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This is how I expected this thread to play out. People are shocked, and now folks who "totally knew this film would get raked across the coals" are showing up out of the weeds.
Nothing these critics are saying is surprising me much, except for that licensed music, I really was hoping Illumination wouldn't do that. Oh well. Well, when it comes to the reviews I care about, being the more game centric ones the praise it damn glowing. This looks to really be the Mario experience I've wanted for years!
For what it’s worth, in the couple (game centric) discussions I listened to, they actually seemed to mostly like the use of the licensed tracks. But yeah, I agree, I was hoping they would just stick to Mario/original score stuff. Heck, I didn’t even think Nintendo would let them go the licensed music route, but I’ll see how it hits when I see it for myself. (Luckily it sounds like there are also a lot of great Mario tracks in there.)
Well, when it comes to the reviews I care about, being the more game centric ones the praise it damn glowing. This looks to really be the Mario experience I've wanted for years!
Couldn’t agree more. Not to mention the audience score on RT is currently sitting at 98%. I’d assume a lot of people who’ve seen it already are fans/enthusiasts, and as someone spending my time on Famiboards, I feel they’re probably “my people.”
I mean, those are just harmless funny movies.
People likes then so... let people enjoy stuff??. I guess.
Despicable me and 2 are pretty ok even if i as a mexican roll my eyes at 2 but a like them just fine and Minios is ok rise of Gru less so but whatever if people like that kind of stuff good and if people hate them to fine but why waste your life hating something to the point of not let others enjoy.
Fine by me, you can dislike it but let others enjoy without calling them out i suppose.
And even myself haven't watched so hopefully this night i do and if the movie is good awful pice of capitalist dogshit made by capitalist Satan like some of the reviews say it is i will say it even if i liked.
When it comes to movies at least, I guess. Even if something is poorly done on many levels, just seeing Foreman Spike on the big screen may be enough for some people to call it good!
To a lot of media to not just movies.
If it is for them cool call it the best movie ever.
God somehow i don't want this movie to do sooo good at the box office because the internet discourse will evolve into a monstrous mix of modern Pokémon and Paper Mario/RPG Mario/ Miyamoto evolution.
Oh the shivers.
4chan memes aren't cool here at Famiboards, and neither is using 'soy' as a way to denigrate people. Please refrain. - Red Monster, VolcanicDynamo, Josh5980
The movie was quite good I'd say, definitely not something I'd see multiple times nor something I'd waste hours online discussing either.
I am quite happy it wasn't a movie targeted to "the two soyjaks pointing at references from 90s". Pleasantly surprised by the amount of modern/contemporary Mario references.
It is a no holding back, quintessential Mario Movie, where you will find so much enjoyment if you even have an iota of knowledge of Mario. I loved it, and I honestly think anyone on this board will at least like it.
I far more appreciate the direction of this over the Sonic Movie. This is a quintessential Mario Movie, in that it actually promotes the main theme of the original Mario Bros.
Yes I have, thanks for asking, and they reiterated that my main concern that I was preemptively worried might happen, that this would be a hollow ready player 1 style list of references is a trap the movie fell in to. There's nothing I hate more in writing than something designed to target the "1000 Easter eggs in the Mario movie" Youtuber crowd instead of just making a decent narrative and letting the film happen naturally. That's how you get shit like rise of Skywalker.
I'm probably still going to see it, and the only reason I'm not doing so tonight is I got a chest infection (ha, jokes on me for thinking a science conference would have had people taking health seriously last week...), But I'm very much glad to be able to set my expectations accordingly.
Agreed to disagree.
I mean everyone has a different take and concept on decent.
And i prefer a hollow plot with good visuals and callbacks than whatever the heck Lightyear was supposed to be with that deep no thank you.
And that has a 74% on rt, as long it's "deep" or attempts to be you get cookie points by this guys it seems fun and a good time be damned.
I hope you find some light on it and something to like in the movie if not good to.
As an Italian American, seeing the Mario Bros function almost identically to my family is just wonderful. I love that they gave Mario his core identity back. And the fact that my dad is a plumber too, it just brings me the warm fuzzies.
And I say, let people NOT enjoy things! If it's bad, I will tell others that it is bad and explain why! They're free to tell me otherwise. I see nothing wrong with this.
The theater definitely had a lot of people despite me deliberately choosing a place and hour that I knew is usually empty. Obviously no one can read the future but I do think this has a good shot at making a massive number of dollarydoos.
It seems like there's going to be a major disconnect between critics and the audience for this movie, just like the other Illumination movies. Everyone I've seen other than critics have enjoyed the movie.
It seems like there's going to be a major disconnect between critics and the audience for this movie, just like the other Illumination movies. Everyone I've seen other than critics have enjoyed the movie.
Just finished watching like an hour ago. Felt like I was 8 years old recognizing all the references (am 20, so young but still). I do think if I had one critique, it would be to make the plot a little longer, but at the same time I think it was good enough to be at this length. I heard a lot of kids in the theater loved the movie, which for some reason made me feel so hopeful. Was the first time people actually clapped at the end of the movies at least from where I’m from, and I’ve watched quite a bit of movies.
Ultimately what also made it better was bringing a couple of friends so that you can all geek out at the references and the hilarious moments in the movie.
Now not to say it didn’t have other flaws, but imo they were very little and it’s really subjective but Nintendo did a fantastic job all around the board. Good 9.8/10 (totally not going off the audience review score of 98% here). Gonna definitely rewatch again but this time with the fam, would totally recommend to others.
I enjoyed it a lot, fortunately the time I chose to watch it was pretty much lonely (it's vacation time right now so the city has less people) so no distractions. Really is a journey through time with all the references and the musical score was also very good. It's what I expected from a Mario movie (not like the 93 one lol, I remember being dissapointed for like a week) .
Also maybe I'm the minority but I really appreciate it's length. Straight to the point with no time lost. They could have gone for some more background on some of the characters but it's very clear that wasn't their idea, they just want to show Mario and Co doing stuff
And I say, let people NOT enjoy things! If it's bad, I will tell others that it is bad and explain why! They're free to tell me otherwise. I see nothing wrong with this.
This is how I expected this thread to play out. People are shocked, and now folks who "totally knew this film would get raked across the coals" are showing up out of the weeds.
Nothing these critics are saying is surprising me much, except for that licensed music, I really was hoping Illumination wouldn't do that. Oh well. Well, when it comes to the reviews I care about, being the more game centric ones the praise it damn glowing. This looks to really be the Mario experience I've wanted for years!
Not gonna lie it's funny how you criticize people for saying "I knew the critics would hate it," and then in the next sentence you say "I knew the critics would hate it."
No. I must remind people that it's okay to criticize people who are criticizing people for criticizing people for criticizing the movie. It's important to me for some reason!!!!
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. Shame on the man of cultivated taste who permits refinement to develop into fastidiousness that unfits him for doing the rough work of a workaday world. Among the free peoples who govern themselves there is but a small field of usefulness open for the men of cloistered life who shrink from contact with their fellows. Still less room is there for those who deride of slight what is done by those who actually bear the brunt of the day; nor yet for those others who always profess that they would like to take action, if only the conditions of life were not exactly what they actually are. The man who does nothing cuts the same sordid figure in the pages of history, whether he be a cynic, or fop, or voluptuary. There is little use for the being whose tepid soul knows nothing of great and generous emotion, of the high pride, the stern belief, the lofty enthusiasm, of the men who quell the storm and ride the thunder. Well for these men if they succeed; well also, though not so well, if they fail, given only that they have nobly ventured, and have put forth all their heart and strength. It is war-worn Hotspur, spent with hard fighting, he of the many errors and valiant end, over whose memory we love to linger, not over the memory of the young lord who "but for the vile guns would have been a valiant soldier."
Sounds like the social media intern can now post "96% AUDIENCE SCORE! A CINEMASCORE! PLEASE DO NOT CHECK THE METACRITIC I'VE HEARD THAT SITE GIVES YOU uuuhhh VIRUSES NOW"
Watched the movie yesterday and it was great. Also I LOVED the German voice cast (Peach was a little weaker, but still fine). Also German had propbably the best casting for Donkey Kong I ever heard. LOVED Marios Gavrilis on him.
Like promised, here's my more detailed impressions, cross-quoting from the Roost OT of the movie. Should be spoiler-free, save for the spoiler-tagged parts of course.
So, going to post my longer impressions after yesterday evening.
I liked it a lot. Same goes for the fam, even my eldest, the grumpy teenage girl. Might prolly see it again with the two younger ones over the easter holidays.
Since we went to my "go to" cinema where i know a few people, i've asked how the movie does, and was told that the showings were all good full up to next week.
Our showing was packed too. To my surprise, not many children (it was a 7:45pm showing), very mixed audience. There were the videogame nerds (including me), some old folks who didn't look like they ever had a controller in their hands and so on.
Now first, about the flaws. They are there and i want some adressed.
1. Pacing
The pacing was TOO FAST, hot damn. There way to few instances where the movie is allowed to breath.
They should've slapped some 10 minutes on the runtime and just have some sections expanded to allow them to better work, or they should've cut down some bit.
Personally, i'd prefer the first option.
2. Character screentime
Some of the chars have, for me, not enough screentime. Further info in the following spoiler section.
3. Licensed music
While they were not totally off-putting, i feel like they were unnecessary. The Mario/DK OST archives have enough tracks that could've covered the parts where licensed music was used.
These are my main ones. They're not dramatic enough to give me a negative feeling, but they could've been avoided. For a game i would say "Could've used a liiiiiiiiittle bit more polishing close to the finish". ^^
In the end, for me, there's an overwhelming amount of positive things compared to a few nitpicks. Beatiful animation, how true it's to the source material, the easter eggs, the charming characters and their interaction with each other.
Bowser and Peach steal every scene they're in, DK is such a "dude" but also has some emotional sides. Mario's character and growth were also great.
The whole set of Mario chars were simply done great, main chars and the side characters.
We saw it with the german dub (because my youngest ones can't speak or understand english yet), but it's been a really really great dub work.
Mario, Luigi, Bowser and DK were spot on. Peach's german VA has some parts where the energy feels a bit too low, but she's done a very good job too.
Going into details, spoiler-tagged from here:
First about the character screentime flaw: It's about Luigi. He's important and present in the first part, but sadly falls behind when he got caught by Bowser's minions. Imo, they could've made the section longer where he hides himself from the DryBones in the abandoned castle. They could've done some "Luigi's Mansion Lite" here, instead of immediately being caught by the ShyGuys. The film has King Boo, as seen in the wedding part, why not use him more for the Luigi section?
The whole fam loved "Action Peach" (like my youngest daughter calls her now). It was great to see that she could've taken care of everything on her own, even when surrounded by Bowser and all his allies.
DK and Mario being "frenemies" was also great. The constant bickering between them was really funny, and it was charming to see how they both have something in common with being "disappointments" to their fathers.
DK hit a bit more there, though. Mario has Luigi, and yes also his mother, who're always there for him. DK only has Cranky Kong as close family, so it's of course more impactful that Cranky's kinda down on him. It does also explain his behaviour, always trying to get the crowd's favor, trying to never show weakness. "Just to be clear, i let you win!!!!!" ... indeed.
Loved Bowser being such an unhinged guy. Jack Black (and his german dub VA) were perfect castings for that.
Also, great music taste. I will always stan Hard Rock / Metal fans. His "Peaches" song(s) had the whole audience in tears during my showing. ^^
It also shows how much Jack Black was into the movie. As you can see in the credits, "Peaches" was written by him!
OST (outside of those unnecessary licensed songs) was AWESOME. The composer had a field day here. The medley during the first part of the credits gave me chills.
In the end it did feel that they went a bit too much on the safe side, though i wouldn't see that as a big(ger) flaw.
Though i wish and hope Nintendo and Illumination are a bit bolder for the inevitable sequel and "spin-off"-movies.
All in all, a very good movie. Not perfect, but we all had a great time with it.
I can understand that critics aren't on cloud 9 about the movie, but after seeing it, it definitely feels like quite a few reviews were unnecessarily harsh on it.
Especially compared to other Illumination films, and keep in mind that i have two younger kids so i've seen them all more than once, the kids, the Mrs. and I enjoyed it way more than some of those other movies.
If you're even slightly interested in the movie, go for it. I don't think you'd end up disappointed.
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. Shame on the man of cultivated taste who permits refinement to develop into fastidiousness that unfits him for doing the rough work of a workaday world. Among the free peoples who govern themselves there is but a small field of usefulness open for the men of cloistered life who shrink from contact with their fellows. Still less room is there for those who deride of slight what is done by those who actually bear the brunt of the day; nor yet for those others who always profess that they would like to take action, if only the conditions of life were not exactly what they actually are. The man who does nothing cuts the same sordid figure in the pages of history, whether he be a cynic, or fop, or voluptuary. There is little use for the being whose tepid soul knows nothing of great and generous emotion, of the high pride, the stern belief, the lofty enthusiasm, of the men who quell the storm and ride the thunder. Well for these men if they succeed; well also, though not so well, if they fail, given only that they have nobly ventured, and have put forth all their heart and strength. It is war-worn Hotspur, spent with hard fighting, he of the many errors and valiant end, over whose memory we love to linger, not over the memory of the young lord who "but for the vile guns would have been a valiant soldier."
Kinda hated it but it was very good. The characters are paper thin and are lacking any real arc but they're great adaptations from the games and exactly what was needed for this type of movie. It's a love letter to the fans but also offers a ton to people that know nothing about the Mario universe. Sadly, if you grew up with the games this movie, you've already seen most of it somewhere before. At the same time it's very inaccessible to new people. I loved how they used familiar tunes but I could have done without the mainstream songs. However, I was baffled by the decision to make it sound so close to the games instead of giving it its own identity (by adding more pop songs that non-Marioheads know, for example). Looking forward to finally watching it next week, or not.
I just saw the movie. I was very afraid to be disappointed, not only because I love Mario very much, but also because I have generally hated even recent commercially successful adaptations like Detective Pikatchu or Sonic.
What I'm about to say is a bit of a paradox, but I don't know if it's a good movie, even though I absolutely loved every minute of it. Anyone of any age in any part of the world who grew up with Mario will be wonderfully happy when they leave the theater. I was constantly smiling, my nephews were smiling, and overall in the theater both the adults and kids were just thrilled at the same time, which I thought was awesome and quite moving.
Why, after having such a good time, do I not know if it is good? Simply because I wonder if the collective joy really comes from the movie for what it is or if it comes from the fact that a ridiculous amount of children and adults in the world are just emotionally so much attached to Mario. In other words, do the storyline and the characters make it a good movie beyond being amazingly faithful to the license (which is an admirable achievement)?
I loved the characters. All of them. Not just for all the references, but because unlike in the Sonic movie, their motivations and their ability to evoke empathy -even Bowser- felt coherent. But the movie is really short, which necessarily limits the development. I think it would be interesting to have the opinion of someone who has never played any Mario in his life. The problem is that it's very hard to find in 2023.
I know you're joking, but one thing surprised me when I read and watched some reviews in the French press after seeing the film: some are very negative, insisting specifically on the bad quality of the writing and the plot -and this may be legitimate,- . But those considerations are absolutely not taken into account when the exact same journalists give their opinion on, let say, any Marvel movie, for example. Maybe I'm missing something about the breathtaking narrative qualities of these kind of productions.
Like promised, here's my more detailed impressions, cross-quoting from the Roost OT of the movie. Should be spoiler-free, save for the spoiler-tagged parts of course.
Nice, thanks for sharing your impressions. I didn’t read the spoiler section, but the rest seems pretty in line with other “reviews” from Mario fans. The wait for me is getting harder and harder! Really glad to hear you and the family ended up having a good time, Bonejack!
I just saw the movie. I was very afraid to be disappointed, not only because I love Mario very much, but also because I have generally hated even recent commercially successful adaptations like Detective Pikatchu or Sonic.
What I'm about to say is a bit of a paradox, but I don't know if it's a good movie, even though I absolutely loved every minute of it. Anyone of any age in any part of the world who grew up with Mario will be wonderfully happy when they leave the theater. I was constantly smiling, my nephews were smiling, and overall in the theater both the adults and kids were just thrilled at the same time, which I thought was awesome and quite moving.
Why, after having such a good time, do I not know if it is good? Simply because I wonder if the collective joy really comes from the movie for what it is or if it comes from the fact that a ridiculous amount of children and adults in the world are just emotionally so much attached to Mario. In other words, do the storyline and the characters make it a good movie beyond being amazingly faithful to the license (which is an admirable achievement)?
I loved the characters. All of them. Not just for all the references, but because unlike in the Sonic movie, their motivations and their ability to evoke empathy -even Bowser- felt coherent. But the movie is really short, which necessarily limits the development. I think it would be interesting to have the opinion of someone who has never played any Mario in his life. The problem is that it's very hard to find in 2023.
So I have an honest question, as I’ve seen this sentiment expressed multiple times. In the end, does it really matter if it met whatever preconceived definition you have on what makes a “good” movie? You loved the movie. An entire theater of people you experienced it with had a collective joy/thrill that felt palpable to you. Based off your own experiences, you think others will leave the theater feeling “wonderfully happy.” I wonder if it is possible that maybe whatever this is, it is also “good,” but just…different “good?”
Sure, the fanbase definitely brings a baked-in bias and decades of goodwill into the theater with them, but maybe deftly handling a unique position like that is something that should be looked at as an achievement? (Which you also pointed out it.)
Anyway, I guess for me, if this movie ends up making me feel elated in a way other movies don’t (regardless of the reasons behind it,) I’ll take that experience over what I traditionally considered a “good” movie any day. They obviously will have done something incredibly right, so maybe my definition of “good” will even expand somewhat.
That said, I feel like they can only get away with that this one time. Like I mentioned, I believe this is a really unique situation that this movie is in, and that won’t be as true for the next. By many accounts, they stuck the landing when it came to meeting/exceeding the expectations Mario fans had for an adaptation. Many of us have spent our entire lives loving this universe and it’s awesome that they wanted to honor that. The next one needs to build on (and passed) that and really allow these great characters to shine. It sounds like the casting choices and portrayals are pretty great, so give them something meaty to chew on in a story that has some room to breathe. I don’t think adding another 15-20 minutes onto the runtime is going to scare many people off. (Of course, this is all hypothetical for me because I don’t even see the movie until tomorrow.)
Most of this is all in lock-step with the things you said, so I apologize for kind of rehashing things, I’m just bored and excited. But anyway, really cool to hear your thoughts on the movie and I wonder if I’ll land in the same spot as you. Glad you and your nephews had a great time!
I hope you have a good time too and frankly I don't doubt it! Everything you say is very relevant and interesting. You are right: there is not only one way to be "good", and people have the right to be happy without necessarily having to put their joy in perspective.
If you're an adult (who is probably more critical about storytelling in movies) then your enjoyment probably hinges on how big of a Mario fan you are.
If you for example know the difference between Super Mario Bros. 1 and Super Mario Bros. 3 ... you'll have a good time. This movie is for kids and for grown ups who are really into the Mario universe and will appreciate how close the movie is to the games.
If you're in the "I know Mario, and have played one of the games for a bit" but much more casual about Mario and you're expecting this movie to hold your hand and make you understand the Mario universe in the way that like Marvel does with characters like Iron Man or Ant Man (where big chunks of the audience don't really know them like say Spider-Man) ... you probably are on the side of the fence that will be disappointed because the movie is really not interested in explaining anything or building emotional investment into anything. It doesn't stop to breathe or flesh out characters.
The Mario Movie has gotten an A as it's cinema score.
Kind of showing an absolute huge divide between critics and actual people.
I may have lost the bet, but let me just say that I really don't think critics were at all looking for the right things. There's actually an interesting article on how Boomer city movie reviewers are on.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie arrived with somewhat middling critic scores, just a 54% on Rotten Tomatoes right now, lower than both previous Sonic the Hedgehog films, with the generalized complaint that the movie is “shallow.”
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But anyway, really cool to hear your thoughts on the movie and I wonder if I’ll land in the same spot as you. Glad you and your nephews had a great time!
