#honorable mention goes to the emo lumalee for being one of the funniest characters

[classicdaisycalico]

Hve you watched the mario movie yet? 👀 Thoughts?

YES I HAVE AND IT'S AMAZING!!!!!!

For starters, this film is visually STUNNING. I also adore all the musical references scattered throughout the film score. I love how some parts are just thematic medleys, but other sections have a single motif worked into the film score. It's a cool way to breathe new life into some familiar themes like Bob-Omb Battlefield, for example. When we're not being flooded with musical references from the games, I like how the rest of the score is padded out with 80's music. Some people may not like that, but I do. I was raised on classic rock thanks to my parents, and putting 80's music in the film makes sense, since the series got its start in the 80's!

Now let's move on to the characters. OH MY GOD. The way their personalities were so fleshed out was incredible. Mario and Luigi's wholesome twin sibling bond was everything I envisioned it to be. I was also very pleasantly surprised by how Peach and Toad's characters were handled. Peach's personality, to me, could best be described as a fusion of Diana from the first "Wonder Woman" film (a girlboss who is still unfailingly kind and protective) and Ariel from "The Little Mermaid" (an ever-curious princess who is super curious about humans and wanting to learn more about their world and way of life). Toad was amazing because the writers could have exploited his character as this little guy who was hungry for adventure but ended up as the incompetent comic relief...but that didn't happen. They played up Toad's capability and loyalty to Peach and Mario super well, and it showcases great acting range on Keegan-Michael Key's part.

Speaking of actors, HOLY SHIT. I couldn't hear any of the actor's regular voices at ALL in the characters they played. I thought I'd have a massive problem with Chris Pratt as Mario, but that ended up not being the case. Jack Black also did an incredible job voicing Bowser. Probably the only time I heard Jack Black and not Bowser was during his "Peaches" song, but I don't mind that. Bowser has been known to have some goofy moments and dialogue before in the "Mario and Luigi" and "Paper Mario" games, so it's easy to let slide. If anything, Donkey Kong was the only character whose voice I had issues with. It was just Seth Rogen being Seth Rogen, typecast once again as a comic dudebro who gets knocked down a peg at some point to learn a little about humility.

Slight aside, by the way, I also like how Bowser is animated when he's angry. When he's angry in the film, you can literally see the insanity in his eyes. It's a fantastic little touch that the games don't normally have. (Yeah, he's full of rage, but his eyes don't show it anywhere near as well.)

Probably the only real issue I had was with the film's pacing. Just when we think we're going somewhere interesting in a scene, all of a sudden we're immediately transported elsewhere. The transitions are kind of jarring and I feel like a lot loose ends in the previous scenes aren't tied up properly. Hopefully the sequel will fix that. (And let's be real. There WILL be a sequel with how much money this film is making. This film is sooooo much more successful than that 1993 monstrosity lmao)

Overall, VERY solid film and a job very well done. 4 out of 5 (Super) Stars from me 🌟🌟🌟🌟