The Super Mario Bros. Movie

At its best, The Super Mario Bros. Movie works as an animated film that puts tone and performance ahead of empty explanation. Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, it leans on Chris Pratt and Anya Taylor Joy to give the material a human centre. At story level, Brooklyn, Mario and Luigi shape the central setup, but the later turns are best left for the film to reveal. The result has a recognisable personality from the opening stretch.

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Its visual design does more than decorate the story. Expressive movement and well timed reactions carry much of the personality, while the voice cast supplies the warmth needed to stop the film becoming a purely technical exercise. The approach works in patches rather than as a complete whole. Several scenes find the right tone, and the cast occasionally lifts the material above its more predictable instincts. Elsewhere, the pacing loosens and the film seems uncertain about which idea deserves priority.

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The cast gives the review its clearest reason to stay engaged. Chris Pratt handles the central pressure with a welcome sense of specificity, while Anya Taylor Joy finds personality in moments that could have served only the plot. Charlie Day adds another distinct rhythm to the ensemble. Their chemistry matters because the screenplay sometimes relies on familiar shapes; performance supplies the texture that the structure cannot provide by itself.

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Thematically, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is interested in identity, belonging and the difficult step of deciding who you are when other people have already supplied an answer. The visual freedom makes those ideas accessible, but the emotional value comes from recognisable uncertainty beneath the colour and movement. The film is most persuasive when these ideas emerge from behaviour rather than speeches. That additional layer gives the story more purpose than a sequence of familiar genre beats, even if every implication is not explored with equal depth.

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Visually, the film benefits from a clear relationship between design and storytelling. Colour, framing and movement guide attention instead of competing for it, while the editing generally preserves a sense of place. The sound work adds scale without flattening quieter details, which helps the larger moments feel like part of the same film as the intimate ones.

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The main problem is that the film keeps signalling effects it has not fully earned. Emotional turns arrive before the relationships have enough texture, while the pacing alternates between hurry and drift. The result is watchable, but frustratingly close to being better.

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The Super Mario Bros. Movie is difficult to recommend without qualifications. There are good performances and worthwhile ideas, but the execution remains uneven. Curious animation fans looking for visual personality as well as an accessible story may still find enough to enjoy.