#toad review

[squash1]

here’s to being there.

[the anthropocene reviewed by john green / stranger things / the raven cycle by maggie stiefvater / käthe kollwitz “the people” / ted lasso / in memoriam by alice winn / sex education / frog and toad]

[unreesonable]

Review of The League of Gentlemen at the Canal Café, May 1997, from The Independent

The journalist? None other than James Rampton, whose pronunciation of "prawn toast" was later used in the TLOG Christmas special

[chickenxiii]

BLENDER DUMP OF EVERYTHING I HAVE MADE IN 2024 there is a lot but i decided to just post my favorites ^_^ AND ENJOY THIS SONG

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

I saw the Super Mario Bros movie. Not gonna lie, as someone who tends to be harsh when it comes to movie reviews, the level of criticism that this movie got from critics is confusing to me. It was just a fun, lighthearted story about an Italian plumber and his friends fighting a dinosaur dragon, nothing that serious. But some of the reviews I’ve read are making this sound like the worst movie ever made.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but for the Mario movie, it’s best to watch it for yourself and to ignore the critics. I mean, the “A” grade from Cinemascore and the high audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes should be enough to tell you that there’s a divide between critics and audiences.

[midwestbramble]

The Black Toad Book Review

I bought this because I read Gemma Gary's book "Traditional Witchraft" and was curious to know more about the Cornish practice. Plus so many people in the trad craft community seem to love this book and reference it.

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Contents:

Synopsis

What I Liked

What I Didn't Like

Overall Thoughts

Conclusion

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Published in 2011

“The Black Toad explores potent examples of the folk-ceremonial magical practices and witchcraft of the south-west of England; dealing especially with Devon and the authors homeland of Cornwall. Within the West Country, the popular belief in witchcraft and its attendant charms, magical practices and traditions continued to be observed and survived long after such ways had faded in most other parts of the British Isles.

Described within The Black Toad is a collection of some of the fascinating magical practices and lore of the West Country’s cunning folk and early modern witches; ways that have survived and evolved within the rarefied Craft of the areas modern day witchcraft practitioners of the old persuasion. As this book affirms, these ways of the Old Craft and Cunning Artery include a belief in and working relationship with the spirit forces of the land, the Faerie, animal and plant lore, as well as the magical use of Psalms to cure or curse, the invocation of Christ and the power of the Holy Trinity.”

—from the back of the book

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What I Liked

Chapters are sectioned out by type of workings; mother red cap for protections and desires, mother green cap for plant charms and cures, and mother black cap for cursing and turning. The book explains terms used mostly in this part of England for different aspects of the craft for those from the outside. Most are historical examples with pictures within the book or drawings related to the working nearby. Squares (sator squares and their kin) are used quite a bit, so this is a good book for those wanting to learn more about their use.

There's also a good section in this book, albeit near the end, that talks about working with spirits that may be interpreted as the devil, and even working with them AS the devil.

There is a lot of magic to be found in this book.

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What I Didn't Like

While these aren't big things for me, there are a couple aspects of this book that may turn some people away. The author talks about white and black magic in the West Country historically and modernly. There's spells in here for love magic and killing an enemy (neither of which the author indorses, these are here for historical posterity).

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Overall Thoughts

This is a great book for anyone interested in Traditional Witchcraft spells and other workings. There is a mix of Christian and pagan(ish) spirits that are called upon, as many of the workings are from historical sources. Very much a folk magic heavy witchcraft. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for information on the English West Country's traditional witchcraft practices. It's a thin book packed with information.

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Conclusion

The Black Toad is quickly becoming a classic in trad craft spaces. It can be found on Amazon, at it's publisher Troy Books, The Spiral House Shop, Pentagram Salem, Abe Books, Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, and more!

[redtoondevils]

I just watched the Mario Movie!

I just watched the Mario Movie about last week ago. And I gotta say, first things first...It. was. AMAZING! There is a lot of references I actually do know! The Super Mario Bros ad, from the Mario Brothers movie. Mario Kart, Rainbow world, Donkey Kong, Cranky Kong, Diddy Kong, and Chunky Kong! Sadly no Tiny Kong, and Lanky Kong.

Super Mario 3D world, Super Mario Odyssey for Bowser's suit, and the Wedding. King Bob omb. The Snifits. The blue shell, some parts of the Jungle Japes, The DK Rap, the Super Stars, and when Mario swings Bowser from his tail from the N64. Those are the few that I spotted, and remembered. And indeed there are many more!

But the person I felt most sad for was Luigi. Just like every game, he's usually the character that get pushed to the side. Same with Waluigi.

How come Wario is more popular, than his counterpart Waluigi? And poor Luigi too! The way that he got tortured by Bowser. I swear he goes through worse, than what his brother had been through. It's understandable that they couldn't add every character. But, the movie is great! Got every expectation right!

And more screentime for Luigi! Oh, and my favorite moment in the Mario Movie is when Luigi saves his brother Mario. The best part, is when both Mario, and Luigi got the superstar together, and they both became superstars!

And Bowser...Oh my damn he's a beast! His flame breath is more powerful than the SSB one! In the N64, his boss battle he's kind of a weakling, after throwing him in those bombs about 5 times. Yet, in the movie he's more threatening!

He's more menacing! I've noticed that on his back, he's got a little bit of green scales at the back of his back, and shoulders! That's also a small reference to his original design. When he used to be green!

A little talk with Bowser, he's truley evil that you can take him seriously now! He's no joke, especially when he looses his temper at his servant's. Even threatening to kill them. He'd kill anyone if he get's mad. And he's literally insane!

I remember, when he's gotten the most serious is in Paper Mario. When he used the Star Rod to become invincible. He nearly succeeded. In the Movie, he let his pride get the best of him.

He became so lustful, that when Peach said that she could never marry him. Is when he brought out his absolute worst. Then he gets reckless. Especially at the end. He's gotten so evil. He is probably the best Bowser so far! I'm curious to see what the next main antagonist would be, when the next Mario Movie drops!

Is there anything else I can say? Oh yeah! I cannot miss, so I think the sequel is going to be about...Yoshi's island! And Super Mario galaxy!

The secret ending after the Credit's, of course there is a Yoshi's egg in the warehouse! Even the Yoshi's appeared too! And they all looked so cute! Reminds me of Yoshi's story! That's a sweet easter egg!

ONE LAST THING I WANT TO SAY! I am SO glad that Donkey Kong and Mario, as rivals at the beginning. Became best friends at the end! :D

[bloodpen-to-paper]

Movie Review Blurbs: The Super Mario Bros. Movie

The Highlights

-The brothers were the most endearing part for me, they had a wonderful dynamic that not only made me like them as a duo, but as individuals (from the Mario media I know, there wasn't much focus on their personality so it was nice watching something that gave them more character)

-Jack Black got to sing his silly songs and honestly that's all that matters

-The movie making fun of the egregious Italian accents in the beginning was a good gag, especially considering the two are still Italian in the movie and are given more accurate accents (also I love that they're canonically from Brooklyn lmao)

-Mario was a fucking crack head before the isekai and I enjoy that fact very much

-Yoshi avengers end credit scene

-Surprisingly decent voice acting, they all delivered (especially Charlie Day and Jack Black)

-The penguins, the Dry Bones, SHY GUYS

-Toad is a fucking criminal apparently who helps outsiders break into the castle and goes outside the Mushroom Kingdom to do god knows what

-Off the top of my head, my favorite part of the movie was Luigi running from the Dry Bones and ending up in Luigi's Mansion; great horror scene for a very PG movie

-Whatever the fuck was going on between Kamek and Bowser

-SHY GUYS SHY GUYS SHY GUYS SHY GUYS SHY GUYS-

-Mario and DK's frienenemy relationship was great, especially with how they butt heads but also understand (daddy issues) and respect each other (they're a good ship ngl)

-I liked Cranky Kong as a character, I feel like he was a character made to appeal more to an older crowd now that I think about it

-The implications? Of Bowser's entire fucking ship coming to the human realm? And totaling the city? Magic is real? What's gonna happen there is the U.S. government gonna try and harness the power of the magic realm and capitalize on it like there is so much left unanswered

-simp bowser lmao (many dudebros were mad about this one which automatically makes it the best plotline in my book)

-Mario and Peach weren't shown to have romantic feelings for each other, giving them time to actually get to know each other first

Criticisms

-Ok so let's address the main issue; the pacing. The movie severely lacked transition, bridging and buildup, and it felt less like a movie and more like a bunch of individual scenes thrown together (cause it kinda was). It was frustrating cause the movie was genuinely very engaging, and there was some real lost potential with how rushed it was. It definitely needed to be longer; I think the people working on it were on a time constraint, and it showed

-Pigging-backing off the previous note, a lack of build up to big moments made those moments feel like they came out of nowhere. it also lacked an after math period for those big moments, which makes them feel unsubstantial

-Ok rant time: I saw people having this concern for Peach being a dull #girlboss character that lacked substance, and... yeah, it happened. I think the issue of female characters being sidelined and not given any character depth is being acknowledged, but in a way that still doesn't give them depth. Basically, male creators have realized they've been making female characters useless love interests in the background, so they're fixing this by making said characters hyper-competent, and in the forefront of the fight. However, its had this adverse effect where these hyper-competent characters are now just serving as plot devices to push the narrative rather than being given their own character narrative. They are at the forefront, and fight, but are still lacking in depth and development (what's worse is they still just serve as aides to male leads most of the time, just now in a repackaged way that usually would be held by a side male character). The Mario movie was rushed so none of the characters got much development, but Peach in particular was not given any character development, only plot development (she got isekai'd and is wondering where she's from, but we don't see how this idea effects her emotionally or drives her because... it really doesn't. She's just kinda like "oh hey I'm from another universe... ok cool! Anyway-"). So yeah, that needs work. Male creators need to humanize their female characters like they do the male ones, and actually give them flaws and struggles (Peach literally has a gag about being so perfect she mastered the super hard parkour course they practice on in one go, while we see Mario work on it and improve over time; its lazy ass writing cmon now). Hence why I like consuming media that's actually by female creators, and I encourage all of you to do the same

-Mario and DK were great but again needed more fleshing out, they had this whole bonding moment about their daddy issue but it happened so fast that you couldn't really stew in it much

-Mario/DK's daddy issues were not handled the best, they only got their father's approval when they did something cool and not for actually being themselves; didn't like the messaging there very much

-Though I mentioned Mario x Peach didn't happen, the movie still very intrusively pushes the idea in your face by having side characters comment on it; I imagine this is what homophobes think they're experiencing when queer character exist in media, except this movie didn't even try to be subtle with the push

-Why did Toad just decide to help Mario find Luigi? Why did Peach decide to train Mario so she could take him with her to Donkey Kong Island? Just cause he's a fellow human? And why did she just decide to take Toad along too? Again, pacing

-Rainbow Road being a "secret path" that was literally out in the open and Bowser found it almost immediately lmao (it was also never narratively explained how Bowser found the path if I'm remembering correctly)

-The Luma gag was overdone imo, but the "finally, mercy" part was very funny

-no bowuigi sex scene -∞/10

Final Thoughts

Overall, the movie was very fun, but the time constraint really did bring it down from being a better ranked movie. Its frustrating because the movie had so much to offer, I wanted more from it, and that's why the pacing is something I'm hammering on so much. And for anyone saying "its a kid's movie, who cares?"... sorry I want kid's to have good movies? And not just the kind of drool that comes from Minions-type productions? Movies are art, and art should have the people behind it putting the best into their work that they can, kid's movie or not, so if something is bringing down that art (a time constraint for example) it should be criticized in my opinion. Plus lets face it, a lot of the people going in to see the movie were teens/adults who grew up on Mario.

Despite all this though, I genuinely enjoyed it, and my low expectations for what is an Illumination movie were pleasantly subverted. There was clearly a lot of love put into this film, and I can't wait to see if there will be a sequel. Thanks for reading!

[moonlightcrusader-archive]

MY SUPER MARIO MOVIE REVIEW (SPOILERS AHEAD)

Okay, so I have finally composed myself and I will say…man…the Mario movie was fun!

My overall review is its very funny, full of heart and the animation is gorgeous. There’s a lot of unexpected scenes that I found heartwarming and added to the characters/ plot.❤️

However…that being said…the pacing and script is my main concern. I know they have to fit a large chunk of lore for a good runtime, but there isn’t much development.

“But Moon, mario wasn’t all about story” I know, but a movie provides a chance to add story at a cinematic level.

Expanding the world and if not that the characters. If anything, I do not mind the simple plot. Mario needs to save Luigi and work alongside Princess Peach to defeat Bowser. Perfect.

However. I would have really liked more expanded characters. But I will elaborate below because that’s not my only critique.

Beyond here will be spoilers, read at your own risk!! My blog will start reposting/ talking about spoilers from here and now since it’s officially out!

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CONS/ WHAT I WISH IT HAD MORE OF:

-I wish the bros got more screen time. Their chemistry and brotherly love was amazing, and I was itching to see more of them together.🥺

-that fight at the end with Bowser tho WAS EPIC! But Luigi was super underutilized omg… I really thought he was gonna have another role in the movie. I think they missed out on the side characters having more of a role or even a conversation…

-Speaking of which, idk, I found Lumalee kind of annoying. I know it’s probably going to set up a future movie…but I thought at least we would get some insight as to why the Luma was captured, why it hates living so much, idk….lol. But I did love the voice of Lumalee, super cute :)

-characterization. Apart from Mario and a LITTLE of luigi, and DK, the rest felt bland… I feel like bowser could have been more fleshed out (but don’t get me wrong, I loved how he had a crush on peach, his song and planned on marrying her. AHHH I LOVED IT) toad could have been more fleshed out. What are his goals at least? Not every character has to have an internal conflict, but he just felt…there. And what a shame because hes charming!

-okay guys, but peachs characterization. I’m sorry, this deserves its own post, so I will hyperlink it here when I finishing writing that, but omg yeah I am not quite attached to her portrayal yet😅 what a shame too because I love her so much…

-wish we spent some more time getting to know Mario’s family😭

-not a fleshed out ending. Hoped that peach would have reacted being on earth, maybe a montage of Brooklyn adjusting to having this pipe that leads to another world. What was the cities response overall when it came to cleanup? I know they have HAD to had some questions why a huge gorilla with a tie was there…and talking! Lol…

now… drumroll please…

***

POSITIVES/ WHAT I FREAKIN LOVEDDDDD:

-Mario. Omg they freakin ACED Mario. His character flaws, his goals, aspirations, internal conflict, personality, everything I headcanoned/ hoped for. He’s a goofball who loves adventure, plumbing and loves his family. His determination, stubbornness, (RIZZ HE GOT THAT RIZZ!!!) and charm. Ugh. That affirms it. He’s my fav. I wanted to hug him through the screen many times SO BAD!!!🥺❤️

-luigi and Mario’s brotherly love/chemistry. Omg. The flashback of them as babies and when Mario was cupping Luigi’s face and almost crying out of relief. Like omg omg I’m so happy to that attention to detail😭🥺❤️ they love each other so much it’s just… *chefs kiss* I’m hoping for future movies we get more brotherly scenes, I’m still waiting for that piggyback ride🫶❤️

-baby peach. I just…I wasn’t expecting it. She was so cute and the fact that the toads just adopted her and raised her as their own tells goes sweet they are. 🥹 I’m so glad we got some of a backstory for her! But Omg…she was someone’s child then! :o I love lore…

-bowsers singing and the song peaches is a legit masterpiece. If my man don’t make a song like this and doesn’t sing it with that much enthusiasm I don’t want him!!😤😤😂💞but yep Jack black was awesome hehe he had me dying of laughter and he was super intimidating as Bowser!! He understood the assignment 💅🏼

-which reminds me. I love the plot of Bowser wanting to marry Peach and getting jealous of Mario. I wish we got Mario’s reaction of peach wearing the wedding dress tho I don’t think it really hit him that Bowser was trying to marry Peach…

- speaking of which…Mareach! We got a few cute scenes!! Nothing major, but I see that they are making it a slow burn romance 😏😂 okay, I can wait! While I wish we got more scenes, I loved how DK called out Mario’s attempts at flirting, Peach calling him adorable when he had his cat suit🥺🥺 and her giggles when Mario promises to buy her a pet turtle if she comes to Brooklyn. That was so freakin cute!!!❤️❤️🥹 you can tell Mario likes her, and peach has a fondness for him :)))

-CAT MARIO WAS SO ADORABLE DID YOU SEE WHEN HE BEAT DONKEY KONG HE WAS KNEEDING ON HIM LIKE A CAT WOULD AHHHHH-

-the animation and the storyboarding. Everything art related. The score. I wanted to fly when I heard bowsers theme. I wanted to cry seeing the beautifully crafted action scenes and I can’t wait to see the storyboards 😭❤️ illumination went all the way!!! Also the character design!!! I love all of their designs!!!

-the pop songs were a nice touch and the humor was great. :3

-SEEING MARIOS FAMILY AND THE FACT THAT CHARLES PLAYS THEIR DAD IS SO ADORABLE AND AWESOME I WAS FREAKIN FANGIRLING!!!

-also like I headcanoned THEIR MAMA IS SO ADORABLE I LOVE HER SO MUCH!!! No wonder they came out as sweet incredible boys 🥺🧡

-the soundtrack man. They were cooking up in the studio I’m telling you!!! I heard it’s on Spotify now so I’m gonna be listening to it lol

-luigi is so precious but I wish HE HAD MORE SCREENTIME

-DK and Mario’s relationship give me rowdy sibling vibes and I’m here for it

-I love how they can travel from Brooklyn to mushroom kingdom through the pipe, at first I thought it was a star VS the forces of evil thing and the worlds merged until I realized the ending… XD

-I loved all the voices!! I think everyone did an amazing job, I heard a few inconsistencies throughout the movie but meh, everyone seemed excited for their roles!!!🧡🫶

If I can think of anything else I will add, but yeah, I think I had higher expectations for the movie😅 I think if it had a bit more time to flesh out characters, it would have been SUPER great. I loved all the references inside the movie, you can tell it was crafted with passion and love❤️ it was a very fun experience and of course the BRAINROT increased💞

Of course, this is my personal opinions and such, if you have a different one, that's fine! This is just what I would liked to see/ what I thought would have been better in the movie. That’s all!! :3

[ecargmura]

The Super Mario Bros. Movie Review: Very Fun!

(Warning, this review contains spoilers for the movie)

My introverted ass does not leave the house most of the time. However, there are times where I do like to hang out with my friends. Today was one such day. On the midst of cold rainy weather, I mustered up the courage to leave my house and go to the movie theater to see The Super Mario Bros movie. I was watching it with my friend SpaceBrosMiles. As I was waiting for him, I coincidentally saw my friend from high school and college whom I haven’t seen in 6-7 years! I was surprised I still recognized him. He was also watching the film with his friends, one of them being my brother’s friend. It was nice talking to him. Anyways, once Miles and I finally met up and went inside the theater, the movie started playing after multitudes of trailers and a quick bathroom break from me.

How was the movie? I really liked it! It went by fast, but it left a lasting impression on me. The movie is an original story of how the Mario brothers became known to the Mushroom Kingdom. It all started with them in Brooklyn trying to make it big as plumbers, but they struggle to find jobs. They put out a rather tacky commercial and they did manage to get one job after it aired, which turned into a bust when the owners’ dog Francis tried to attack the brothers because Luigi broke its bone. However, the fight between them and the dog eventually lead to an unknown flooding in Brooklyn. While the brothers try to be heroes, they fail to stop the flood and accidentally find the iconic green warp pipe that causes the brothers to be transported to another world but they get separated with Luigi going to Bowser’s Castle and Mario to the Mushroom Kingdom. The rest of the movie is just Mario trying to find a way to rescue his brother with the help of Toad and Peach.

The overall movie was enjoyable. I really liked the various Mario game references. I think a few I can name are Mario Maker, Mario Kart, Luigi’s Mansion, Mario 64, Mario Galaxy and Jumpman. I named a lot. Wow. Does this mean I’m a hardcore gamer? Anyways, there isn’t much I can say about the overall movie because it’s super fun. The humor is on point. The dialogue is very family-friendly. Various OSTs were remixes of classic Mario songs that I recognize. However, the best song was the remix of the DK Rap. THE DK RAP IS IN THE MOVIE! DK! DONKEY KONG! I’m sorry, the DK rap was so fun to listen to when I was a kid. I’m glad they kept the iconic song (though, they did not credit the creator Grant Kirkhope).

The flow of the movie was fast-paced but it was consistent. I think it flew by so quickly for a one hour and forty-five minute movie. One moment they are in the Mushroom Kingdom, and they are in the Jungle Kingdom five minutes later. It’s really hard to look away because you will be confused if you do so.

The voice acting was really good! I think they all suited the characters! The best performance was Jack Black as Bowser. I mean, it’s Jack Black! What more can I say? I was confused when he started playing the piano, but Jack Black’s song was amazing to listen to. An honorable mention goes to Lumalee. He was very creepy with his nihilistic speeches about death and that made him stand out; he’s an absolute menance.I think the weakest performance was a tie between Cranky Kong and Mario, but it doesn’t mean they were bad. They were far from bad, in fact. It’s just that everyone else were too good that they got overshadowed.

My only gripe is the lack of Luigi screen time during the middle of the movie. The movie is called The Super Mario Bros. It’s not the Super Mario movie. It’s the Mario brothers that are the stars, not Mario on his lonesome. It would’ve been great to see Luigi trying to struggle out of his cage or have some screen time worrying about his current situation. All we see of Luigi is that he gets captured, thrown into a cage and then gets released about three-fourths way into the movie, just before the climax.  The final portion where the Mario bros take on Bowser was great and made me wonder where Luigi managed to get that courage to protect Mario from the fire.

Overall, this is a very good movie if you just want to have fun watching. It’s a perfect blend of tropes and aspects any Mario fan or any gamer would know and love. I know that not everyone will agree with me, but I believe this is like a love letter to the fans that have bee there for so long. I believe it’s an 8.5/10 movie. The .5 was the fact I saw a friend in the theaters. Will I recommend this movie? Definitely.

[biancalightwood]

I saw The Super Mario Bros Movie last week and I was not disappointed at all ! The bond between Mario and Luigi is amazing, Peach is painted as a strong and independent woman and the Toads are so cute. It is a well made movie that made me laugh and as an hardcore Mario’s games player I was happy to see all the references to those games. I was hoping to see Rosalina as there is a Luma in the movie but maybe in the next one ? (fingers crossed)  All that’s left to say is: Peaches, Peaches, Peaches !

[dragonkeeper19600]

He's still our 1-Up boy.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie foregoes a focus on plot in favor of colorful characters, visuals, and humor. While the film's rapid pace may leave older viewers exhausted, the film's likable cast, enjoyable scenes, and faithfulness to the Mario franchise's identity is sure to please both children and adult fans.

[squash1]

[croaken-the-oaken]

“The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2023” Review: It Wasn’t Mid

***1 or 2 spoilers but not really***

Another video game movie. And this time, it’s starring Mario Mario, Mr. Video Game, himself. The Internet is shook. Nintendo, teaming with Illumination. It could very well set the standard for video game movies to follow. One thing is clear, all eyes are on this movie. 

My sister was especially excited for it. Me, I told myself I was watching out of obligation, since I didn’t want to miss out on the newest of the turbulent fancies of the Internet.

A number of doubts mixed with potential had settled in. Adapting movies from video games isn’t a terrible concept. It depends on the series. But this is Mario, what does he bring to the table? A colorful world and character list and, for two things. Then there’s the studio that infected the world with Minions. While Illumination falls back to safe tactics when it comes to storytelling and humor, they do have the talent in animation, and I knew the looming eyes of Shigeru Miyamoto-san would not allow the Mario movie to be less than amazing.

With all the factors to consider, my expectations were firmly set to “mid, at least.”

After watching, my conclusion is “Better than mid. Dare I say, good. Great, even.”.

It’s a movie. Actually, no, it’s a MOVIE! You got character arcs and motivations. You got worldbuilding. You got colorful graphics and settings. You got references sprinkled on like it’s a cupcake, even down to the background music. You get to see Mama Mia and Papa Pia!

It takes the loose bits and pieces of Mario canon, strings them together and retools them to make another thing, old but new, as is to be expected. Brooklynese Mario, brotherly bonds, Bowser’s love life, action Peach, power-ups as a power system, Kong society, etc. The narrative never strays far from its roots, and no one was asking it to.

On the off-chance someone has never heard of “the Super Mario Bros.” what are they left with? A quick romp through peculiar kingdoms and bright setpieces and nonsensical architecture, the adventure of a determined everyman searching for his bro, a corny yet actively threatening villain, a kart-racing monkey tribe, and a classic moral theme of not giving up so you can say your kid learned something from this experience.

Also, the more typical Illumination-esque quirks are few and far between, and it’s tolerable. The pop-music? Fine. Passable. They fit their moments well enough. The jokes land more often than not and don’t rely on cheap tactics. When the water started bubbling around Mario and Donkey Kong, I completely expected one of them to say “it wasn’t me”. But they didn’t, and I appreciate that. Nihilistic Luma was a bit forced, though.

The movie is fast-paced and doesn’t linger too long on characters’ low moments. It keeps the momentum going, but it doesn’t allow the more dramatic parts much time to sink in. I didn’t find it to be overwhelming, though I imagine this could be off-putting for some. I propose this kinetic pace is a byproduct of its source.

Miyamoto’s general philosophy of “gameplay-first, story-second” is a big contributor to Nintendo’s success—it makes good games. The problem is a lot of people mistake “second” for “last”. The neat part of the video game medium is that gameplay and story needn’t always grow at the other’s expense. One can reinforce the other. The man knows this, and this philosophy carries over into the Mario movie.

Rather than adapt a minimalistic-story game franchise into a movie, they adapted the movie into a game of how many secrets you can find in a given shot as the story progresses. We’re tugged along a guided tour of Mario legacy, and the world invites us over to be active participants and challenges us to eyeball every reference poking out from behind each corner.

It helps that it’s one of those good movies where the references and cameos have a reason to exist beyond being there. Is it a backdrop? That’s certified worldbuilding, baby. Is it at the forefront? It probably serves a primary purpose in the scene. It means the difference between respecting and insulting the viewer’s intelligence, and the film respects its viewers, whether a reference manifests as a generalized fun moment or as a reward for long-time fans.

They set out to create a lighthearted run through Mario’s world with emotional beats as checkpoints, and that’s what they made. It has its quirks, but I enjoyed myself, and it made my sister happy.

If one thing is true, it's that it is indeed the Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Rating: A Mario Time / 5

[sparkie96]

So, I just finished watching this movie and I actually really enjoyed it! The voice acting was actually surprisingly well done, even Chris Pratt's acting (which I low-key doubted when they first announced him as Mario).

Despite it's short length, the plot was well paced and the movie itself was entertaining. The music choices and soundtrack gave me serious nostalgia and had me and my sister dancing in our seats. There was a lot of elements and Characters from the various Mario Games over the years jammed packed into one in a way that actually worked. Overall, it was a fun and enjoyable watch, and I definitely recommend it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Stars

[bdzonthareel]

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Who doesn’t love nostalgia? That’s a trick question, because clearly Hollywood does! It’s big business and makes them big bucks! And there are very few IPs that rake in the dough like Super Mario! And the perfect animation studio to embody the capitalist venture of a film and eventual cinematic universe, was the ones responsible for the cinematic blight that is the minions franchise! ILLUMINATION!

So the question is are they two great tastes that taste great together, or is it a perfectly stew ruined by the wrong ingredients? (It’s the latter, but let me tell you why The Super Mario Bros. Movie is just there.)

So Mario and Luigi get sucked into a portal whisking them away to the Mushroom Kingdom, where they have to stop King Bowser’s universal campaign of domination.

Visually, it’s some of Illumination’s best work; it’s full of the seizure inducing bright lights that the franchise is known for. But with the house that the plumber built fitting the bill, I would expect nothing less.

The music was amazing too, the arrangements of Koji Kondo’s iconic scores were virtually untouched.

There weren’t much in the way of stand out performances

The cast was fine, Anya Taylor-Joy phoned in a rather milquetoast performance.

And Chris Pratt was in the movie.

Charlie Day, Keegan Michael Key and Seth Roger, were a lot of fun to hear performing their roles.

But I am almost certain that Jack Black through his back out carrying this movie. It was top tier cheese *chef’s kiss*

Jack Black is the movie’s real hero!

Gosh I almost forgot to talk about rest of the film, and there’s a good reason for that. The “minds” behind Teen Titans Go! Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic did what they do best, make cinematic junk food for 8 year olds.

I found myself cherry picking concepts from better kids’ films, including the final battle.

I didn’t expect much going into this, so there’s that and I feel like the plethora of fan service moments were insincere at best.

In a world where movies like Sonic the Hedgehog and Detective Pikachu exist, there’s absolutely no excuse for low hanging fruit like this.

I give The Super Mario Bros. Movie a very generous

2.5 out of 5

[merveloyd]

(late) Thoughts on The Mario Movie

*Don’t know why I expected big lore revelations about the Mario world, it’s just a fun and dumb Mario game in movie form

*Everything from the games is completely canon and actually exists

*It has an original joke about eating mushrooms!

*Bowser’s troops wanted to destroy The Mushroom Kingdom just for the fun of it, they had no idea he wanted to do it for romantic reasons

*Toad just sort of forcefully inserted himself into the adventure but he seems capable enough and no-one minds it much so it’s okay

*Luigi is the kidnapped princess in this one!

*DK RAP BABY!!!

*Blue shell backstory explained

*Pinocchio reference

*King bob-omb is dead

*Banzai Bills are terrifying when they change expressions, before that I thought their face was just painted on, it’s not

*The Hurry Up! sound plays in the credits! Though it makes me unreasonably mad that it didn’t play exactly on the final 100 seconds, I counted