The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
8/10 - Everything you like about Mario, but in movie form
It's been quite a bit since I've seen a new release that has given me that feeling of getting lost in a movie, forgetting about whatever is happening in my life. I'm not necessarily the biggest Mario fan, but I do enjoy the games and I was excited to see how this movie would be. With that said, I really really really enjoyed this movie.
It's so light and unserious, there is no way to hate this movie. RottenTomatoes scores (as of April 21, 2023) are indicating that film critics dislike the movie while the average viewer really loves this movie, and it's not hard to see why. After reading critic reviews of this movie, they seem to expect something other than what most Mario games have been about - rescuing someone and stopping the bad guy, all wrapped in a colorful fantasy world.
That's it.
That's Mario in a nutshell.
Mario has never been exclusively about the plot, it's been about the colorful world and overcoming the wild obstacles that lay in front of you. That is exactly what this movie delivers. The easter eggs do provide a fair bit of enjoyment, but even if you don't catch all of them (and you probably won't due to the quantity), you'll still be able to enjoy the comedy, the colors, and the fun of seeing these characters represented in an acceptable way.
I eagerly await whatever else Nintendo and Illumination deliver.