'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' film review: Powered-up, pixel-perfect celebration of all things Nintendo
Affirming that the era of disappointing video game-to-movie adaptations is over, 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' (in theaters nationwide April 5) is a breezy flick that taps into what makes the beloved games so iconic and timeless.
In short: Brooklyn plumbers Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) are whisked off to the Mushroom Kingdom, where Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) must defend her people against an invasion from the brutal Bowser (Jack Black).
Illumination has crafted an absolute love letter to anyone in the past four decades who has played any or all of the legendary mushroom stomping plumbers adventures. The flick is simple and straightforward enough that anyone with even just a passing awareness of Mario and Luigi can jump in on this light-hearted jaunt. But for the more devoted fans, 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' is a pure celebration of the plumber's many, many adventures across decades of gaming.
While the plot is essentially a straightforward 'defeat Bowser' setup, it's a ton of fun to see how so many other Mario games informed this flick. There are hints of 'Super Smash Bros.' in a one-on-one fight sequence, Luigi's skittish characterization is faithful to 'Luigi's Mansion' and Bowser's entire character arch is almost lifted straight out of 'Super Mario Odyssey.' It's genuinely exciting to see what Illumination does next with the sprawling Nintendo catalog after delivering a 'Super Mario Bros. Movie' that so faithful in spirit and in execution to the titular franchise.
The streamlined simplicity of this movie does mean it lacks dramatic or thematic weight - but this is a movie based on a surprisingly spry hero who basically runs obstacle courses and defeats an oversized turtle. The Mario franchise is not 'The Last of Us' - it's just a fun madcap dash through the Mushroom Kingdom ... which this flick totally embraces. Even at a brisk and non-stop 90 minutes of adventure, 'Super Mario' establishes a rather sweet relationship between Mario and Luigi, actually gives Bowser a compelling reason why he's so intent on capturing Peach and firmly rooting Peach as the rightful badass character that she has become in the games.
'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' is a vibrant, energized and fun adventure that will delight the young and the elder gamers who are young at heart. The possibilities are nearly limitless and this first step into a larger Nintendo world has exciting promise!
Final verdict: 'Super Mario' absolutely nails the sweet spot of what a Super Mario Bros. movie should look and feel like - it literally feels like a video game realized as a full-length feature - one that will keep Nintendo fans smiling from start to finish.
Score: 3.5/5
'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' opens in theaters on April 5. This animated adventure has a runtime of 92 minutes and is rated PG for action and mild violence..
