Dumbo Review: 5 Ups & 5 Downs

4. The Underwhelming Ensemble Cast

On paper Dumbo has quite the killer cast indeed, and though a couple of cast members certainly rise to the occasion (we'll get to them later), the majority end up feeling like they don't quite have enough to do.

Colin Farrell is a wonderful actor, of course, but his human protagonist Holt Farrier feels like a placeholder the screenwriter was meant to fill in later and never got around to.

Despite the obvious dramatic potential to give his amputee protagonist a special connection to Dumbo, it never quite materialises.

Elsewhere Michael Keaton shoots for hammy brilliance but ultimately ends up a bit cringe-worthy as the villainous Vandevere, while a brief cameo from the legendary Alan Arkin sees him looking dangerously close to comatose.

And though it's never fun to dunk on child actors, Thandie Newton's daughter Nico Parker is horrendously wooden as Holt's daughter Milly.

The off-base nature of so many members of the ensemble cast only exacerbates some of the wonky dialogue they're forced to rattle through. Speaking of which...