“The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” rated PG, is a 2023 animated film based on the iconic Super Mario series. The film received a great amount of attention when it was initially announced due to its strange star studded cast, featuring actors such as Chris Pratt, Jack Black, Charlie Day,  and Seth Rogan. However, having many celebrity actors does not equal a good film, and film adaptations of video games in particular have a history of being horrible. Even the Mario Bros series has been guilty of this in the past with the 1993 “Super Mario Bros ” movie being a critical and financial failure. Many fans were weary that the film wouldn’t be faithful to the series, or it would fall into many of the cliches that children’s animated films are guilty of. But I’m happy to report that the “Super Mario Bros. Movie” is great family fun while remaining entirely faithful to its source material. 

The story begins with Mario and Luigi working together as plumbers in Brooklyn, before an accident with a water pipe separates them, with Mario landing in the mushroom kingdom ruled by Princess Peach, and Luigi landing in the Dark Lands, ruled by the evil Bowser. Bowser seeks to marry Princess Peach, and captures Luigi in order to lure Mario to him, as he sees Mario as competition for Peach’s love. Princess Peach plans to ally with the Kong’s alongside Mario in order to save Luigi and stop Bowser.

The film is filled to the brim with references and cameos from characters throughout the lifespan of the mario series, appealing to both longtime fans and those newer to the series. Of course there is the obvious reference to the “Mario Kart” series and “Donkey Kong” series, but more subtle references are also on display, such as the presence of Foreman Spike, a character from the game “Wrecking Crew”. The references are not purely visual however, a wide variety of music from throughout the Mario series is utilized. From the obvious usage of the iconic “Mario Theme” composed by Koji Kondo to the “Super Mario Galaxy 2 Theme” composed by Mahito Yokota, there are plenty of references to the games iconic music. The intro of the film even makes a subtle nod to the opening theme of the “Super Mario Bros Super Show.” 

The cast of the film also puts in a great amount of work and personality into each of their respective characters, with Jack Black’s Bowser being the most notable performance. While Chris Pratt seemed like a strange pick to play Mario, he ended up not being too distracting. But other than tons of references and celebrity voice actors, the movie doesn’t have a lot else going on, which is totally fine. With a fun family movie like this, a complicated plot isn’t really necessary. The movie knows what it does well and sticks to that, and remains a fun family experience throughout, with plenty to enjoy for all age groups.