Directors: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Pierre Leduc
Writer: Matthew Fogel
Stars: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Keegan-Michael Key Jack Black, Kevin Michael Richardson, Seth Rogen
After one failed live action attempt, after multiple amounts of games, Illumination has finally given ‘The Super Mario Bros.’ an onscreen adventure they’ve always deserved. The animation is stunning, and there is enough momentum and laughs to keep the whole family entertained.
While working underground to fix a water main, Brooklyn plumbers Mario (Chris Pratt) and brother Luigi (Charlie Day) are transported down a mysterious pipe and wander into a magical new world. But when the brothers are separated, Mario embarks on an epic quest to find Luigi. With the assistance of a Mushroom Kingdom resident Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) and some training from the strong-willed ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy), Mario taps into his own power.
This movie unlike it’s predecessor gets a lot of things right about ‘Super Mario Bros’, the Mushroom Kingdom, the magical land in which the film is largely set, looks exactly like the Mushroom Kingdom of the games. Fireflowers, super stars and question mark boxes all function like they’re supposed to, everything looks and sounds exactly like you were sitting in front of a Nintendo console.
Of course one of the biggest criticisms of this movie when the trailer launched was the voices of both characters Mario and Luigi, and why they didn’t have the Italian accent. I have to be honest and say even though Mario and Luigi didn’t sound like they did in the games, both had enough charisma for that tiny aspect to go unnoticed. Mario also still manages to invoke trademark catchphrases like “it’s a-me” and “let’s a-go”, giving viewers their hit of nostalgia.
Illumination and Nintendo set out to deliver a Mario movie that the whole family could enjoy, and that gamers could get completely immersed in, and I think they’ve succeeded on both fronts.
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