On Apr. 5, 2023, Nintendo, Universal Pictures, and Illumination put the world’s favorite plumber on the big screen. For the first time since 1985, Super Mario and other beloved video game characters got a movie solely about them. Within the first two weeks of its release, it garnered over 508 million dollars in the box office, a 59% score on rotten tomatoes, a 7.4/10 (and the top movie on IMDB’s top 100).

Overall, the movie had phenomenal visuals. The big screen did Mario and Luigi the justice that they deserved as the face of Nintendo. On top of looking good, it had a simple, fairly paced, yet still enjoyable plot, and a cast of characters featuring Seth Rogan, Chris Pratt, Jack Black, Anya Taylor-Joy, among other big names. 

I expected it would be hard to focus on the actual movie with all of these big actors on screen, however it wasn’t a major takeaway from the film. I could look past the actors and view the film for what it was. Other students, such as junior Joshua Wang, happened to agree. “It didn’t really take me out of the movie, they seemed like the characters they were. It didn’t really interfere with my perception of the movie,” Wang said. 

The movie also paid homage to several other Mario games, featuring music pieces, and characters such as Luma and Yoshi, and even referencing gameplay mechanics. The movie included a scene in which the characters race along rainbow road, the most infamous track from the game Mario Kart. 

The film wasn’t without its flaws however, there were times when the comedy of the movie felt too frequent, out of place, and unwelcomed. When the comedy did land however, it brought laughs around the theater and a smile to faces. Another fault of the movie was that the final battle was a bit anticlimactic, but not bad by any means. 

In conclusion, it isn’t the perfect movie. But, it’s far from bad. I believe that critics are being too rough on the film. I don’t think it’s meant to be taken as seriously as it is. I see it as a fun way to spend an hour and a half on a not so busy day. The big names featured in acting roles and the popular main characters, on top of vibrant scenes and sounds makes it very accessible to all ages/interests, prompting me to rate the movie an 8/10. 

What’s more important than what I think, is what the voices of State High have to say. Most seemed to agree, saying that the movie wasn’t meant to be taken seriously, and was just meant to be a fun time.

“I thought the movie was really fun, it didn’t try to take itself too seriously. There wasn’t much plot but it was a lot of fun to watch,” Wang said. Wang gave the movie a 9/10, with his favorite character being Donkey Kong. Freshman Isaiah Vasquez gave the movie an 8/10 with his favorite character being Bowser. Overall, the students of State High seem to agree that the movie is worth a watch.