Luke Loy

NO SPOILERS Overall: 9/10 It is a great experience and a fun time that families and Nintendo fans will enjoy very much because of the simplistic yet accomplishing story, the nostalgic references that remind us of our childhoods, and the new elements that present possibilities for the future of Super Mario. This is presented along side a fantastic soundtrack of many familiar tunes, which makes the audience want to shout with joy, “bah”. Story- 8/10 So going into this movie you have to remember that it is an Illumination movie that is meant to be funny and understandable for kids. That being said, the story is not lackluster, but very straightforward. Similar to the games, Mario and Peach team up to save Luigi from Bowser, who is trying to take over the world with the power of the Super Star. (The only difference being Luigi and Peach are swapped.) There are twists and turns that create suspense at the right moments and leave viewers wondering what’s going to happen next. The movie progresses at a decently fast pace as there’s not much time for them to have a detailed discussion about what’s going on, but just enough to where it doesn’t feel rushed. However, there are a few moments where the characters do explain why they’re doing what they’re doing. For example, since some people watching this movie might not know what the power ups are and wonder why they’re just randomly in the movie, there’s a part dedicated to explaining what they do. These parts of the movie tie into the story very smoothly. The way Nintendo and Illumination incorporated elements of the games into the movie makes sense, even if you’ve never played a Mario game. Characters- 7/10 This is where I thought the movie could have added just a little bit more. The characters are amazing, don’t get me wrong, and the voices behind the characters do an incredible job of portraying their characters, but the character development was just ok. They have personalities, but there were some moments where I just didn’t think I knew enough about who the characters were. For example, Toad is a brave, adventurous character who is brought to life by Keegan Micheal Key, but didn’t do that much to express those traits. He was kind of just there in some parts. It’s like the characters got an introduction and then boom there’s no more delving into who they are. However, there were some moments where the characters would talk about their lives before and how they got to where they were, but it wasn’t a turning point for the film in any of those instances. I would like to compliment Jack Black specifically for his near perfect performance of Bowser. Bowser was the most delved into of the characters I think, and that made the movie so much more enjoyable knowing why he was doing what he was doing, and it also made it very funny (can’t say anything else or it would be a spoiler). Overall the actors did a great job with bringing the characters to life, but the characters themselves could’ve used a little bit more story for themselves. References and Music - 10/10 Do I even have to say why this is a 10/10? There are more references and Easter eggs in this movie than eggs the Easter bunny gives out every year. It doesn’t matter what era of Mario you came from because it has something for everyone. There are just so many things hidden in this movie. From the original Donkey Kong to Mario Odyssey. This movie has it. And the music produced by Brian Tyler and Koji Kondo is outstanding. Anyone can recognize the songs.