Got to see the movie yesterday! I thought it was cute, and fun. 
Definitely recommended for kids, families, and also Nintendroids of all degrees, obviously. A few brief notes I might add though:
-If you, like seemingly most critics, are expecting this to be like a Pixar type animated motion picture experience that's equal parts fun for the kids and emotionally resonant for adults, and just funny for everyone, don't. It's not that. This is a standard-issue Illumination (you know, Minions) type picture. It's cute and silly and safe and nothing more, kind of like the Mario games usually are.
-The movie has no real story. It's just Mario and Peach set out to rescue Luigi from Bowser and along the way add a couple other notable allies. There's are exactly two minor twists along the way that I won't spoil for you, but certainly nothing worth writing home about. The narrative really doesn't matter though. This is a very action-focused movie that works reasonably well owing to its very quick pacing. It's a relatively short film by modern standards, which forces events to keep moving along quickly, and that sustains your attention, together with the spectacle of it all.
-To me, the kart-racing scenes in particular (especially Rainbow Road and the Kong kingdom) were a highlight, so look forward to those!
-Go see this in theaters. Don't wait for home viewing. It's one of those spectacle-driven movies that's definitely meant to be seen on the big screen.
-Some reviews have complained about Chris Pratt's fake Italian accent. You know, when the film opened on that, I indeed found it so grating that within seconds I concluded that I'd have to walk out early if it continued for long because there's no way I could deal with 85 minutes of that (I'm subtracting the credits from the runtime math, obviously), or even 20. Fortunately though, it's employment turned out to confined to a commercial for the Mario Bros. plumbing service Mario and Luigi were running in Brooklyn amounting to less than one minute and isn't used afterward, so no big.
-Much was made of the songs in the movie (like Bowser's ballad) in some reviews. I felt a little ripped off when I actually saw the movie after reading those reviews though because they're actually all pretty short. Don't expect any Disney-length musical numbers here like I did.
-Yes, Jack Black's voicing and characterization of Bowser is a highlight. I can't imagine anyone else being more perfect for the role. 
I have to confess though that I found the very out-of-place nihilist Luma character the funniest and most enjoyable. It's lines were the only ones I actually laughed at. It's really the only glimpse of the directors' sense of humor we get in the movie, unfortunately. When I saw that the movie was being directed by the same guys who did Teen Titans Go!, I had admittedly hoped for more of a Paper Mario type of experience with a bit more narrative and that particular kind of through the looking glass humor and was a bit disappointed by the fact that the movie instead plays just about everything completely safe. Except for this one character. *snickers*
-Yes, I see a trend developing here of consumers starting to really respond to video game-inspired television shows and movies too. Perhaps that will be the next big manifestation of geek chic in the larger entertainment world, displacing comic book-inspired shows and films.
I guess that's all.
Last edited by Jaicee - on 12 April 2023
