K.T Simpson
Mario and Luigi – if those names don’t sound familiar then you’ve missed out, but never fear – the Nintendo creation is still going strong after over 40 years, with the video game franchise still as popular as ever today. The adaptation of said game comes in the form of “The Super Mario Bros Movie,” and familiar or not – you’re in for a treat with this movie.
The aforementioned brothers are plumbers living with their big Italian family in Brooklyn, New York and trying to make their little family business a big success. After pouring their life savings into a TV ad, they literally get sucked out of their world on a job into two different worlds – Mario (Chris Pratt) landing in the Mushroom Kingdom and Luigi (Charlie Day) drawing the short straw and ending up in the Dark Lands where villain Bowser (Jack Black), the menacing turtle, resides.
Realising that he has been separated from his brother and best friend, Mario teams up with Toad (Keegan Michael-Key) and Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) to save Luigi from the clutches of Bowser and his army, with Toad and the Princess having an ulterior mission to save their kingdom.
Meanwhile, Bowser has a plan of his own – having recently acquired the Super Star, he plans on kidnapping Peach to marry, and then they can full the world together with the power of the invincibility that the star delivers.
“The Super Mario Bros Movie” is particularly appealing to those who are familiar with the games – if you know that Donkey Kong is a poor choice in Mario Kart due to his sluggish nature but perfect for battles thanks to his immense strength and size – then you’ll get a real kick out of it.
The attention to detail with boosts and power ups, the scenery and maps, each little sound effect, and of course each of the character nuances, are all so well done, you can tell directors Aaron Hovarth and Michael Jelenic are OG fans of the Mario world.
If you’re not very familiar with the world of Mario, that’s not to say you won’t enjoy the film. It’s a cute family flick that ticks the boxes of a linear storyline that’s easy to follow, fun characters and of course a cute cat reference (can’t go wrong). It’s the perfect school holiday viewing, but not just for the kids – every age group can get in on this sure-to-be animated classic.
