The Mosley Review: The Super Mario Bros. Movie
There is a reason why video game developers don't license out their product or games to film studios. If the early 90's taught us anything, they haven't gotten it right at all. Back in 1993, the most guiltiest pleasure of a film was released and it caused Nintendo to never trust the film industry to adapt their legendary catalog to screen. Super Mario Bros. was absolutely an abomination of a film that didn't even try to get the world or design of the beloved game correct. What my generation got was a comedic and yet dark dystopian creature feature that even the cast hated making. I still enjoy the ridiculous and fun charm despite its massive sins committed against the property. It sparked my crush for Samantha Mathis so that was always a plus. Nintendo has taken the chance again and trusted another film studio to try and respect the source material, but did it work? Absolutely! From the opening credits to the final shot of the film, this was 100 percent a Super Mario Bros. game come to life in everyway possible. The choice to do it animated was the only way to get it right and the filmmakers nailed it. From the vast amount of classic references, Easter eggs, recreations of the original game levels of Donkey Kong and Mario Kart, I was in heaven. The universe of Mario Bros. was on complete display and handled with such respect. There are some updated story elements that alter the original stories of the games, but it didn't actually matter in this instance because the amount of fun I was having with the breakneck pace of the film. I had my reservation about certain casting choices and I was pleasantly surprised by how well the cast pulled it off.
Chris Pratt takes the lead as Mario and I had my thoughts on the choice of a big name actor to play him. I wanted the voice actor that has voiced the character for 100 games and I was afraid that all I was gonna hear was Pratt. Well Chris absolutely blew my expectations out of the water and nailed the characters heart and optimistic spirit. Charlie Day was fantastic as his skiddish, faithful and sometimes hilariously tortured brother Liuigi. He seriously gets put through the ringer in this film and I sometimes felt sorry for him as he is sidelined for the majority of the film. His chemistry with Mario was truly a highlight when they were together and they had an amazing action scene together toward last portion of the film. The bathroom sequence was awesome as well with the dog. The original voice of Mario, Charles Martinet, is in the film and I loved that he played the father of both Mario and Luigi. It was a wonderful touch for him to be the one that propels their story to earn the respect of their father. Anya Taylor-Joy was excellent as Princess Peach and I liked that they updated her character. Historically, she was the damsel in distress that Mario would always have to save and now she is more of a stronger person. It wasn't a politically overbearing choice that somehow made her the hero of the film. She was a great ally to Mario and you grow to love her by the end. Keegan-Michael Key was outstanding as Toad and nearly stole the film with all of the cute and heroic moments. He wasn't a bumbling character that was just there to sell toys and I loved that he was very creative and brave. Seth Rogen blew me away with his performance as Donkey Kong. He was as funny, arrogant and tough as Kong should be. He was so much fun to watch and the rivalry between him and Mario was so reminiscent of their original arcade game debut. Jack Black is always a delight and as King Bowser, he was hilarious and unexpectedly menacing in so many great ways. He is a villain with a big heart, but he will burn all that cross him. I loved his many musical numbers and a particular scene with a piano where he plays a well placed theme we all know to add tension. Kevin Michael Richardson was awesome as the sorcerer and right hand of Bowser, Kamek. Kevin has always been one of my favorite voice actors and I always enjoy hearing his talented and distinct voice in anything. He was awesome and great in his scenes with Bowser. Khary Payton was great as the Penguin King and even though his major scene was in the trailer, he still had more fun moments in the film to witness. Juliet Jelenic was adorable and hilariously dark humored as Lumalee. Every line that kid spoke was comedy gold and I loved every second of it.
The score was brilliant and recreated all the iconic music of the franchise in epic and creative forms. Brian Tyler truly created a masterpiece of a score that had me smiling from the ear to ear as the themes that Koji Kondo created came back to life in the right moments at the right time. The underground tube theme from the first game was used perfectly to build tension in one specific moment. Even though the film has a attention span of 2 year old, the story still held even if it was a bit basic. I wasn't looking for something Oscar worthy, but what we got was serviceable and you've seen it done before. Other than that, there's really nothing bad I can say about this delightful and fun family film that will be enjoyed by adults as well. If you're a hardcore fan of the Mario universe, then you will have your mind blown. For the casuals like me that grew up with it but never continued with the franchise after Mario 64, I still found myself having so much fun and smiling at all the recreations of classic levels and references to other Nintendo classics. Do stick around to the end of the film for an end credit that'll make you smile even harder. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
