Super Mario Bros. Movie is one of the most anticipated films of the year. For an animated film it is a big deal. However, this shouldn’t be a surprise considering the IP the film belongs to. Mario is Nintendo’s mascot. A film about him will surely draw half of the world in the theatres. Keeping this in mind, a film about the Super Mario Bros. was made and what a disaster that was. It was a live action attempt. However, now after nearly 30 years Nintendo has allowed another movie to be produced about the Super Mario Bros. and this time all the pieces were in place for the puzzle. There is a lot of heat on Chris Pratt as he is Mario’s voice and he has not made a good impression of himself. However, I think we should keep our thoughts reserved until we’ve seen the film. Well, as the film has released in theatres today let’s see what is the general notion regarding the film?
Super Mario Bros. Movie Reviews Round-Up: Critics vs Audience?
Sara Michelle Fetters
MovieFreak.com
“Kids may have the time of their lives watching The Super Mario Bros. Movie, but for most adults, this is game over.”
Original Score: 1.5/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
“I found myself wanting more, as if I was only getting part of the experience. But The Super Mario Bros Movie is not intended to work in the same way that conventional films do. It’s not about cinematic enjoyment; it’s about expanding a brand.”
Original Score: 2.5/4
Danny Leigh
Financial Times
“The 8-bit world is faithfully reimagined for the modern under-10. Much of this will be slightly dull for anyone else. But it can also feel refreshing when a studio children’s movie is this squarely made for actual children…”
Original Score: 4/5
Alison Willmore
New York Magazine/Vulture
“It’s all dispiritingly rote, aside from bursts of weird vitality whenever the film veers into action out of the games.”
Chris Hewitt
Minneapolis Star Tribune
“In terms of servicing fans who want more of their “Super Mario Bros.” than they can get at home or in an arcade, the movie gets the job done.”
Original Score: 2.5/4
Odie Henderson
Boston Globe
“This isn’t a movie; it’s a checklist of fan expectations.”
Original Score: 1.5/4
Johnny Oleksinski
New York Post
“For all its detailed worlds, like the Mushroom Kingdom and Jungle Kingdom, the Nintendo film is just another soulless ploy to sell us merchandise that doesn’t bother to disguise its creativity-starved greed.”
Original Score: 1/4
Peter Howell
Toronto Star
“The new film is so colourful, sweet and playful, while ultimately insubstantial, going to it is like being handed a bowl of Froot Loops cereal to munch on instead of a bag of popcorn.”
Original Score: 2.5/4
Charles Bramesco
Little White Lies
“Justice for Bob Hoskins.”
Original Score: 2/5
Calum Marsh
New York Times
“While the details are meticulous, the attitude is all wrong, trading the simple, unaffected charm that has served the character so well since his introduction… for a snarky and fatuous air that leans hard on winking humor and bland, hackneyed irony.”
Pat Padua
Washington Post
“The artistry is enough to keep children and adults watching… At its 8-bit heart, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is ultimately about family.”
Original Score: 2.5/4
John Nugent
Empire Magazine
“Beautifully animated, and about as faithful and affectionate as a corporate cash-in is possible to get — but it still doesn’t come close to the experience of actually playing the games.”
Original Score: 2/5
Brian Tallerico
RogerEbert.com
“A movie that’s as hollow as a trailer, something that willfully avoids anything creative or ambitious. Mario and Luigi deserve so much better.”
Original Score: 1.5/4
KiMi Robinson
Arizona Republic
“With a soundtrack of ‘80s hits and a score that incorporates the games’ iconic sound effects and songs, the animated film infuses old with new.”
Original Score: 3.5/5
Radheyan Simonpillai
Globe and Mail
“The internet was right. Chris Pratt is all wrong as the title character in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.”
Katie Walsh
Los Angeles Times
“Mildly amusing, swift, noisy and unrelentingly paced”
Original Score: 2/4
Jake Coyle
Associated Press
“None of this is likely to be enough for anyone to exclaim “Oh, yeah!” while hopping up and down and doffing their cap. But it is an hour and a half’s worth of superlative marketing that will whet your appetite for more Mario back home on the couch.”
Original Score: 2.5/4
A.A. Dowd
Chron
“All that pristine computer animation is akin to polishing… well, what Mario finds in pipes during his day job.”
Eric Francisco
Inverse
“With a pixel-thin premise and a plot propelled by a candy-induced sugar rush, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is an overstuffed 90 minutes of colorful, inoffensive fun.”
Adam Graham
Detroit News
“It’s a sincere piece of children’s entertainment based on a massively popular property, no more and, to its credit, no less.”
Original Score: B
Christian Holub
Entertainment Weekly
“It’s all quite fun, with a good sense of humor and a consistent computer-animated aesthetic — plus, at 90 minutes including credits, it’s short, sweet, and over before anything can get annoying.”
Original Score: B-
David Sims
The Atlantic
“It’s a 92-minute injection of kid-friendly joy that whizzes by fast enough to keep adults from getting enraged or bored.”
Soren Andersen
Seattle Times
“Everyone is a micron deep, pixels without much in the way of personality.”
Original Score: 1.5/4
Kimberley Jones
Austin Chronicle
“Whatever fan-service thrills we might get from seeing those familiar pneumatic pipes and Bullet Bills retrofitted for the big screen fall away fast when there’s nothing else to prop the thing up.”
Original Score: 1/5
Richard Roeper
Chicago Sun-Times
“With an ending clearly setting up further adventures to come, The Super Mario Bros. is a solid kickoff to a new chapter in this enduring, multi-platform franchise.”
Original Score: 3/4
Kristy Puchko
Mashable
“In the end, it feels like one long commercial. Sure, I walked away wanting to revisit my old Mario games. But I also walked away with no wish to ever again hit play on The Super Mario Bros. Movie.”
Christopher Cruz
Rolling Stone
“As Nintendo’s first serious attempt at conquering filmmaking, it’s a lovingly crafted entry point with the potential for more.”
Clarisse Loughrey
Independent (UK)
“It’s hard to demand all that much from a Mario Bros film when its source material has been historically devoid of plot, but shouldn’t we be allowed to demand a little more than mere competency?”
Original Score: 2/5
Matthew Huff
AV Club
“While the references are sure to charm Nintendo lovers, and the standard Illumination-style cartoon humor will please youngsters, the film otherwise doesn’t have a ton to offer.”
Original Score: B
Nicholas Barber
BBC.com
“Any adults accompanying those children may wish they were watching the Hoskins and Leguizamo film instead.”
Original Score: 2/5
Owen Gleiberman
Variety
“Its ingenuity is infectious. You don’t have to be a Mario fan to respond to it, but the film is going to remind the millions who are why they call it a joystick.”
Christian Zilko
indieWire
“Largely plays things by the book, which is exactly what the assignment called for. Co-directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic have delivered a perfectly serviceable movie that is going to make a lot of kids very happy and a lot of adults very rich.”
Original Score: B
Lex Briscuso
TheWrap
“Short of dropping onto the Rainbow Road ourselves there is no experience closer to being fully immersed in one of the world’s most beloved video games. It looks like “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” might just make a real mark on the feature animation world.”
Jake Wilson
The Age (Australia)
“As cash-grabs go it’s endearing, and for viewers young enough to be coming to it all for the first time, it may serve as a window on any number of possible or impossible worlds.”
Original Score: 2.5/5
Robbie Collin
Daily Telegraph (UK)
“Despite some serious competition in recent years, no film has ever made me feel more like I was being frogmarched round a branch of Toys R Us.”
Original Score: 1/5
Matt Singer
ScreenCrush
“Only a few moments build on top of the Super Mario mythology rather than simply regurgitating it.”
Original Score: 4/10
Frank Scheck
Hollywood Reporter
“Directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, creators of the Teen Titans Go! series, deliver a reasonably faithful big screen adaptation that, while it features plenty of juvenile humor, wisely doesn’t lean toward broad satire.”
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
“This much-trailed, much-hyped new animated feature is tedious and flat in all senses, a disappointment to match the live-action version in 1993.”
Original Score: 2/5
Paul Attard
Slant Magazine
“The film feels like it’s content to check off to-do notes and scratch the viewer’s nostalgia itch.”
Original Score: 1.5/4
Zaki Hasan
San Francisco Chronicle
“Occasionally amusing but rarely engaging, it leaves one feeling like they’re standing to the side and watching someone else play a video game.”
Original Score: 1/4
I know that the critics’ general notion about the film has been pretty negative but it has to be noted that the audience reaction to the film is off the charts. The Audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is 96% while the IMDb score is 7.5/10. So if you want to watch the movie with your family then I think you shouldn’t let the critics’ opinion cloud you.
Along with Chris Pratt playing the lead role, the supporting cast of the film includes Seth Rogen, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Fred Armisen and Charles Martinet.
Super Mario Bros. movie is playing in theatres in near you.
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