The Super Mario Bros. Movie Review
It's fairly remarkable that it took 30 years for Mario and Luigi to make a successful comeback to the big screen following their unsuccessful live-action feature from 1993 given that Super Mario Bros. is one of the most well-known video game franchises in the world. Nintendo's iconic characters are now back and playing the lead roles in a gorgeously animated feature film from Universal Pictures' Illumination.
The story begins in New York City, where Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) make unsuccessful attempts to launch their own plumbing company. The unfortunate boys are sucked through a magical sewage drain, where they are dropped off in the fantasy realm that was previously only seen in the iconic NES game from 1985.
The two brothers are split apart, and Luigi is taken prisoner by the wicked King Bowser (Jack Black). In this foreign nation, Mario looks for allies to aid him in saving his sibling. Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy), who is attempting to defend her realm from Bowser's Koopa army, believes she and Mario should team up. Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) serves as Mario's advisor. Add some go-kart racing and Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen) to amp up the video game nostalgia.
Due to their common affinity for the characters, both parents and children will enjoy The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Children, many of whom have dodged turtle shells in updated versions of those, would enjoy watching the movie with their parents if they have happy recollections of doing so in the 1980s and 1990s.
The studio should be applauded for keeping the story sweet and family friendly. The most progressive thing about this movie is that Mario and Peach must rescue Luigi rather than the boys needing to rescue the princess. There’s no attempt to grab adults’ attention with edgy humor. Instead, grown-ups can focus on identifying the countless Easter eggs packed into each scene.
Despite its delights, the movie has its pitfalls. The script is paper thin, seemingly written to hit certain video-game environments rather than create a satisfying story, and sometimes one scene jumps to the next without much sense of connection. The film also indulges in the clichéd admonition to believe in yourself even when no one else will. The cast contains numerous stars, but the voice work from Pratt and Taylor-Joy falls flat. On the other hand, Key’s Toad offers a couple of inspired moments, and Black’s Bowser has a couple of showstoppers.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie and The Lego Movie are often compared. Both involve the internationally acclaimed intellectual property and Chris Pratt. The Super Mario Bros. Movie plays things safe, stays within the lines, and lets nostalgia do all the work while The Lego Movie takes risks and manages to be really amusing and imaginative.
This film will be enjoyable for Nintendo lovers to relive their childhood, but non-gamers should avoid it.
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