Danny Soto-Rosa

SPOILERS AHEAD. For Illumination standards, this movie is otherworldly, on par with or even exceeding Despicable Mes 1 and 2. For general standards this movie is still excellent. The characters are on the whole voice acted well, even if Chris Pratt and Anya Taylor Joy bring voices that take a bit of time to get used to but are still good. The soundtrack is near perfection in my eyes; the combination of remixes of iconic Mario songs and the featuring of more popular music such as Mr Blue Sky and Take on Me keeps you hooked. The visuals are laden with subtle references to the mainline Mario games which avid Mario players will appreciate, such as clear pipes from 3D World and the Crazy Cap Store from Odyssey, while also maintaining good quality to keep all viewers engaged. Unfortunately, the opening Brooklyn section of this film didn’t hold the same degree of splendour. While filled with clever references to the Mario Bros Super Show among other things, it is not very enjoyable to watch, feeling more like The Secret Life of Pets, a movie I thoroughly dislike. This short section of the film is all that holds me back from giving this a perfect 5/5. I would highly recommend this movie to all who take any degree of interest in the Mario franchise or have kids/friends who do, as it is definitely an enjoyable experience