The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, The Super Mario Bros. Movie follows a pair of plumbers (Chris Pratt’s Mario and Charlie Day’s Luigi) as they find themselves sucked into a magical world overrun with oddball creatures and characters. Filmmakers Horvath and Jelenic, armed with Matthew Fogel’s screenplay, deliver a blisteringly-paced endeavor that fares best within its appealing, lighthearted first half, as the movie does, at the outset, boast an agreeably nostalgic feel that’s reflected in its recurring emphasis on familiar attributes and elements – with the compulsively watchable atmosphere heightened by the solid voice work and bright, colorful visuals. It’s equally clear, however, that The Super Mario Bros. Movie‘s growing reliance on action-packed, over-the-top set-pieces and digressions paves the way for an egregiously frenetic third act, and there’s little doubt, certainly, that the picture’s climax is, as a result, hardly able to pack the satisfying punch for which Horvath and Jelenic are clearly striving. Still, The Super Mario Bros. Movie generally remains entertaining enough for the duration of its (overlong) running time and it’s ultimately difficult not to get a kick out of the film’s in-jokes and references.

**1/2 out of ****