Transitioning out of the superhero era of movie blockbusters, we look toward the muddied future of film and television to the next big thing: video game adaptations. Up till now there’s been a history of video game adaptations being less than stellar. Mortal Kombat, Assassin’s Creed, and the dozen or so Resident Evil adaptations have made a mess of the subgenre. Yet recently with things like Detective Pikachu, Sonic, and most impressively The Last of Us, the future for adaptations of this type doesn’t look so awful anymore. With the public realizing that these games aren’t just one note and brain rot, and might actually be filled with genuine characters, heartfelt stories, and room for enrichment in whatever media form they take, there is finally the space open for truly well-made and well-loved adaptations. The most recent take, and the step that will probably make video game adaptations become a regular thing now, is The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Named after the beloved character, and probably the most iconic video game character ever, this movie was unfortunately created by Illumination, the studio best known for making those yellow overall wearers on your out of touch aunt’s Facebook memes, and other quality eye candy that rots the brains of young moviegoers. But with Nintendo along for the ride as the grim overlord of the Illumination production unit, there was a better chance going into this that the movie was gonna be good. And is it?
Well, sorta. If you are a Mario fan, like most of the public probably is, then you will go into this and find things to enjoy about a character you already know. If you don’t care for the references, or the feeling of being in the Mushroom Kingdom, this is gonna be rough. The movie animation wise is probably Illumination at their best, and I would go so far to say that in pure production value and enjoyment this is the best Illumination project to date. However, the movie’s story is messy and too fast. The pacing is lightning quick, never allowing the viewer a second to breathe. The second the introductions are complete, and Mario’s boots hit Mushroom soil, it’s like a race begins to get to the end of the film. That’s not to say there aren’t good parts in this, only that those good parts are like seeing a funny billboard on the freeway while speeding 130 mph. The Mario factor of this movie is great, going into this as someone who enjoys the red clad plumber is amazing; the music fits his game soundtrack, the details in the sound editing are great, the action choreography isn’t awful and clunky like you would imagine an Illumination film to be, everything looks and sounds like it should. I just wish we would have a slightly more leisurely trip through it rather than a sprint to the finish.
Now the question on everyone’s mind, Chris Pratt? It’s complicated, he isn’t awful awful like the majority of everyone thought he would be, but he isn’t great either. He comes off like he doesn’t know where to take this character, which makes sense. It seems like production didn’t know either seeing how they had Italian accents for a part of the film and then they use Brooklyn accents. It’s weird. Charlie Day rolls with it but isn’t over the top amazing either. Anya Taylor-Joy is fine but also not anything amazing. Seth Rogen plays Donkey Kong pretty well. The true super star though is Jack Black, who seemingly melts into the pores of this role and overtakes it so seamlessly you have to wonder if he has always been ready for this movie to be made. His performance is over the top and insane, capturing a funny, yet malicious King Koopa that you wouldn’t have thought possible out of a film like this, but is probably its best feature.
In the end this movie is fine. As a Mario fan you can go in and enjoy this, if you are a kid, you will really enjoy this. But for anyone unfamiliar with the nuances of a red video game plumber, it’s not good. As an ode and fun romp for the Italian video game icon it is great, but as a film it is just too fast for its own good and doesn’t do enough work to make the story as well rounded or deep as it really could’ve been. In the end Nintendo in their first outing into film has managed to pull of the biggest animated movie opening EVER, which means every game studio is now rushing to Hollywood to pitch an adaptation of their franchise for those big box office bucks. Which means next year I will happily be going off to see a movie for Zelda, Kirby, Sonic 3, Crash Bandicoot, and Resident Evil (again).
3/5 STARS