REVIEW: The Super Mario Bros. Movie

By: Cameron Fulkerson

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is here, and as a big Mario fan, I was pretty excited. This review will be mostly spoiler free. There will be a few Easter eggs, but nothing relating to the plot.

Video game adaptations to films have been around for quite some time, and most of them have not been the best. But this one they handled it very well, with tons of powerups from the games being used, Mario being the selfless hero, Bowser the villain, etc. though there are some changes, particularly with who is captured.

The voice actors have been controversial ever since they were announced, but after viewing the film, I think they were greatly handled. Chris Pratt did a fine job as Mario, as did Charlie Day as Luigi. Anna Taylor Joy gave us a great Peach, acting more as a leader version of the character. But my favorite voice performance was Jack Black as Bowser. He stomped it (pun intended) and made the Koopa King the most threatening he has ever been. And the most charming. 

Nintendo had a helping hand in this and you can tell because of the insane amount of Easter eggs and references in this film, so many that I missed quite a lot on my first viewing and had to look them up afterwards. Some were very obvious and some were very small. 

Additionally, most of the soundtrack is just pure Mario theme and it was incredibly remade with some weird, just-thrown-in-there 80s tracks.

My main problem with this film is the pacing. The film is just 90 minutes long, which makes the second act feel very rushed, so quick that there is little to no breathing room. Plus, some characters are underutilized, particularly Luigi who just disappears halfway through the film. But those were my main issues with the film. Both are minor and can be ignored with how well the film was made. So get your tickets today and be sure to stay for the post credits scene as well!