The Super Mario Bros Movie- Review

The Super Mario Bros Movie– Review
92 Minutes, Rated PG
Written by Matthew Fogel
Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic

**NOTE: this post may be updated with audio once we actually have the chance to talk about it. Until then, you can read Mark’s review below. Remember, though, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**

Synopsis:

The story of the Super Mario Bros on their journey through the Mushroom Kingdom.

Sigh, another movie, another bit of self-inflicted controversy. First, somebody decided not to let Charles Martinet voice Mario (though I don’t hold that against Chris Pratt), then we get rumblings that Mario won’t be the hero, but will instead be continually saved by the “empowered” (whatever that means) Princess Peach (though I don’t necessarily hold that against Anya Taylor-Joy, either).

Why do studios continue to try to sabotage their own films before they even hit theaters? Why?

I mean, I get that all press is good press, but come on; it’s starting to get a bit ridiculous.

Luckily, often a film can overcome such pre-release rumblings and stand above it all as a quality film. Last week’s release of Dungeon’s & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves comes to mind, after its directors claimed they loved to “emasculate their male stars.”

I mean, what the hell, man?

Turns out, Dungeon’s & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is doesn’t have so much emasculation, and we got a very entertaining film.

But again, what is the point of ginning up such a negative spin on your films? It makes zero sense. It alienates those not already down on the film (for whatever other reason), can push fence-sitters towards not seeing the movie, and dampen the enthusiasm of those otherwise predisposed to like and promote the film.

Weird. And dumb.

Anyway, back to The Super Mario Bros Movie.

Apparently, this is trying to set up the Nintendo Cinematic Universe, which, I have to admit, sounds intriguing, so I’m down for looking at it that way.

Video game movies, as pop-culture is well aware, have a spotty track record in terms of audience satisfaction. Mario Brothers, as fans are also aware, already has one failed cinematic adaptation.

So how does this version of TSMBM stack up?

Pretty well, all told. For a game that doesn’t have any kind of overall narrative in the traditional sense, the filmmakers have piped together enough of a plot to run a string of gameplay through.

But it’s not a very deep plot, or one that is very good. I won’t spoil it for you, but trust me, every time they call attention to the villain’s motivation, it’s 100% cringe.

The voice acting is fine, with Pratt admirably channeling the good-naturedness of Emmet Brickowski here and Anya Taylor-Joy bringing a life to an originally undeveloped character in Princess Peach.

I’m sure some folks will have trouble with that, but whatever.

The visuals are pretty incredible, though, giving gamers the 3D, virtual look we didn’t necessarily know we wanted at the old 2D side-scrolling games we knew and loved. But there’s not really much more going on than that. It’s bright, colorful, loud… and shallow.

The Super Mario Bros Movie is a fun, if ultimately forgettable, speed-run through those nostalgic days of 8- and 16-bit gaming, before cinema-quality hyper-realism became the norm.

The Super Mario Bros Movie is exclusively in theaters on April 5 and features the voices of Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Kevin Michael Richardson, Khary Payton, Charles Martinet, Sebastian Maniscalco, John Dimaggio, Jessica DiCicco, Seth Rogen, and Fred Armison.

And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.

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