Susan Granger’s review of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” (Universal Studios/Illumination)
There’s no doubt that the new box-office champ is “The Super Mario Bros. Mo vie,” a computer-animated comedy adventure. Based on the popular video game, this family-friendly film has redeemed the Nintendo franchise’s reputation after its catastrophic 1993 live-action movie adaptation.
Scripted by Matthew Fogel and directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, it’s the hectic origin story for mustached Mario (voiced by Chris Pratt) and his younger brother Luigi (voiced by Charlie Day). They’re New York plumbers who decide to start their own business, even as they’re mocked by their former boss, Spike (voiced by Sebastian Maniscalco).
At first. they’re ridiculed for making a television commercial in which they speak with fake Italian accents, but then they descend into the sewer in an attempt fix a broken water main beneath the streets of Brooklyn.
Suddenly, timid Luigi tumbles down a mysterious pipe and disappears. Immediately, Mario dives in after him, only to discover he’s arrived in the magical Mushroom Kingdom.
Befriended by Toad (voiced by Keegan Michael-Kay), Mario is determined to rescue Luigi from the Dark Lands, where he’s in the clutches of evil, fire-breathing Bowser (voiced by Jack Black), the ferocious, gap-toothed turtle leader of the Koopas, who plan to conquer the entire Mushroom Kingdom.
So Mario teams up with the Kingdom’s Princess Peach (voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy) – which infuriates lovesick Bowser who is utterly infatuated with her – and then Mario must face off against Donkey Kong (voiced by Seth Rogen), cheered on by his dad, Cranky Kong (voiced by Fred Armisen).
It all adds up to 90 minutes of spirited fun, particularly for gamers who can spot the Nintendo-referencing Easter eggs placed for their psychedelic enjoyment. As Mario says, “Let’s-a-go!”
FYI: Universal Studios’ theme parks’ ‘Super Nintendo World’ is a whopping triumph with early entry tickets sold out every day since it opened on Feb. 17. And the telephone number blasted in Mario & Luigi’s TV commercial is (917) 555-0185; ‘917’ is the area code for New York City’s five boroughs, while ‘555’ is a famous fictional number used for many TV commercials.
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is a obviously successful 7, currently playing in theaters.
