Movie Review: The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Going to the movie theater used to be a common date option, but just like many other things, Covid has changed this activity completely. More movies are available via streaming services. Less movies seem to be coming out in theaters or at least not as many that I would be interested in seeing. Now, these obstacles have improved over the last year or so as things are coming out of the pandemic, but I still think we have seen way less movies in theaters lately than we used to!

The most recent movie we DID make the effort to see on the big screen, however, was The Super Mario Bros. Movie! And we did not have any kids with us – just two nostalgic adults that love the Super Mario Bros. franchise of games! So what did we think?

Overview

The Super Mario Bros. movie follows our beloved brothers Mario and Luigi as they transform from Brooklyn plumbers to Mushroom Kingdom heroes. Mario and Luigi are trying to get their new plumbing business up and running when they get sucked into another world – and each a very different world at that. We follow their journeys through this new universe as they meet some friendly faces like Princess Peach and Toad, and as they face notorious characters like Donkey Kong and Bowser. Meanwhile, Bowser is attempting to take over this universe and marry Princess Peach. Will Mario and Luigi be able to help save the world (and Peach) from Bowser?

Review

This was a super simple, cute kids movie! With a short run time and relatively straight forward plot, this movie is perfect for kids and can be for adults as well. It was so colorful, fun, and exciting! It was easy to follow with a good balance of jokes and plot-driven sequences.

The best part about this movie from an adult perspective were all the Easter eggs and nods to Super Mario games past and present. And I know that even I missed some since I have not played every game from the franchise! It was so enjoyable throughout to be able to pick out the elements that were drawn from other games like Super Mario Bros. (lots of scenes that were animated to look like the game), Mario Kart (a fantastic race scene with elements included of building the karts), and many others!

Conclusion

Is this the best animated movie ever? By no means! But it was so refreshing to see a plain, wholesome, fun movie for children! And for the parents and adults that have attachment to the franchise as a whole – they did great satisfying that crowd too!