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

Directors: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Pierre Leduc

Writer: Matthew Fogel

Runtime: 1 hour 32 mins

• Chris Pratt as Mario (voice)
• Charlie Day as Luigi (voice)
• Anaya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach (voice)
• Jack Black as Bowser (voice)
• Keegan-Michael Key as Toad (voice)

Review by: Samuel

What I Liked

The star of this film is the animation- we need to get that out of the way first. Before any talk of the plot, voice actors, or pacing, we need to talk about the stunning views this movie provides. Animation studios have been stepping up their game for a while but now more than ever I feel confident in saying that Pixar is no longer the undisputed king. The textures in this film are photorealistic. Shots of the ocean look like they would if you were staring out of an airplane window. I would even go as far as to say that if there were characters that were clearly animated, the environments in the film could be mistaken for real-life sets. Hats off to the studio for this one- I can say it is the best-looking animated movie I’ve seen in years.

The voice cast was also great. Christ Pratt got a lot of hate when he was cast, but he was honestly fine in the role. I’d have no problem with him returning for a sequel. Anya Taylor Joy as Peach and Seth Rogan as Donkey Kong were also very good. But the standout performances for me were Charlie Day’s Luigi, Jack Black’s Bowser, and Keegan Michael Key’s Toad- they were about as close to perfect casting as you can get. Bowser in particular was excellent in giving off a menacing, yet funny tone in everything he did.

I also enjoyed the action in this film. There are moments when the film switches to a 2D view so it looks like the old-school platformer we all know and love. The power-ups (down to the sound effects) were EXACTLY as you remember them from the game. Even elements of Mario Kart made their way into the film and they all worked in a way that was exciting without being cheesy. The third act in particular looked like something out of a superhero movie.

Finally, I have to give the pacing its credit. The film is only 90 minutes and it wastes none of that. I don’t think that even the most hardcore fans play Mario for the plot and the movie understands that. Bowser kidnapped someone and the mushroom kingdom is in trouble- Mario must save the day. That’s it! That’s all you need and I’m very happy the movie understood that. We don’t need time wasted on made-up backstories or motivations. ‘Bad guy is doing something bad and good guy needs to stop him’ works perfectly for a movie like this.

What I Didn’t Like

The only thing I didn’t like about this movie was the lack of Luigi for the first two acts- but it is a catch 22. In a switch from the game, it is Luigi and not Peach who gets captured. SO it’s now Mario and Peach on an adventure to save Luigi. I loved seeing Peach get her time to shine and see her as a certified hero in her own right, but I must admit I felt that further exploring the brotherly dynamic between Mario and Luigi was a missed opportunity (again, Day was perfectly cast for the role). It’s not a dealbreaker and Luigi certainly gets his moments in the third act, but his absence for most of the film was noticeable. Perhaps they could have had one of the toads get captured instead and have Mario, Luigi and Peach go on the adventure together, so they all have their deserved time.