Let's-a Go. 3 / 5
Directed by Michael Jelenic & Aaron Horvath
While working underground to fix a water main, Brooklyn plumbers—and brothers—Mario and Luigi are transported down a mysterious pipe and wander into a magical new world.
As overwhelmingly bright and colourful as you'd expect, The Super Mario Bros. Movie finally creates a cinematic legacy that is more reminiscent of the games than whatever fever dream they cooked up in 1993.
The Mario franchise has never been known for its complex storytelling so it’s hard to expect more than the thin plot we got held together by references and recognisable faces, which ironically seems to be Illumination's winning money-printing formula. But by knowing what it is and what it has to achieve, it never overstays its welcome clocking in at a clean 90 minutes and moving fast through every scene, location and needle drop to show off the imaginative IP at its fingertips.
For how controversial the voice cast felt when it was announced, the performances are surprisingly inoffensive - poking fun at the changes and losing its distracting nature thankfully quickly.
It's so easy to get lost in this fantasy world soaked in nostalgia and even though it is generic as it gets, it hits all the required beats with confidence and vibrant animation.
See you in 2024 when 'Peaches' gets nominated for Best Original Song.
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