Illumination and Nintendo team-up to bring Mario back to the big screen. Does it work though?
While working underground to fix a water main, Brooklyn plumber and brothers, Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) are transported into a magical new world. But when the brothers are separated, Mario embarks on an quest to find Luigi.
Along the way, Mario comes across the Mushroom Kingdom, where he befriends resident Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) and Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy). Now is Mario not only trying to find his brother, but he must help the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom against the forces of the evil ruler, Bowser (Jack Black).
Can Mario find his brother, save the Mushroom Kingdom, and find his way back home? One will see.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie marks the second time the Mario Bros. have appeared on the big screen. The first time was the 1993 live-action Super Mario Bros. with Bob Hoskins and John Lequizamo. That film was a flop. The Mario Bros. have appeared in several TV show with the most memorable with Captain Lou Albano playing Mario. So this computer animated film is a huge step forward.
Now, before I really get into the meat of the review, let me just say, I am not a gamer. While I am slightly aware of the Mario Bros., my personal playing experience begins with Donkey Kong and ending with Donkey Kong Jr., so that should tell you something.
Overall I was entertained by the film. The film is definitely geared towards kids with a runtime of about an hour and a half. It moved at a decent pace. Directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic do keep the audience entertained with enough references and Easter Eggs for the fans. Luckily I had my 10 year old with me to explain them to me.
The script by Matthew Fogel wasn’t bad. Nothing really to write home about. No really deep meanings here. But like I said, about the references and Easter Eggs, Fogel is able to hit those. The film does have very silly fight sequences. You can tell the production team grew up on Looney Tunes.
Chris Pratt and Charlie Day do a great job as Mario and Luigi. Both of them do not do a stereotypical Italian accent. Their accents are closer to Brooklyn Italians. Think “Hey, I’m walking here”. Both them have done voice over work before. They previously worked on both LEGO movies together. They do seem to play off of each other. I’m not sure if they did record together, but it definitely sounds like it.
Anya Taylor-Joy voices the princess as someone who is extremely confident and someone in command. Taylor-Joy also has previous voice-over work, so she also knows what she’s doing.
Jack Black is perfect as Bowser. I’m not sure if Black has every really played the antagonist, but he’s really good here. And in typical Jack Black fashion, they give him a chance to sing.
Keegan-Michael Key plays the sidekick here and he’s great at it. The man is a master at comic timing as it is.
Finally Seth Rogan as Donkey Kong just makes it. He really does an incredible job as a bully.
My main problem with the film had to be some of the shots. You have a larger horizontal shot and watch Mario or one of the other characters, run threw like an obstacle course. This was done on purpose to simulate gameplay. I found this annoying. It was like watching one of those YouTubers play. You might as well as just stay home and watch it home for free.
The other issue, while I did appreciate the nods, a lot of them felt forced. The directors where trying to squeeze in just about every Super Mario reference they could. So did not work for me.
Overall, this film is definitely geared towards to a target audience that is familiar with the Mario game franchise. While that’s not a bad thing, it’s not just for me.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is currently playing in theaters.
Dan Kleiner 
Newsdesk