Yes, this is the perfect film for parents with kids on Spring Break. It is super colorful, with a lot of cute characters along interacting with Mario and his plumbing brother Luigi getting into all kinds of action-packed animated adventures, this time in space. Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic direct, once again, with writer Matthew Fogel keeping the characters chattering away.
There are plenty of sight gags to keep the kids interested, but beware parents, this is one big video game scenario based on the 2007 video game by the same name that may have your kids begging for all kinds of new merch.
The cast is filled with familiar voices including Chris Pratt and Charlie Day back as Mario and Luigi. Brie Larson is outer space Princess Rosalina, and Anya Taylor-Joy as her long-lost sister Princess Peach. Jack Black is Bowser with Benny Safdie as Bowser Jr., King and Prince of the Koopas. Glenn Powell was a late add as the voice of space pilot Fox McCloud, but it’s Yoshi, the green dinosaur creature voiced by Donald Glover to whom the kids will pay a lot of attention.
This is the second time Brian Tyler composed a score the a Super Mario Bros. movie which bounces off the tunes and sound effects of the video game. The 2023 film hit $160 million domestically and a total of $350 million worldwide. Can this film bring in more? There are lots of references to the past films and games.
The action is pretty repetitive as the characters get into lots of colorful chaos. Some situations could be scary for little ones, but this film will do well. It’s 90 minutes of continuous action in bright hues, and parents will get a bit of a respite.
Universal Pictures 1 hour and 38 minutes PG
