The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

[Flack]

Every now and then it feels refreshing to know exactly what to expect prior to watching a new movie. The Super Mario Bros. Movie was exactly what I thought it was going to be -- an animated adventure starring Mario and supporting characters from the Mario universe.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie draws its inspiration from multiple generations of Mario-related games. The film opens with the Mario brothers, Mario and Luigi, opening their own plumbing business. The Mario brothers were of course plumbers in the original Mario Bros. arcade game. (The film avoids calling out one of my favorite Mario-related trivia facts, which is if they are the Mario brothers, that means Mario's full name is Mario Mario, and his brother's name is Luigi Mario...) Before long, the brothers discover a green pipe and are magically transported to the Mushroom Kingdom, the setting for the original Super Mario Bros. game. The film features racing karts from the Mario Kart series of games, Donkey Kong and his extended family, fight scenes right out of Super Smash Bros., and even a battle between Mario and Donkey Kong featuring barrels that takes place on red girders. For older Nintendo fans, the film is also filled with tons of easter eggs. The restaurant at the beginning of the film is named The Punch-Out Pizzeria and features pictures of Glass Joe and Little Mac (among others) hanging on the wall. Young kids will love watching Mario on screen, and "old kids" will get a kick from all the references.

Despite online fanboi rumblings, the voice actors do a good job, with most of the heavy lifting done by Chris Pratt (Mario), Anya Taylor-Joy (Princess Peach), and Jack Black (Bowser). I immediately recognized the voices of Fred Armisen and Seth Rogen's and did not recognize Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, but the real elephant in the room was Charles Martinet, who has been the official voice of Mario in television shows, cartoons, and video games for the past several decades. Martinet gets a supporting role as "Jump Man," who in the film is Mario and Luigi's dad and, as fans of the games may know, was Mario's name in the original Donkey Kong arcade game. Martinet could have pulled Mario's voice off without a problem, but I can only assume Chris Pratt looks more attractive on red carpet events.

Along with all the game references, there are tons of musical cues that were just as nostalgic for me. From the original Super Mario Bros. rap from the television show to the startup sound from the Gamecube being Luigi's ringtone, the film drops more musical cuts than Terminator X. Every gamer from every generation will hear music and sound cues they recognize.

I had a smile on throughout most of the film and even laughed a couple of times. It was as delicious and original as a hot slice of pepperoni pizza. Letsa go!

[Mama Blue]

I can't wait to see Princess Peach!