Starring Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Anya Taylor Joy, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogan, and Jack Black
Rated PG

First Impression: A nostalgia-soaked joyride that viewers will enjoy whether they are 5 or 50.
When Nintendo announced that they were going to attempt to make another Super Mario Bro’s movie I for one was a little bit nervous after Nintendo tried this in the early 90’s with a live action flop that impressed neither critics or fans of the original game. Instead, here we are almost 30 years after that blunder and we are getting a new attempt, this time from Illumination Studios, the same studio that has given us the Despicable Me and Minions Franchise. Upon hearing this I felt more at ease with the potential quality of this new movie. Thankfully I’m here to tell you I was not let down.

Illumination Studios has given us is a bold, colorful origin story of our beloved heroes Mario (Pratt) and Luigi (Day). The film opens up with Mario and Luigi in Brooklyn trying to get their plumbing business up and running but as luck would have it, a plumbing emergency arises and Mario and Luigi find themselves in strange underground environment where those classic green pipes make their first appearance. Both Mario and Luigi are transported to the magical world of the video game but are separated. Mario ending up in the whimsical Mushroom Kingdom where he meets the plucky Toad (Key) and also the brave Princess Peach (Taylor-Joy). Luigi isn’t as lucky as he’s transported to in the nefarious lava filled kingdom of the Sinister yet love sick Bowser played perfectly by Jack Black.

The rest of the film is a fun filled action ride where nostalgia runs wild as Mario, Peach and Toad join forces with the likes of Donkey Kong (Rogen) where we get the long-awaited Mario Kart portion of the film that is its most exciting and most endearing to the older fans in the audience which ties in brilliantly to how they are going to save Luigi from Bowser as he seeks world domination and the hand of Princess Peach.

The only real negative thing I could say is that for the most hardcore of fans the film may fly by to fast and a lot of Easter eggs that most film nerds love to discover may be harder to track due to the rapid pace the plot moves. But I don’t see that as a true negative because I’m of the opinion that the film is geared toward a younger audience with a shorter attention span and that’s perfectly fine because it is younger kids who you are trying to make fans who will be coming back time and time again to see future Mario projects.

This film is great for families and anyone who’s played the video games. You will be pleasantly surprised and eager to see what adventures are to come for Mario and the gang.

Final Verdict: 4 out of 5 Stars