Movies
I'm not too big on nostalgia, but Mario has been in the background for pretty much my entire life, so I was willing to make an exception and go along with it. Even for nostalgia fodder, this was pretty terrible though. What I got from this film is an American reimagination of the Mario franchise, complete with a deplorable 80s pop soundtrack. My brain just melted when I heard ELO, a-ha, and AC/DC blaring through the speakers. There are some familiar tunes, and a bunch of very basic IP references (tanuki & cat suit, power-ups, and the like), but you don't have to be a big franchise fan to recognize them. The only thing that gave me slight chills was the Kid Icarus bit, not even a Mario reference. They're also very lazy, in that they are just there, plain and simple, nothing about the references was handled with wit or creativity. I hated the Americanized/Illumination treatment, was disappointed they didn't do more with the art style, and disliked the loud/shouty nature of the film. This was just a US CG animation, only with some Mario memorabilia thrown in for good measure. Yuck.Read all