“The Super Mario Bros. Movie”—the film that everyone keeps talking about right now and possibly even before it even premiered. Social media is abuzz with their different opinions and reactions to “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” with a general consensus of it being a film they all came to see with low expectations, and then proceeding to have those expectations exceeded.
Yes, I’m here to agree: I very much enjoyed “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.”
The film just looked great. There was attention to detail, faithfulness to the source material, a wonderful musical score, and a chockful of easter eggs that would delight any gamer in the audience. There wasn’t any doubt in my mind that “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” wouldn’t fail to deliver in those aspects, knowing that the original creator Shigeru Miyamoto was there to ensure its quality at every step of the way.
It was surreal to watch the different kingdoms brought to life with the 3D animation without taking away the platform levels that Super Mario Bros. games are known for. In fact, I felt a tingle of joy at one of the beginning sequences when Mario and Luigi were running through the streets of Brooklyn for a plumbing job and the camera panned out to follow them in a side-view angle, referencing the franchise’s side-scrolling gameplay.
The story itself is admittedly as simple as it could be with a zero-to-hero tasked with saving a world he just stumbled upon. Personally, this didn’t bother me because you can’t exactly expect otherwise for a movie targeting kids and families. What’s great, though, is that there’s plenty of potential for more complex stories in future sequels.
The voice actors did an excellent job too. Keegan Michael-Key added a whole new flavor to Toad that was unexpected, Charlie Day was perfect as Luigi, Seth Rogen was just the right amount of kooky for Donkey Kong, and Jack Black expectedly shone as Bowser, and I can’t express my gratitude enough for allowing him to have song performances that are still stuck in my head as I’m penning this review.
I felt that Anya Taylor-Joy could have done more to give a stronger personality to Princess Peach, though she still did well in finding that balance between spunky and dignified. Chris Pratt, meanwhile, did not completely leave me as devastated as I was when it was announced that he was portraying the titular role, which is a relief.
A few things I felt that the movie lacked were memorable dialogue and laugh-out-loud jokes. This isn’t to say that there weren’t any funny moments; I just wish there were more! I was also disappointed that Luigi didn’t have much screen time as he could have. I would have liked to have seen more of their brotherly dynamic—perhaps then the final battle with Bowser would have tugged at my heartstrings more.
In conclusion, whether or not you grow up playing Super Mario Bros. games and all their different iterations, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is a film that will delight you and leave you smiling as the credits roll. And those who did grow up playing the games, I advise you to stay until after the credits for a fantastic surprise!
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” will be released by Universal Pictures International and shown in Philippine cinemas on April 19, 2023.
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