It was exciting to sit down in the movie theater as the famous Super Mario brothers came to the screen. Even Mario and Luigi themselves came to watch the film! (The cosplay was much appreciated by the entire audience.). It had been a while since I’d been able to go PG, family friendly film, so it was a nice change of pace to be surrounded by kids jumping in and out of their seats. The movie theater was filled with laughs and giggles, oohs and aaahs, and people singing along every time a familiar tune made its way into the music score.
One of the most commendable aspects of the film is how much it pulls from the extensive hold of source material. It seemed as though the entire music track was littered with video game music easter eggs. Though the most powerful and objectively hilarious piece of music was an original ballad that Bowser sings while tickling the ivories, a song titled “Peaches”. It’s an incredible song that describes his love for Princess Peach. Jack Black, who voices Bowser, actually wrote the song himself, which makes it all the more sweeter. And in typical Jack Black form, the song is also hilarious. I could listen to it on repeat for hours.
Obviously music isn’t the only highlighted feature of the film, there are probably hundreds of easter eggs scattered throughout. In fact, there was one particular movie goer who was excitedly pointing them out every time one appeared. And thankfully, because I stayed seated until the credits were over, I witnessed, arguably, the cutest easter egg of all! Though I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen the film yet. Just make sure to stay for the entire movie! There’s clearly a lot of depth to this film that more experienced players than me will pick up on immediately and appreciate.
However, I do have one complaint. The script writing of this film, particularly in the beginning, wasn’t well done. It seemed as though the writers needed to get through the introductory content as quickly as possible and it shows. I realize that the target audience of the film is geared more towards children than adults, but that doesn’t excuse lazy writing. Thankfully, the script only improves, the longer the movie goes on.
If you’re a fan of the Super Mario Bros. world or looking for a fun film to take the kids to, this is definitely the movie for you.
