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The Super Mario Bros. Movie - A Review
By Kurt Kreeger
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic and stars Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, and Charlie Day as Luigi along with a host of popular stars playing beloved Nintendo favorites. For those of you who know the games and know the actors, you likely were just as bewildered as I was seeing the complete mismatch of casting. I love Chris Pratt, but he is not Italian and therefore fears that his acting choices would be shrouded in outdated stereotypical voice impressions caused many fears among fans. Also, Charlie Day, the erratic and wild guy from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The Hangover trilogy as the rather timid and shy Luigi? The School of Rock star, Jack Black, who literally sang a piano ballad in a trailer as the intimidating Bowser? The current champion of the stoner comedy, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong? Most of these choices were so laughably off base that most including myself assumed this would just be another annoying kids movie to be thrown into the bargain bin at Walmart. And the cherry on top: this is another Illumination film. I walked into this film expecting a so-bad-it’s-good film, but to my surprise this is the best film Illumination has made and even has become one of my favorites of the year.
As much as I was expecting the cast to be terrible, the cast actually worked really well for what they were making. Mario had a few lines in his traditional Italian accent that were more used as catchphrases, but generally Chris Pratt put his own voice in while staying true to the character. For what this film was going for, Jack Black was the perfect voice for the rather loud yet comedic foil to Mario. All of the characters simply went to work and put on performances that made me forget who the actor playing them was, which is arguably the greatest compliment you can give an actor. I hear many people had problems with the portrayal of Kranky Kong by Fred Armisen, but I personally found the performance passable.
What about the rest of the movie outside of the actors? Well, the writing itself was good. Fans of the game know that the story itself is rather minimal, so clearly they needed to add in certain character or plot threads into the film. Luckily, they all made sense and felt like a natural evolution of the lore we all know and love. Perhaps some people might find Princess Peach being more than a damsel in distress as “not accurate to the lore,” but not only was it great to see a strong female lead, she never detracted from Mario’s story arc. The story was nothing revolutionary, but it was also serviceable as a kid’s film and by what they added nothing felt poorly handled. There were even a few plot points that were genuinely surprising, particularly at the end of the second act. Overall, there were a few moments which spurned genuine emotion out of me, and if a film can make you feel good, I can’t see that as a bad thing.
The film wouldn’t be so good, however, if it wasn’t for the visuals. This film is a treat upon the eyes. In nearly every frame there are beautiful color pallets that instantly pull me right back to the days when I was a kid and would play Mario Kart or Super Mario on the Nintendo 64. Unlike many video game to film adaptations, this film never made me think I’d rather be playing the game, but instead felt like a celebration to the fans who want to see something new in the world they grew up playing. The action itself was fun and energetic and felt exactly like I wanted it to be. Whatever adventure that Mario ventured on, it was eye candy from start to finish.
Admittedly, the first 5 or 10 minutes of the film wasn’t particularly engaging due to the writing feeling clearly Illumination style, but as soon as there is a clear nod to the fans of the side-scrolling games of old the film was instantly on the right track and never got off. Even any Minions joke that crept in either felt very minor or worked fluidly in the script at this point. This film is an awesome time and I highly recommend anyone who loves the games to take the nostalgia pill with me and enjoy one of the most fun movies you may see this year. Even if you don’t, this film is still worth your time to watch with your kids and maybe learn what drew so many people to one of the pioneers of gaming.
Final Verdict: 8.3/10
-Written by Kurt Kreeger, Film Critic
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