On a lazy Saturday, the wife and I had some time not knowing that this movie would go overtime but we decided to watch a film we had to watch something that was kid friendly and we found this on our list.
I was never a Nintendo fanboy in the 80s as when the console first started between Nintendo and Sega I was a Sonic fan over the Italian plumbing brothers. Also for the new generation, this Mario Bros movie was the second time movie studios have brought this franchise back and have tried to reboot the franchise and see how they go this time around. Well, I guess you have to keep reading to find out my thoughts about this animated version.
As I said this is the second version of this movie the first was a live-action movie with John Leguizamo as Luigi and Bob Hoskins as Mario and the movie was made back in 1993 and for a lot of you my younger audience you may have not even been born yet and I was like near the end of primary/elementary school when the first movie came out. I have to say I don’t remember watching the first movie but I remember reviews on it and it did not put it in a great light I would say the first movie like Batman and Robin nearly killed the franchise.
This Mario Brothers movie well I have to say did a better job. At first, it’s gone with animation which gives it more opportunity to be creative with the Mario Bros world/universe and I also liked how it blended Donkey Kong in the cartoon.
The animated movie was flowing and was just long enough to keep the young audience interested and I would say the age group for this movie would be maybe 7 and above. We tried to watch it with my daughter and son and well my daughter got scared in some dark parts of the animated cartoon when Bowser was breathing fire and trying to kill Mario my daughter came to me and asked me to change it as it was scary and both my wife and I reassured her this is a cartoon its pretend a term she understands and was with her at all times and the funny part was that in the end she liked Bowser and Princess Peach and Bowser and she would want me to be Bowser and my daughter to be Princess Peach and she wanted to marry Bowser I love how four-year-olds imaginations work.
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When watching the movie it felt like you were playing the game kinda like an interactive movie that would be awesome if they turn this into an interactive movie to make some decisions for yourself as the viewer and experience different endings and journeys. If they make a DVD or BluRay version like that I’m in.
The movie flowed like going through the different levels of the game and focused on making sure they got the characters right and the question mark boxes and the mushroom powerups as well it was strange that Mario did to like Mushrooms you never knew this in the game and two if he is Italian Mushrooms are on Pizza and Pasta dishes. Does any Italian person reading this review actually not like Mushrooms on their own or on Pizza or Pasta?
I liked how vast the Mario Bros world was and how they implemented the different worlds and different versions of the game like the Mario Kart part and how the characters made their vehicles. Before I forget they even managed to get a tutorial on how Mario would have to interact with jumping and collecting powerups and dodging the killer plants and animals.
Let’s briefly talk about what did not make sense in the movie which was I thought Mario goes on this adventure to save Princess Peach however, this is not the case in this movie Mario goes on an adventure with Princess Peach to save his Brother as when the brothers got thrown in the Mushroom kingdom Mario landed in the Mushroom Kingdom and Lugi ended up in the dark lands and becomes Bowser’s prisoner and Mario and Princess Peach go on an adventure to save Luigi.
I want to discuss Bowser for a minute here the storyline is that Bowser actually loves Princess Peach and wants to marry Princess Peach and rule the Kingdom together but Princess Peach does not want any part of this and in his lonesome Bowser sings some sad love songs and it great that Jack Black manages to incorporate some songs into this movie and I think these songs are original pieces I have never heard these songs before. However, they do manage to add the Mario Bros theme song into the movie. The soundtrack of the movie is good and will keep the adults happy.
The cast of Mario Bros this time around is pretty good firstly starting with The Starlord himself Chris Pratt as Mario and then you have Charlie Day as Lugi yes this was the second movie I watched with Charlie Day in it and this was not by design. Charlie fitted better in this movie than instead of Hotel Artimus.
Other notable actors were as I mentioned earlier Jack Black as Bowser you also have Sebastian Maniscalco playing Spike, Keegan-Michael Key voices Toad and last but not least Seth Rogen voices Donkey Kong. A great cast that brings this animated cartoon to life and well this version will keep the franchise alive at least I think for one more instalment. What do others think?
Fun for the whole family younger audiences 5 and below should watch this with the parents watching as well and I can tell you as adults you will also enjoy the movie.
My Rating