Although I didn’t see it in theaters, the Duck recently got to see The Super Mario Bros Movie on Amazon!  Buying recent releases without having seen them prior has, admittedly, backfired more times than not (I’m looking at you, Wreck-It-Ralph 2), but I had been hearing great things about Mario’s first animated movie (I’m aware of the live-action one, and I try not to think about it).  And so I took the plunge, alongside Mother Duck, and…the movie was genuinely really good!  And not in a “well, for a kid’s movie” or “well, for a video game movie” sort of way, either.

To start, I wanted to address a few of my concerns pre-viewing, which will be covered in the following review.

1: I’m really not a fan of animated movies that use celebrities to voice their characters.  Frankly, I couldn’t care less if Chris Pratt’s name is in the credits and would much more prefer professional voice actors, particularly those used in the source material.  (The exception would be Jack Black, who I like in anything.)

2: I wasn’t sure about Donkey Kong’s design.

3: I was worried that the movie would have the kind of cringey humor so many animated movies for kids are known for.

The movie opens with Bowser’s attack on the penguin city.  Seeing the Koopa King mercilessly melt the icy buildings with his flame breath automatically establishes him as the ruthless menace we know him to be.  After this, we head to Brooklyn, where Mario and Luigi have just started their new plumbing business.  Just in the movie’s opening, there have already been tons of references long-time fans will recognize, including the Gamecube opening jingle as the ringtone on Luigi’s phone and a guy playing the original Donkey Kong on an arcade machine.

After heading into the sewer in an attempt to fix a major leak in the city, the brothers are sucked into a mysterious green pipe.  Along the way, the pair are split up, and Mario ends up in the Mushroom Kingdom, while poor Luigi ends up in Bowser’s domain, the Dark Lands.  Shortly after, Mario meets a Toad who takes him to Princess Peach, who is making plans to defend against an impending attack by Bowser.  She decides to head to the Jungle Kingdom to ask the Kongs to join them in their fight against Bowser’s forces, and Mario tags along in the hopes that he’ll be reunited with Luigi.

Well, to start, the movie visually looks amazing.  The character designs are generally great and super expressive (yes, I even got used to DK’s new look), and the Mushroom Kingdom is so colorful and beautiful to behold.  (This is what I had wanted to see in the Sonic the Hedgehog movie, rather than, you know, a live action movie that largely took place in our world.)  Although the critiques I’ve read online about the movie not having much of a plot were true, I’m not really sure if the movie needed a complicated story, and I just had a great time seeing some of my favorite characters in action and looking out for all the cameos and other references.  (As a big Donkey Kong Country fan, I was quite excited to even catch a few glimpses of Diddy and Dixie in the crowd when Mario and DK fight!)

Addressing my first concern, the voice actors did a great job with all the characters.  And if you’re like a lot of fans (including myself) who were disappointed that Charles Martinet doesn’t voice Mario (and Luigi) like he does in the games, well, he does voice the plumber bros’ dad, so I was at least pleased to see that he wasn’t entirely absent from the movie.  The only character whose voice I felt didn’t entirely fit was Cranky Kong, though on a more positive note, the obvious standout would be Jack Black’s performance as Bowser, which was easily the best in the movie.  (As if anyone is surprised.)

I’m also really pleased to say that the humor was actually quite good, as well.  The only cringey thing I remember was from the trailer when one of the Toads comments on how adorable they are.  But other than that, I thought the movie was quite funny, and Mother Duck and I laughed multiple times, including at Bowser’s song about Princess Peach, called simply “Peaches”.  (Make sure you watch until after the credits because Bowser sings it again, with somewhat different lyrics.)

My only complaint would be the occasional use of modern songs, a trend in animated movies that I have never liked, though it doesn’t ruin the movie and is at least offset by plenty of familiar Mario tunes.  Lastly, if they ever make another Mario movie, I hope they find a better way to incorporate the powerups.  Because I’m not sure if things like Super Mushrooms and Fire Flowers translate super well into movie format.

Oh, and Donkey Kong is Cranky’s grandson, not son.  Just saying…

Mother Duck and I had a blast with The Super Mario Bros Movie.  It really looks like a lot of love went into it, and it was clear that the people at Universal and Illumination both understood and respected the source material.  This really feels like a movie for the fans, by the fans, and I give it 5/5 Super Stars!

Image from Official The Super Mario Bros Movie Web Site