"The Super Mario Bros. Movie" (Rated A) Cast: Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogan
Genre: Animated, Adventure/Comedy
Where to watch: In Theaters
Dwight's Rating:
Well, my cuteness quota for the year has been met.
"The Super Mario Bros. Movie" - based on the supremely popular video game series - is already on its way to breaking some box office records after just one week, largely on a wave of cuteness and nostalgia.
If you've been a fan of Super Mario Bros., either by playing the games or even by watching someone play the games, you'll know this movie well.
Everyone's here, with all the characters and creatures you've encountered over these nearly 40 years, including, of course, brothers Mario and Luigi, Princess Peach, Toad and villain Bowser. The overall plot doesn't stray far from the storylines in the video games either.
With help from Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy, Netflix's "The Queen's Gambit"), Mario (Chris Pratt, "Guardians of the Galaxy") gets ready to square off against the all-powerful Bowser (Jack Black, "School of Rock") to stop his plans from conquering the world.
In addition to Pratt, Taylor-Joy, and Black, this is an all-star cast, including Charlie Day ("Horrible Bosses" and TV's "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia") as Luigi, Keegan-Michael Key (TV's "Key & Peele") as Toad, and Seth Rogan ("Neighbors") as Donkey Kong.
For the kids, there's lots of bright colors and stuff crashing in and about the place. For adults, there's some inoffensive G-rated humor. Everything's light and breezy - or should we say "peachy"?
As such, lower your expectations if you're looking for a Pixar-type flick; there are no subtle and touching life lessons. And don't even expect regular Disney animation; again, this follows relatively closely to the basic storyline of a video game which debuted in 1985. There's nothing surprising, nothing groundbreaking, and not much that will be memorable.
But "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" does have the ability to bring a smile or two to your face, and is likely to cause you to flashback to a simpler time when you first came across that same weird little turtle or mushroom character you're seeing come to life on the screen. Or to that amazing life-affirming moment when you finally were able to get past that troublesome stage or fully complete the game.
Thinking back to those days when these silly things were what mattered more than anything else can only now be described as "cute".
• Dwight Strachan is the host/producer of "Morning Blend" on Guardian Radio and station manager. He is a television producer and writer, and an avid TV history and film buff. Email dwight@nasguard.com and follow him on twitter @morningblend969.
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