Director: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic
Starring: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Charlie Day, Seth Rogen
Year: 2023
I was born in 1983, and I can still remember getting an NES for Xmas not soon after, maybe ’85 or ’86, with Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt and what else did you really need? So I’ve been playing Mario since its inception, and I’ve gotta say I’m pretty awesome at Mario Kart, both the SNES and N64 versions, not to toot my own horn too much. That skill might have diminished over time, but my love for Mario hasn’t, so it was a no-brainer to take my son to go watch the movie, but it was simply a nice surprise that it turned out to be so fun.
Mario and Luigi are brothers from New York City who are trying to make it as plumbers in their own family business, even sinking their life savings into a questionable ad with even more questionable Italian accents to jump start their independence. But when they get sucked into a weird green pipe, they’ll find themselves fighting much more serious foes than toilet clogs. In a wacky universe near our own, the Mushroom Kingdom is in trouble, as the evil Bowser advances with his army and the beautiful Peach tries desperately to find allies. The Super Mario Bros. are on the case, with glory waiting at the end of the job.
Pure fun, not much else but a few references, but still highly entertaining; the Mario movie is something the whole family can get behind, from moms & dads who grew up with the games to sons & daughters who are just looking for a good time. Easter eggs, funny moments, memories galore; this film is about fun, and literally nothing else, so approach it with that mindset; any higher expectation and you’re going to walk away disappointed. I know we don’t love Chris Pratt much anymore, but all the voice work was fine, the animation looked cool, and the nostalgia was ripe; don’t read too much more into it, people, just enjoy.
My rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆