Review: Super Mario Bros 2023 not 1993
I recently went with a colleague from work to see the new Mario movie.
A film we have all waited with baited breath to dunk on harder than Nickleback, ever since Star Lord decided to not show any range in playing Mario /j
Luckily Chris Pratt did do a perfectly serviceable Italian lite working well as a Mario brother. And for the fans the numerous references to 1980s Nintendo Games was appreciated - Not to mention Mario himself Charles Martinet still having a role.
Personally I would have preferred him to have had a role more central to be plot, like Troy Baker did in the last of us.
Which brings to the big criticism of the movie, the only characters who really matter are Mario and Bowser. Sure, peach kicks ass, starting off infinitely more competent than mario but then takes a back seat as this isn't super princess peach the movie.
Luigi gets kidnapped (OH NO!) but ultimately doesn't have much todo outside of the final fight.
Donkey Kong acts as a mid-game boss and a vehicle for Seth Rogan, and the subplot about getting the Kong army whilst initially interesting, ultimately falls flat. Diddy Kong only gets a cameo, and fan favorites like Cranky and Dixie Kong are nowhere to be seen/ do nothing.
For all the time the film spends on that boss battle and getting the 'Kong Army' they ultimately have no impact on the final result in Brooklyn with it all coming down to Mario and Luigi getting an invincibility star and winning.
If you're a fan of the Mario franchise and are willing to watch some colourful CGI for an hour and a half, you may enjoy yourself. But overall, the movie lacks the depth and complexity of other recent animated films.
You could argue I am over analysing a throwaway kids movie - and you'd be right! It is a throwaway movie.
Forgettable with a plot only slightly more 3 Dimensional than the 1985 NES original. It's not terrible, but it's not great either.
I was falling asleep and my colleague DID fall asleep.
However, if you are in your 30s/40s/0-10s and like mario you should totally look forward to watching it when it lands on VOD services (I wouldn't recommend paying for it)
Don't let some rando online make you feel bad if you liked a film I did not.
After all I like Nickleback, the greatest rock band in the history of music.