The first reviews for The Super Mario Bros. Movie have landed ahead of its theatrical premiere on April 7, and critics appear to be split on whether Nintendo should start developing a sequel straight away or kick its iconic plumber back to the confines of its popular video game systems. Over on Rotten Tomatoes, The Super Mario Bros. Movie from Universal Pictures and Illumination Studios is listed with a 54% Tomatometer Score at the time of this posting, alluding to an animated film that leans more toward rotten than good. According to some of the top critics who hated it, Mario fans who are willing to give the 92-minute movie a shot should prepare themselves for “one long commercial” that’s “disappointing,” just like the 1993 live-action film. Chris Pratt, who returns as Star-Lord next month in Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, provided the voice for Mario.
From an Illumination Studios description:
From Nintendo and Illumination comes a new animated film based on the world of Super Mario Bros. Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic (collaborators on Teen Titans Go!, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies) from a screenplay by Matthew Fogel (The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, Minions: The Rise of Gru), the film stars Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek and Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike. The Super Mario Bros. Movie only in theaters April 7, 2023.
