Super Mario Bros. Movie Review: A Super Movie Full of Super-Fun!
The Super Mario Bros. Movie made its way into theaters this Easter weekend which helped many families enjoy the holiday weekend even more by entertaining themselves with a movie for all audiences. The Super Mario Bros. series is without a doubt one of the most well known and successful franchises of all time and is in no exception of large wins and loses, but was the movie a win or a flop for the people?
Before we jump into the review:
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a film intended for children due to its happy and kind nature it has throughout the movie. Even during the conflict and action many of the scenes are handled in a very family-friendly and age appropriate way for the younger audiences the movie is aimed for. Of course, many movies intended for children aren’t in-depth in terms of plot and individual character story, but that doesn’t make it a bad movie. However with all that said, the Super Mario Bros. Movie is still without a doubt a movie that adults and teens can very much enjoy despite it being for kids. Please be aware that as all reviews, these are just opinions and should not be taken seriously if you disagree or agree.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie review:
Before we talk about the film’s story, it is worth mentioning the scenery, character designs, and overall quality. The Super Mario Bros. Movie has a beautiful and amazing quality for an animated film. The characters, the weather, nature, and buildings look so beautifully animated and well designed, a major improvement compared to many animated films that have been released these past years. The movie perfectly brings the world of Super Mario to life with the countless creatures and characters (that we have all known and loved for over 38 years) and keeping their original personality and charm they’ve always had. The Super Mario Bros. Movie brings happiness to not just the fans, but to newcomers alike with their charming characters and beautiful scenery.
(Copyright: Illumination, Universal Pictures, Nintendo)
The Super Mario Bros. Movie does not have a complex plot/story, which is normal for an animated film aimed towards younger audiences. Super Mario has never had a complex story either, it is as simple as it gets, we’ve all played Super Mario and all we do is go from Point A to Point B nothing too hard but easy and simple. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is no exception to that as it does not go in depth with their characters or plot, however while this might be a problem to some people, I personally found it perfect for the movie. A movie like the Super Mario Bros. does not need to go crazy with a story or make a character complex to make it a good movie, besides due to how popular and iconic the Super Mario characters are, fans and strangers alike should easily already know the personality and character without needing much background information. With that being said, if it does not have a deep story then what does it have? Entertainment. The Super Mario Bros. is able to make a good movie by mixing action/adventure with humor simultaneously, it is able to keep a consistent and well paced plot while adding humor that does not interrupt or awkwardly fit into the scene.
(Copyright: Illumination, Universal Pictures, Nintendo)
This movie does NOT fail when it comes to entertaining and keeping viewers from not looking away. The movie offers fun to all audiences regardless of their age, a young kid can be entertained with the humor and silly story as older audiences can have a fun time recognizing the many characters and references secretly sprinkled throughout the film. Growing up playing countless Super Mario and Nintendo games overall, it was so amazing to see the references of a game I played when I was just 5 or listening to a theme song of a Mario game from over 10 years ago. This film perfectly honors the long lasting franchise and sets up more fun for the younger upcoming generations as well, it is obvious the film was created with love and respect towards the series. Whether you are a long-time fan of Super Mario and their characters, or you’re a newcomer to the series, regardless this film will keep you entertained and surely bring a laugh and smile to your face.
The only problem the film has would be the absence of a particular character throughout the film, it is rather weird to see one of the main characters be pushed aside for the great majority of the film as other less important characters get a better spotlight. While these other characters are very interesting and funny to see them interact, it still makes viewers question the absence of the character. It does affect the story since the absence of the character changes the roles of many characters that are different from their usual role in the series, it makes you wish that the excluded character was present in a lot of scenes, regardless it still really makes the film very fun and enjoyable.
(Copyright: Illumination, Universal Pictures, Nintendo)
Conclusion
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is definitely an amazing movie to watch, although the plot may not be that original or deep, it without a doubt accomplishes to entertain everyone of all ages and will make you leave the theater with a smile on your face. Whether you’re a fan or not of the Super Mario series, I would recommend watching it if you want to have a good time with friends and family. I would rate the movie a 91%, simple yet super effective story, stays true to its original series, well put humor, and accomplishes its goal of being entertaining. It’s a bit hard to not be biased towards this film especially considering that I have loved the Super Mario franchise since forever, however these are all just my opinions and you shouldn’t take my thoughts too seriously.
