The Super Mario Bros. Movie

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Director: Aaron Horvarth, Michael Jelenic

Starring: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black

I personally believe that a Super Mario Bros movie is long overdue, and it baffles me as to how we have had to wait this long for one to arrive.

Sure we have had attempts at a Super Mario Bros movies in the past, all of which have failed. But this is more or less the first"decently-budgeted" rendition of Mario that we have never seen before.

Before I go on to mention the core aspects of this movie, I must mention that the visual effects are amazing. There are so many details that are very well-done in this movie that only contribute to an overall stunning scenery.

I don't usually tend to notice something such as visual effects, but on this occasion, I really tip my hat to the post-production team behind this film.

In regards to this story of this film, it is all it really needs to be - nothing more, nothing less. Which may sound as though I was underwhelmed with what I had just watched.

But it's more to the case of, that is kind of what I would of expected the first official Super Mario Bros. movie to have been like.

They played it safe, made it kid-friendly, didn't really take any risks with the characters or story arcs, and the end of result we all would have seen coming.

No points for guessing who came out on top at the end of the film.

But like I say, what more was there to expect from a movie based on a kid's game that has been around for generations?

One notable thing worth mentioning, is the fact that it is clear to see that the writers behind this movie went out of their way to make Princess Peach come across as a strong, independent woman and was seen much more than a Queen than a Princess.

For generations, Peach has been seen as this materialistic female who lives in her castle who somehow manages to get kidnapped by Bowser again and again, and her only hope is to be rescued by the heroic Super Mario.

But the fact that the writers decided to put their own spin on this and re-illustrate her as an empowering and inspiring independent woman in this movie, I do applaud.

"I was making Furiosa for Mad Max, whilst doing this. And so I’m like: 'Interesting.' It's bizarre that the two characters in my filmography that have the most in common are Princess Peach and Furiosa. That’s pretty rad." - Anya Taylor-Joy

An aspect about the movie that I didn't enjoy, and I am partially jumping on the band wagon when I say this, was the accents.

Since the beginning of Nintendo, Mario and Luigi have had Italian accents. So why have things been stirred up when the production of this film came around?

This will be down to no fault of Chris Pratt and Charlie Day, as they would have been told what direction to go in. But I do find it slightly off-putting that two functional characters that have been Italian their whole lives, don't have Italian accents in their movie.

It goes without saying that the producers of the film tried very hard to keep this film relevant to the games as much as possible (other than the accents).

There are tons of Easter eggs and callbacks to the games scattered throughout this movie tat general audiences, young and old, will have no struggle in picking up on.

The whole sequence in the opening act of the film as Mario and Luigi make their way through the streets of Brooklyn in a 2D Super Mario Bros way is a true joy to watch and is very impressively well-made.

From the outside looking in, it may be easy for older audience members to see this film as a kids film about the Super Mario Bros - nothing more.

But this just isn't the case. I feel that deep at the core of this film is a story about two brothers who would do anything for each other, and will stop at nothing until they are reunited and one another are safe.

Of course, there are other storylines with strong morals that branch off from this film, but the main route that the film takes is showing the relationship between Mario and Luigi.

After all, it is called "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" for a reason.

Overall Rating: 7/10