The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
★★★ — The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
Based on the globally dominant Nintendo video game franchise that first appeared in 1981's Donkey Kong before Mario took centre stage in the 1985 Super Mario Bros., this animated feature marked Nintendo's long-awaited return to cinema after the notoriously troubled 1993 live-action adaptation (directed by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel) soured the company on Hollywood for three decades. Illumination, the Universal-backed studio behind the Despicable Me and Minions franchises, produced alongside Nintendo with a reported $100 million budget, a figure that looks modest against the film's extraordinary $1.36 billion global gross, making it one of the highest-grossing animated films ever released. Directing duo Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic had previously collaborated on Teen Titans Go! To the Movies (2018), making this a significant step up in scale.
Colourful, chaotic, and clearly made with a lot of love for the source material but let’s not pretend it’s more than what it is: a very safe, very shiny Nintendo nostalgia trip. Visually it’s gorgeous. The animation is top-notch and packed with references that’ll make any Mario fan grin. The music cues, the power-ups, the little nods to side-scrollers and kart racing, it's all great fun. The voice cast… mixed bag. Jack Black as Bowser is a standout (that Peaches song is still stuck in my head), but Chris Pratt as Mario? Let’s just say, it’s passable. The story is pretty thin. Zips along quickly, maybe too quickly, and doesn’t really let anything breathe. It’s aimed squarely at kids and die-hard fans, which is fine, but don’t expect Pixar-level depth or writing. Fun, flashy, and inoffensive. A decent watch, especially if you're after something light and nostalgic, but it's not jumping to the top of the platform.
Rating: ★★★ | Year: 2023 | Watched: 2025-04-09
Where to watch (UK)
Rent: Google Play Movies · Sky Store · YouTube
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK
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