Angelo Vlahos – Google

When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I was a tad confused. But then I remembered that before it even made it to the Game Boy in '89, Tetris was considered Communist property and couldn't leave the country. They had to fight tooth and nail to get the rights, and bada-bing bada-boom. So I decided to give this movie a watch for kicks, and I was blown away! This is one of the best biography films I've seen. Would definitely recommend!

When I first heard about the voice cast back in Sept. 2021 in that Nintendo Direct, I thought the movie was going to be a certified flop. Chris Pratt voicing Mario instead of Charles Martinet?! That was complete and utter sacrilege in my eyes! I also died laughing when I saw Jack Black was going to be Bowser and Seth Rogan as DK. Not to mention the ungodly amount of "Chris Pratt-ario" memes coming at me left, right, and center. But I digress. As the year rolled on, and we were getting more and more sneak peaks and little clips, the cast was really starting to grow on me. And I was more and more willing to give the 2 main bros, Pratt and Day as Mario and Luigi, a chance. When I saw this thing at my local AMC, I was absolutely blown away! There are not enough words on God's green Earth to describe the amount of hype I was feeling when I was analyzing every little detail in the shots, the score, the dialogue, everything! This movie was an absolute treasure trove of references and cameos for old school fans and die-hard newbies alike. From as old as the Famicom system logo making an appearance on a store front awning. To as recent as Super Mario Odessey being an actual part of the plot, locations, wedding and all. Not to mention the cast absolutely killed it in this movie. Everyone, and I mean everyone, did a phenomenal job with voicing these characters! And seeing Martinet actually voicing Mario and Luigi's father was just amazing. The soundtrack, my God, it was beautiful! Kando-San, if you're reading this, you and your team made an absolute masterpiece of a movie score! (あなたとあなたのチームは、フィルムスコアの絶対的な傑作を作成しました!) Plus, hearing songs from the actual games, such as Fury Bowser's Theme from Super Mario 3D World and the DK Rap from DK64, absolutely blew my mind. I can't even write this very review without restraining myself from geeking out, otherwise I might as well write a 300-page college level essay describing everything in excruciating detail. It was just THAT good! I simply cannot wait for what Nintendo has in store next!

Pixar smashed it outta the ballpark with Turning Red! I loved how the whole aesthetic of the movie was anime and Ghibli inspired, especially in the facial expressions and foreground effects. Speaking of, when Ming confronted Devon at the Daisy Mart, you can just feel the tsunami of secondhand embarrassment thanks to Mei's expressions and POV. I don't know why people gave this movie such a bad rap. But I think it has to do with how it's all so new and different from Pixar's usual formula. As Anton Ego said in Ratatouille, "The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new needs friends." And I think this film is the perfect example for this quote. TL;DR 10/10 Would absolutely watch again and again!