Movie Review: The Super Mario Bros. Movie

I wasn’t going to write about The Super Mario Bros. Movie, but I needed to talk about something that bothered me about the movie. It’s not a bad kids’ movie. If you have to sit through this with your kids, you’ve probably already sat through it, and it wasn’t too bad. If you haven’t and can stream it later, you won’t hate it. It’s colorful, there are a lot of fun references to the games, and the soundtrack is amazing. The plot is simple and could use better character development, but it is a kids’ movie. It certainly isn’t the worst video game movie to date.

My issue with this movie is with the choice of voice actors. I have nothing against Pratt or the rest of the cast, but I couldn’t help but feel disappointed by the performances. Most of the characters sounded like the actors talking through the script. Scenes with Bowser are especially jarring because while Jack Black is giving a fantastic performance, the rest of the cast wasn’t. They should have hired real voice actors. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is full of amazing talent, but unfortunately, that talent didn’t translate into the voice acting. 

I am getting tired of these kinds of miscasting and movies written around named brand actors. I hate that the business has turned into tricking people into watching mediocre and lazy movies because of who is in them. I wish that instead, the focus would be on better writing and actors that fit the role. It is a lot to ask for, especially with the writer’s strike going on, but it shouldn’t be unreasonable. I sit through a lot of garbage and will continue to do so, but the homogony wears on me, and we deserve better.

Anyways, if you haven’t watched this movie, I would wait till you can stream it or watch it for free. If you have kids, it’s a great movie to throw on. You will zone out, but it isn’t terrible. If you are trying to watch a good animated movie, I suggest you look elsewhere. I suggest throwing this movie on in the background because the soundtrack has some bangers, but the rest is pretty mediocre. 

By Universal, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68810546https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnGl01FkMMo&ab_channel=Illumination