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Posted in: Illumination, Movies, Review, Universal | Tagged: chris pratt, illumination, nintendo, the super mario bros. movie
The Super Mario Bros. Movie Is Dumb Fun, If You Let It Be {Review}
While infinitely better than the first try, The Super Mario Bros Movie has a pretty basic story full of references hampering the film.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is miles better than the first time the brothers came to theaters, but that is not a high bar to climb. Full of easter eggs that will take many viewings to catch, fans of the characters will have fun with this one as long as they don't spend more than five seconds thinking about the plot. The voice cast is hit or miss, as many expected, and if you are not a fan of the Illumination style, this won't change your mind. Still, there is enough here to understand why there is so much excitement around this one. Hopefully, the sequel can live up to the hype more.
Turns Out, Mario Should Have Been Someone Else After All
The most glaring problem with the film is the uneven voice cast. Chris Pratt was horribly miscast as Mario. It sounds like he is delivering all of his lines through gritted teeth, and it takes most of the film's runtime to get used to it. Charlie Day is better as Luigi, but his manic delivery does no favors in trying to understand him. You catch about every other line. Anya Taylor-Joy and Jack Black are good as Princess Peach and Bowser, and you almost wish this was a whole movie about just those two. At its core, it is, in a way, as Bowser gets his hands on a star to take Peach prisoner and ask her on a date. The scene where he reveals his plan is quite funny, actually. There to stop him are the heroes, who warp through a pipe from Brooklyn. Joining them are Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) and Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen). That's about it for the story.
This is a shame, as everything kind of devolves into things happening so that people can point at the screen and say, "I understood that reference!". Everything you could possibly want to see as a fan is crammed into the film, even if it makes little to no sense. The story is not king here, which is why it is so basic it hurts. However, that seems to be the way for Illumination, however, so not sure where to place the blame. The references are hit or miss, though funnier than anything. As far as the "house style" that Illumination uses for all of its films, it is starting to become a problem. One of the things they need to do is use the talented animators they have at their disposal and start differentiating one film from the next. Mario shouldn't look the same as Minions. All that being said, the film does earn some laughs, and the score is great. Special shout out to Brian Tyler, who perfectly captures the adventure while weaving some of the most beloved themes from the games into the score.
Look, this film will be gigantic, and sequels will surely come. Hopefully, that will mean that they can stretch their legs a bit and get us The Super Mario Bros. Movie that will send our fan hearts aflutter. This one does not quite get there.
The Super Mario Bros Movie
5/10
Full of references to a fault, The Super Mario Bros Movie is the best version of Mario ever put to screen, but that is not saying much. A basic story, done in the house Illumination style that could turn into something special next time out.
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