2020-2029, Film Review

The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

Posted on April 25, 2023November 15, 2025 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

The Super Mario Bros. Movie – Film Review

Cast: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, Fred Armisen

Directors: Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic

Synopsis: After being transported to the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario must join forces with Princess Peach to stop Bowser from conquering the world…

Review: With his signature red cap, overalls and signature moustache, it is not an exaggeration to say that ever since he made his first appearance in a Donkey Kong arcade video game in 1981, the character of Mario has become one of, if not the, most famous video game character of all time. Given his enormous influence in video games, it is perhaps somewhat surprising that the legendary Italian plumber has crossed over to the cinematic realm only once. Then again, given how poorly received both critically and commercially the 1993 film was, it is little wonder Nintendo exhibited uncertainty before giving another cinematic adventure with Mario the green ~~pipe,~~ sorry, green light. Now, 30 years after that unmitigated disaster, Nintendo has teamed up with Illumination to bring us a new cinematic incarnation which certainly captures the essence of the games, but sadly falls short of landing the gold star it would have hoped for.

Mario (Pratt) and Luigi (Day) are brothers who have started a plumbing business in New York City. While out on a job, the duo stumble across a pipe which transports Mario to the Mushroom Kingdom and Luigi to a realm controlled by the evil Bowser (Black). Determined to rescue his brother, Mario must team up with Princess Peach (Taylor-Joy) to save him and stop Bowser’s plans from taking over the Mushroom Kingdom. Such a plot feels ripped straight from a Mario game, and the film endeavours to feel as authentic to the games as possible, which will undoubtedly please long-time fans of the franchise. Yet, while striving for authenticity is to be commended, it also comes at a cost. Matthew Fogel’s screenplay opts for a simplistic approach of throwing as many recognisable elements from iconic Mario games of the past into the film, such as the racing, or Luigi’s Mansion, with seemingly little thought of a plot or a fully developed story. The use of these Easter Eggs will please long-time fans, but the world of Mario is so vast and rich, the opportunity was there to come up with a story which is not severely lacking and could not even be fixed with the help of a magic mushroom.

The subject of the voice casting was, to put it mildly, the topic of much discussion, with Chris Pratt’s casting as the voice of Mario being the decision which was by far and away the most debated. Pratt is an actor who has proven he has the potential to be a voice actor in comedies (The Lego Movie) and in more heartfelt emotional roles (Onward). The decision to have Mario and Luigi as brothers who hail from Brooklyn is a smart one and it makes for an easy adjustment for fans who might have been worried about Pratt attempting the familiar exaggerated Italian accent, though there is a fun little nod to that at the beginning of the film. The voice work across the board is functional towards the film’s paper-thin plot. Furthermore, since there’s barely a scintilla of character development in the majority of the characters, with the exceptions of Princess Peach and Bowser, it results in no emotional stakes in the ensuing adventure at all. Peach’s character is often reduced to the role of a damsel-in-distress in the games, yet she is thankfully proactive and asserts her leadership over the Mushroom Kingdom, while Jack Black’s portrayal of the King of the Koopas injects some much-needed personality and humour into the film, but it all counts for very little.

The animation is impressive in its detail as it perfectly captures the look and feel of a typical Mario game. However, the bar for animated films continues to be raised by studios across the board in recent years, and consequently, in spite of its phenomenal success at the box office with its Despicable Me franchise, Illumination’s efforts still pale in comparison to the efforts of its rival studios. Given the immense popularity of these characters, which have stood the test of time over multiple decades, there was so much potential for a proper big-screen adaptation which would successfully introduce him to a new generation and satisfy the audience members who grew up with the video games. It certainly accomplishes the former, but really misses the mark with the latter. Mamma Mia, what a missed opportunity!

Impressively animated, but a paper-thin story and severely undeveloped characters ensure this latest adaptation of the Nintendo franchise is devoid of any emotional stakes which made the games so iconic.

2010-2019, Film Review

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)

Posted on March 2, 2019March 2, 2019 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

**Image is property of Warner Animation Group and Lord Miller Productions**

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part – Film Review

Cast: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Tiffany Haddish, Stephanie Beatriz, Charlie Day, Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, Maya Rudolph

Director: Mike Mitchell

Synopsis: When alien invaders attack the city of Bricksburg, it leaves the city in ruins an several people are abducted, leaving Emmet Brickowski with no choice but to step up and save his friends…

Review: “Everything is awesome,” three simple words, and ones that whenever you heard them back in 2014 transported you to a world of bricks, and tiny yellow men and women, otherwise known as Lego. For decades, these simple bricks have provided children with endless hours of fun. So when a film about these bricks was announced, many assumed it would be a film marketed as a cash grab just to sell more bricks. However, it turned out to be a really witty and extremely entertaining piece of film-making. This is of course is 2014’s The Lego Movie, and yes everything was awesome with that film.

A couple of spin offs have followed in its wake, but now we have a direct sequel that picks up immediately from the first film. Everything seems to be going well until the city of Bricksburg comes under attack from some outer space visitors. Their attack has wreaked havoc on the city, turning it into a desolate wasteland of a very similar ilk to the Mad Max franchise. Years later, and despite the bleak circumstances, Emmet’s positive outlook on life has not diminished. However, that is put to the test when a subsequent attack results in the abduction of among others, Lucy and Batman by a threat from outer space, leaving Emmet with no choice but to rescue the ones he cares about.

Back when it came out, the first film was such a wonderful, innovative breath of fresh air, and extremely entertaining to boot, helmed magnificently by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Though the duo, are now merely on board as writers/producers, t’s clear that their influence comes to the fore and new director Mike Mitchell continues on the trajectory that was set by Miller and Lord. Inevitably, as tends to be the case with sequels, it does mean that it doesn’t feel nearly as fresh or innovative when compared to its predecessor.

The animation and the voice work are once again excellent, with Chris Pratt lending his voice not just to Emmet, but to a fearless warrior named Rex Dangervest, who feels like what would happen if the Lego counterparts of Han Solo and Star Lord had a child. There is an aspect to this story, concerning Tiffany Haddish’s character that could leave some viewers a bit frustrated as it’s a bit superficial, and not very well executed. This isn’t to say that there is nothing substantial as there are some elements, particularly towards the end that are much stronger in terms of the messages they deliver.

However, with plenty of extremely amusing references to some other pop culture properties, it keeps the plot moving along. These will keep the adults entertained, as unfortunately the film unlike its predecessor does feel more aimed at the younger demographics. Furthermore, while “Everything is Awesome” was this insanely infectious piece of delightful pop music that was impossible not to love, this movie’s version of that song is not quite as catchy, or indeed memorable, despite its best effort to be exactly that.

Not as innovative or as witty as its predecessor(s), and the story is hit or miss with its messages. Yet some extremely entertaining pop culture references ensure that this is a mixed, but entertaining, bag of bricks.

2010-2019, Film Review

Pacific Rim (2013)

Posted on November 23, 2013May 29, 2017 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

All image rights belong to Warner Bros and Legendary Entertainment — **Image is property of Warner Bros and Legendary Entertainment**

Pacific Rim – Film Review

Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Max Martini, Robert Kazinsky, Ron Perlman, Burn Gorman,

Director: Guillermo Del Toro

Synopsis: When a portal opens at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean and huge alien monsters called Kaiju begin to attack human cities and wipe out thousands of lives. The leaders of the human race pit their resources together and construct huge robotic machines known as Jaegers in order to prevent the oncoming apocalypse

Review: When the notion of a film’s plot line consists of big robots taking on huge alien monsters , it is a plot line that sounds strangely familiar and one that has been done to death. The likes of Godzilla and Transformers come to mind. However, under the guidance of the visually brilliant Guillermo del Toro, Pacific Rim is a fantastic blend of the two and is a terrific and thrilling ride.

The film sets the scene with a prologue in which these frightening Kaiju creatures have destroyed plenty of cities and slaughtered lives across the world. Humanity’s last line of defence against these creatures is the Jaeger program, headed by Marshal Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba) who seeks the help of Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) to come out of retirement and pilot one of these machines.

The acting on show here is of a decent order with Charlie Hunnam proving to be a strong willed and determined protagonist. Alongside him we have Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi), a young and untested Jaeger pilot who is keen to prove herself to Marshal Penetecost. The two form a solid relationship as the film progresses and their relationship is a crucial element to the story as they must work together to build a solid neural link together to ensure humanity does not reach its doom at the hands of the Kaiju. Idris Elba is as awesome as he always is in everything he’s in and you can see the fuel in him that drives him to lead the ship through the difficult storm of mayhem and destruction that the Kaiju are bringing to the people of Earth. This desire is apparent within all of the leading characters and through it it drives the story forward.

On the other hand, the apocalyptic mood of the film is counteracted by the humour of the two scientists in the film with Dr Hermann Gottlieb (Burn Gorman) and Dr Newton Geiszler (Charlie Day) who whenever they are on screen always seem to be bickering and squabbling with one another as to how to best defeat the monstrous invaders. Their rivalry and differences of opinion is fun to watch but deep down their desire to ensure humanity’s survival is apparent within both of them.

While the relationship between the three leading characters is central to the story, the fight scenes on show are of monstrous proportions. The size of both the Kaiju and the Jaeger takes your breath away and you watch with glee and suspense as these two titanic monsters go head to head in jaw dropping and exhilarating fight scenes that are among the best that we have seen in this year’s selection of films. Cars get crushed and buildings are reduced to rubble as these great beasts do battle against these great machines of war. An Oscar nomination for Best Special effects could definitely come Pacific Rim’s way next year.

Thus with interesting characters and some thrilling action sequences, Pacific Rim is certainly a fantastic adventure that gets the adrenaline pumping and leaves the viewer excited and wanting more. Combined with great action sequences and some interesting characters Pacific Rim is certainly one of the finest films that emerged from the Summer Movie season of 2013.