Super Mario Bros.: A film

Thanks to the princess (with Anya Taylor-Joy's sexy voice), it was quite popular at home. So a story about two plumbers is cool not only for the boys, but also for the girls. The otherwise likeable simple premise spiced up with lots of Easter eggs loses a bit of coherence as we jump from one character to another. The visuals are gorgeous and Chris Pratt pulls off the same musical hits from Guardians of the Galaxy. A very safe-bet hit made for kids. Unless they go to the subtitled scene where the villain sings the song “Peaches, Peaches, Peaches, Peaches!” (2023.05.24)

As a Mario/Nintendo fan, the heaps of references in every frame kept me entertained (from the obvious ones to those hidden in the second and third plane for the connoisseurs). And yet, I wouldn’t call this a particularly good adaptation, despite the solid pace and the spot-on stylization. The main point of schism is that the Nintendo imaginative playfulness for the whole family is replaced by outlandishly primal infantilism for the little ones. As a result, both my son and I were more or less satisfied when we left the cinema, though each for different reasons. (2023.04.15)

I was looking forward to it because I like Mario and I was impressed by Brian Tyler's soundtrack, which plays nicely with Koji Konda's notorious themes, but I didn't expect the film to be so childish, or rather infantile. The creators probably gambled on safety, so they focused on making sure that there was always something going on, that it was colourful, loud and cheerful. And that is exactly how it is, and the younger you are, the better for you. Older viewers risk focusing on the story, which is not interesting at all, let alone surprising, or on the humour, which consists of someone hitting someone and screaming, someone falling down and screaming, someone running away from something – and screaming! It’s a shame. Yes, Sonic wasn't much better on a basic level, but Jim Carrey, for example, was great in it. (2023.04.13)

A colorful romp that never bores you for a moment, yet that starts to fade from the mind faster than you can say "mushroom" as soon as the end credits roll. The main duo surprisingly loses out to the emotionally unstable giant Bowser and the unexpected draw of Princess Peach, whose arrival onscreen finally propels the film to suitable heights. At least this world of peculiar realms, creatures, characters, and immortal melodies has finally been adapted with dignity by a group of people who feel at home in it and just want to share their love for it. (2023.07.07)

For kids, an infantile derivative of The Lego Movie; for adults, a few hits from their youth; and for Nintendo fans, a collection of Easter Eggs. It’s just enough to keep you from getting bored for 90 minutes, but tomorrow I won’t even remember that I went to see it. (2023.04.16)