Feeling like little more than 90 solid minutes of over-the-top mayhem and the thinnest plot this side of a nursery rhyme, this kiddie film based on the video game franchise is the very definition of ‘eh’. Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Jack Black lead the voice cast (as Mario, Peach, and Bowser respectively) in what amounts to a love-triangle flick with lots of pretty colors and non-stop fights, chases, and explosions. If you’re under ten, you’ll have a ball. Anyone else will be relegated to the occasional chuckle at the dozens of Easter Eggs, including callbacks to the original Donkey Kong video game and the dreaded Rainbow Road map in Mario Kart.
2.5/5 stars