing, he's one of my favorite actors, overplayed his role quite a bit. He was supposed to be the villain but he was campy and over the top which was sort of the point and yet it didn't really work in the context of this film I didn't think. Danny Devito was very good as the ringmaster Medici who had one of the most interesting characters in the film. The special effects were good and yet you knew what to expect from the movie. You know he's going to fly and so even that isn't exactly a stunning revelation. I did have a lot of expectations for this going in and I just felt like it didn't really meet them very well. The direction was good and the sets were brilliant to see but the story and script lacked true heart and it didn't move me the way I expected from the trailers. It ended up being okay at best and I was disappointed when all was said and done. 6/10
Review of Dumbo
