The Super Mario Bros. Movie is endless nostalgia bait with no hook of its own
In the world of video games, you can always count on Mario. Nintendo’s mascot is a cheery plumber whose can-do attitude and penchant for jumping has made him an avatar for all kinds of family fun: charming games of skill where you hop over monsters and obstacles to reach a flag and save a princess, chaotic racing games where sabotage is more important than driving, and sports games that somehow appeal both to people who love sports and to those who would rather die than turn on ESPN. It isn’t that much of a stretch to say that there is no such thing as a bad Mario game. There’s a perfect Mario game for nearly every kind of person — which gives the little plumber and his endless incarnations the sort of magical appeal that every modern movie franchise is desperate for.
Illumination’s animated adventure The Super Mario Bros. Movie attempts to bottle that appeal, but mostly just ends up referencing it. Directed by Teen Titans Go!creators Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, with a script by Minions: The Rise of Gru and The Lego Movie 2 co-writer Matthew Fogel, The Super Mario Bros. Movie feels like it’s made to be screenshotted more than watched. Nearly every frame is packed with a dizzying number of Easter eggs and references to Mario games and other Nintendo franchises. Cataloging them all might be the most enjoyable way to watch the movie, because when it comes to regular movie things like plot and character, well, all that gets blue-shelled to hell. (If you got that reference, you’ll probably like this movie more than the average viewer.)
A portal fantasy (pipe dream?) squarely aimed at younger audiences, The Super Mario Bros. Movie introduces Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day), two brothers from Brooklyn who
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