The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

Director: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic
Starring: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day

Synopsis:
A pair of plumbers from Brooklyn are transported to another world that is under attack by the tyrant King Koopa.

Impressions:
I, like many other Mario fans, were skeptical of this project when it was announced. Illumination is a technically competent animation studio but not one that is known for compelling writing. There was a fair bit of discontent over the casting as well. I can't actually speak to the final product on that note as my theater was only playing the Japanese dub. (Mamoru Miyano was just fine as Mario, in case you were curious, and I wouldn't have even realized it was him if his daggone Peewee Herman scream didn't show up once or twice.) Anyway, I won't deny I was curious about it and when it was recommended to me by a coworker, I decided to go ahead an give it a shot. What did I think? It was definitely better than what I was expecting, far better than I what I would've feared. (Apparently the Big N reined in some of the more distasteful modern filmmaking tendencies, so there's that.) You still see some of Illumination's trademarks that I'm not a fan of, mugging the camera and the mixtape approach to soundtrack creation (with several of the pop tracks feeling rather incongruous with the setting). As far as the original score goes, Brian Tyler does a good job of remixing classic Mario tracks and weaving them in. I did say Illumination was technically competent and there's definitely nothing to complain about as far as the visuals are concerned. They do a fine job of bringing the Mushroom Kingdom to life and set up some areas I'd love to play.

You may have noticed that I haven't spoken about the writing yet. It does what it needs to do but doesn't push the envelope. Illumination has been known for generally playing it safe with their stories and it pays dividends for them. Compared with so much crap that's shoveled onto the silver screen these days, I'll settle for a safe, unambitious story that generally aims to please the crowd. That being said, it's not enough for me to say this is a must-have. It's worth a watch and fans of the franchise will enjoy all the references packed in.

Rating:
Watch It