Super Mario Bros. is Visually Stunning and Fun

The “Super Mario Bros.” movie was one of the most highly-anticipated films of the year, and for a good reason. Based on the 1985 Super Mario Bros. game, this film is a fun-filled adventure that will take people on a nostalgic trip down memory lane. With impressive special effects, and a well-chosen voice cast, this movie has something for everyone.

This long-awaited project was in the works for several years. Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, “Super Mario Bros.” features Chris Pratt as the voice of Mario, and Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach. Now if you’re a “Guardians of the Galaxy” fan like me, you were probably excited to see that Pratt would be voicing this iconic character, but I was also happy to welcome Charlie Day as Luigi, the legendary Jack Black as Bowser, and Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong.

The movie starts off in New York with Mario and Luigi watching an ad that they created for their plumbing business and shows you that while the brothers want to work together and be successful, Mario can’t help but long for something more. When Mario and Luigi get made fun of for an ad they posted online, Mario’s frustrations boil over.

After the brothers sulk and talk for a bit, they get a call for a plumbing job that doesn’t go very well. So after the bust of a job, they walk back home, only to see the town is flooding due to leaking pipes in the sewer. Mario, wanting to be the hero, jumps in the manhole to the sewer and of course, convinces his brother to come along. While trying to fix the problem, Luigi stumbles away from Mario and finds a mysterious green tube and seemingly disappears. The brothers get separated and Mario goes on a mission to save his brother.

Mario finds himself in an unknown world called the Mushroom Kingdom and this is where Mario meets Toad (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key), the little mushroom man that leads him to Princess Peach to help save his brother. Peach agrees to help Mario as long as Mario helps to defeat Bowser from destroying everything and making Peach his wife.

The rest of the plot involves the three as they venture out and look for allies in the Kong kingdom to complete their quest. Will Luigi be saved? Will Mario and his friends save the world? 

One of the most impressive things about “Super Mario Bros.” is its visually-stunning special effects which bring the classic video game characters to life with incredible attention to detail and a level of realism that is truly impressive. The special effects team has done an excellent job of creating a world that is both familiar and new at the same time. I especially enjoyed the sprinkling of humor, seamless dialogue, and smoothly-paced scenes.

Overall, I give “Super Mario Bros.” a 9.5/10.