Critics Call The Super Mario Bros. Movie Colorful Fun (But Say The Plot And Characters Needed A Power-Up)
Fan interest has reached a fever pitch in what is the first feature-length film based on the eponymous Italian-American plumber and his friends and foes since the critically-panned live-action film from 1993. But reviews for "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" are decidedly mixed based on several storytelling and stylistic details.
IndieWire's Christian Zilko wryly observes, "Parents shouldn't expect a Pixar-level experience, but Matthew Fogel's script has as at least much narrative heft as the best Mario games." But other reviewers are not as middle-of-the-road in their assessment, with The Daily Telegraph's Robbie Collin claiming the film "is as shallow, sterile and eyeball-drillingly inane a feature-length brand-extension exercise as Hollywood has yet produced."
Although there are numerous differences in how critics viewed the movie's story, there was much agreement regarding its animation and style. Here are what film reviewers had to say about the feature's 3D animation co-produced by Illumination and Nintendo.
Critics agree that the movie looks superb but lacks engaging storytelling
A movie based on a 1980s 8-bit video game will likely not win any awards for its screenwriting, but some critics find the story for "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" to be howlingly bad. The Independent's Clarissa Loughrey summarized the feature by saying, "It's hard to demand all that much from a Mario Bros film when its source material has been historically devoid of plot, but shouldn't we be allowed to demand a little more than mere competency?"
Apart from lax storytelling shortcomings, the visuals are the one source of agreement with many commentators. The Hollywood Reporter's Frank Scheck praised Illumination's animation and successful use of bright color palettes throughout the Mushroom Kingdom. CBR.com's Brandon Zachary highlighted the stark contrast between the kingdom's eye-popping visual splendor and the gritty urban scenes in Brooklyn, New York.
Ross Bonaime of Collider also pointed out the vibrancy of the multiple worlds the movie vividly brings to life while also observing that the film is not perfect but serves its purpose for fans of the franchise. At the end of the day, the adaptation is certain to pique the interest of those who have grown up playing the multiple games of the series across numerous consoles.
"The Super Mario Bros. Movie" will is set to be released in theaters nationwide on April 5.