Pros:
1.) Illumination will be a massive rival for Disney because the animation is fantastic. While their previous work is more cartoony, this movie looks amazingly similar to the Nintendo video games if their graphics went to the next generation like Sony and Microsoft. It is admittedly weird to see a slightly more realistic version of Mario (voiced by Chris Pratt), Luigi (voiced by Charlie Day), and Princess Peach (voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy), but it fits alongside many of the semi-realistic backgrounds and settings. Disney is surely going to have a headache after this movie, especially with how poorly they are doing.
2.) With such popular and recognizable characters in video gaming, how does the voice-acting hold up? In my opinion, pretty good. Nearly all the voice actors have done well in their roles that they sound similar to their video game voice actors like Bowser (voiced by Jack Black) and Luigi, and if they are different like Peach and Toad (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key), it is a good change that fits into the narrative. Now, everybody has been wondering since the trailers have not done him any justice: does Chris Pratt do a good job voicing Mario? My answer: he does a great job to the point where he sounds similar to the video game voice actor, Charles Martinet (who voiced a couple of minor characters in this movie). He may not have that thick of an Italian accent (arguably, Charlie Day did a better job), but even if the voice is not completely accurate, it fits well enough that it is not distracting to the audience (especially to the fans of the video games).
The only voice actor I can criticize is Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong because he is just playing himself instead of playing the character. If they were to make a sequel (and we know they will), I hope to see these guys returning to play these characters again (though Seth Rogen needs to learn to be in character, not himself).
3.) If you are a Mario and Nintendo fan, you will enjoy so many references and Easter Eggs that are seen and heard throughout the movie. From the sound effects in the games to background settings and characters to references on other Nintendo properties, it is clear that there was plenty of love and support from Nintendo itself. Another great thing in the movie is the music itself.
I love so many of the themes from the games that made it to the movie, but it is annoying that it also included licensed songs that are not needed at all. This movie is a love letter to the fans of Nintendo and Mario…
Cons:
1.) …However, if you are not a fan of either Nintendo or Mario, you are likely not going to enjoy it as much. For starters, the movie does not explain how the world works properly. There are a few cases here and there like how the Mushrooms work, but the movie assumes you have played the games and continued on with its story. Instances like having a major character named Toad who lives in the Mushroom Kingdom that houses people called Toads will confuse non-fans (to be fair, I do not think fans know the reason for this either). The biggest example of this problem is that the movie does not explain how the Super Star works, and that is the MacGuffin of this movie. I am happy that fans are enjoying so many things about this movie, but non-fans are going to have a hard time feeling the same way.
2.) As much as we love these characters in the Mario video games, they do not have much depth to them in the movie. Mario is the brave one and does not quit, Luigi is the coward unless he is with Mario, Princess Peach is brave and loyal to her people, Toad wants to protect Princess Peach because why not, and Bowser is an intimidating monster who is obsessed with Peach. These people are examples of two-dimensional characters, though to be fair, there are small instances of depth such as Mario and Luigi’s close relationship and Peach’s backstory. Despite that, if you want to know more about these characters that the video games did not provide, then the closest you are going to get is any of the JRPG Mario games like Super Mario RPG or the Paper Mario games.
3.) I have seen critics that say the story is paper-thin and I can see why. I did expect the movie to have a simple story, but not to the point where the filmmakers played it too safe. Basically, Mario and Luigi get sucked into the Mushroom Kingdom, Luigi gets kidnapped by Bowser who wants to take over the Mushroom Kingdom and capture Princess Peach, and Mario has to get help from Peach to save his brother and stop Bowser. I do not mind that much, but the movie clearly was going for a Hero’s Journey narrative, but skipped a couple of the steps like Refusal to the Call. There is even a subplot with a rivalry between Mario and Donkey Kong that gets resolved pretty easily which could have benefitted for the movie to add a few more minutes to this and the main plot. It is not a terrible story and narrative by any means, but it is not something that will stand out over any other Hero’s Journey narrative or movie.
Overall:
Who in the world does not know Mario? He is one of the most popular video game characters of all time that spawned multiple video games (main games and spin-offs), a few cartoons, and even a live-action movie in 1993 that is so bad that Nintendo refused to make another movie out of one of their properties until recently. Like everybody else, I was worried and excited for an animated Mario movie to be made with Nintendo getting involved in its production. Despite some worries (like Chris Pratt’s performance in the trailers), did the movie pay off? As a Nintendo and Mario fan, I enjoy this movie so much that fans of the games (especially children) are going to feel the same way. As a film person, it was fine.
It is not as bad as what the critics are saying, but I do not think it is as great as the audience is saying as well. I did not expect it to be a masterpiece, but I was slightly hoping for better. Still, if you are a fan of Mario, you will definitely enjoy what is shown in his movie. If you are not a fan, you are likely going to think that this is an average movie with fantastic animation. It is not the best video game movie that fans are hoping for, but it is clearly a video game movie that shines like a Super Star, though not as bright.
6/10
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