The recently released Super Mario Bros. Movie has something to please everyone.
For the youngest fans of Mario, it has the jovial Mario and the skittish Luigi characters set in the magical and colorful Mushroom Kingdom. And for older audiences, there is a cast featuring fan-favorite actors like Chris Pratt, Jack Black and Charlie Day as well as plenty of fan service references dropped throughout for the long-term fans to appreciate.

It was an amazing take on the Super Mario franchise. It’s filled with references, funny character interactions, and overall good visuals and music selection.
While some were critical of the casting of Chris Pratt as Mario, who is not known for his Italian heritage to go along with the main character’s traditional background story, he still does a decent job in the role. The casting of Jack Black as Bowser, Mario’s eternal rival in the game franchise, was also a bit controversial, but he played the role well, especially in the surprising singing scenes.

The writers did a good job not writing an overly complicated plot for the movie, which I prefer because players almost never play Mario games for a deep and moving story. Mario games are synonymous with light-hearted fun, which this movie delivers.
The other voice performances are pretty solid, including Charlie Day as Luigi, Anna Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach. The rest of the cast works well with Jack Black as Browser being the main highlight. Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Charlie Day gave good performances, especially their delivery.

Fortunately, the movie exceeded my expectations for what it had to offer. Based on trailers it looked like another game movie with corny writing and subpar character dialogue, but I’m happy to say I was proven wrong. It feels as if what was shown in the trailers was Chris Pratt’s worst takes as Mario. Overall, his performance worked fine, although maybe not his best work.

Some of the more obscure and minor character voices were also surprisingly good, such as Forman Spike as Mario and Luigi’s old boss, Kamek the wizard, and Cranky Kong giving good performances for their short screen time.
The script and story were nothing eye-opening, but it works because Mario is supposed to be fun, not serious. Character development is sprinkled throughout, but the movie doesn’t dwell on details a lot and focuses on being fun.
It’s filled with easter eggs and references not only from Mario but from other Nintendo franchises like Punchout and Kid Icarus. The film does a good choice of not making Peach the damsel in distress, but being the leader that the kingdom needs and standing strong during confrontational moments. The comedy is also done well in parts, especially the moments with Donkey Kong and Mario being executed very well.

The visuals are also one of the film’s greatest strengths, with nothing looking like it was lazily done. The Rainbow Road from Mario Kart games looked amazing as they were driving on it in go-carts. The facial expressions of the characters are conveyed well, and the visual effects are also well executed. The music was a mixed bag, however, being great in some parts and a bit questionable in others.
In the final big scene, a famous remixed Mario song played and fits well, but at other times the film uses ’80s or ’90s music for some reason even if it didn’t fit the vibe. But for the most part, it was pretty well executed. The dialogue was also well put together and character interactions didn’t feel forced or unnatural.

The film doesn’t spend too long on character backstories other than Mario’s, and less than a minute on Peach’s. They weren’t long, but I think it works in the movie’s favor since it isn’t meant to be story-driven, but a fun goofy movie that everyone can have fun watching.
I feel the movie did Mario justice, compared to the train wreck of a Mario movie from the 1990s. It’s something parents going with kids can enjoy and old fans of the series can appreciate.
It feels like it’s one big commercial for the Mario series, but I think that adds to the charm of the movie. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s not mediocre either, just a really good film. I think this movie had another effect besides just being well put together, as it also opens the door for Nintendo to make other films with their franchises like Zelda, Metroid, or Kirby.

It is a fun movie and that’s what you should expect going into it. I recommend giving it a watch, you won’t regret it. I give this movie an 8/10. A pleasant surprise and a fun movie that both old and new fans of the Mario franchise can enjoy.