Movie Review: Super Mario Bros

Just watched "Super Mario Bros" movie in the theater.

I'll just go ahead and say it — it was a good movie, it accomplished what it needed to accomplish, I enjoyed it, it was fun. Ignore the critics. I won't give any spoilers here, but as far as videogame movies go, it was far, far better than it deserved to be.

Some non-spoiler thoughts, in random order:

• All the characters had motivations that drove their actions. Mario? Find his brother. Peach? Save her people. Donkey Kong? Make his father proud. Etc. This is perhaps a low bar to vault over, but many movies and most of the fimfic New Column fails this test.
• Princess Peach. This was a great character. I hate hate hate the olde timey princesses who sit around waiting for a male character to rescue them. Peach? heck, no. She went all royalty on Bowser's ass and acted with true noblesse oblige. Loved her.
• References. This could as easily have been "Mario Cart Movie." As a person who grew up on Nintendo and have gifted that love to the next generation, this was awesome.
• Funny. Laughed the whole time... but not as much as Kiddo. The movie really was well done.

Anyway, see it. It was fun.

Addendum: saw a poster for a Christopher Nolan "Oppenheimer" movie and nearly nerdgasmed in my shorts. Nolan is probably my favorite contemporary moviemaker.

Comments

[CharonX]

Following your suggestion I'll give it a watch Sock. I was on the fence with all the pointless drama I heard surrounding it (e.g. that they chose a different voice-actor for Mario, that the character model looks very slightly different and is thus ruined forever etc. etc.)

Then again the two sons of my cousin are big Mario fans (as children often are) so chances are that as a good "uncle" (ok, first cousin once removed... but they call me uncle ) I might've not have a choice in that manner, except now being able to look forward to watching the movie (instead of only looking only forward to spending time with them)

[Rao the Red Sun]

Was thrilled back in Legend of the Seven Stars when Peach was a playable party member. Good healer, but also carried a frying pan and bottomless sack of bobombs!