The Super Mario Bros Movie is more concerned with commercialization than a story. There's blunt dialogue, bland comedy, absent tension, filler, a confused tone, conveniences, insincere drama, flat characters, no motivation, McGuffins, a thin plot, and predictability. Maybe it's true to the games but this almost doesn't qualify as a movie. Its beginning/middle/end with a defined conflict is about all the script has. Meanwhile, the voice acting is boring. Black and Rogen have some fun, but Pratt and Taylor-Joy provide sterile personalities. Video games are inherently interactive while films must create emotional connections. On that front, Mario Bros is a disengaging miss.
Technically, Mario Bros is a corporate product. Its energetic but shallow imagery uses motion, framing, brightness, and some composition. The CGI is adequately detailed. Its editing offers smash cuts, jump cuts, slo-mo, cross cuts, and montages, yet its pacing is rushed. The superficial sound adds some stings, emphasis, action, and recognizable bites. Its overdone music combines obvious pop hits and generic ambiance with established Mario tunes. The cast has underutilized and nonfactor stars. Finally, its production design simply stuffs in merchandising without a single creative thought. Overall, Mario Bros is frustratingly safe, stifling its animated world into a stale advertisement.
Writing: 2/10
Direction: 3/10
Cinematography: 7/10
Acting: 4/10
Editing: 6/10
Sound: 6/10
Score/Soundtrack: 5/10
Production Design: 5/10
Casting: 6/10
Effects: 7/10
Overall Score: 5.1/10
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