‘Mario’ movie packs fun, nostalgia

It’s likely that most of us have fond memories from our childhood of spending hours after school or on weekends playing video games featuring Nintendo’s most iconic character, Mario. I still remember the good old days when my cousin and I would be dropped off at my abuela’s house; we never wanted to leave because we were having such a great time.

After attending “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” on opening weekend, that same childhood nostalgia made me want to stay and watch it again. The best part was that I took my cousin I grew up with to watch the film, and we noticed multiple references to our childhood in the form of easter eggs sprinkled throughout the movie.

It was moments like these that served the right amount of nostalgia while still providing an original story.

The movie, starring Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Jack Black, and fellow Detroit Mercy Alumni Keegan-Michael Key, did an excellent job commerating the past. For example, Directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic cast the original voice of Mario, Charles Martinet, as Giuseppe, Mario and Luigi’s father. It was a nice way to give fans what they wanted (some were upset that Pratt’s voice didn’t sound like the Mario character they grew up with) and give Martinet his moment to shine.

The film was also able to successfully tell a new story, giving the audience more insight about Mario and Luigi as mushroom-eating plumbers and as two young men trying to be successful.

Despite critics like their old boss, villains and even their family, the film allowed us to see more distinct personalities between the brothers.

It also included other fan-favorite characters, including Bowser, Princess Peach and Toad, voiced by Jack Black, Anna Taylor-Joy, and Keegan-Michael Key, respectively.

So far, the movie’s been a hit.

It seems like you can’t scroll on social media for more than a few minutes without hearing Black’s original song “Peaches,” about Bowser’s love for the princess.

Variety recently announced that it is eligible for an Oscar for Best Original Song.

Key was also vocally expressive as Toad.

In an interview with Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show,” he discussed the film and how he could deliver the high-pitched voice he used for Toad.

The Detroit Mercy alum gave credit to his college cover band “Free Love Lemonade,” which eventually changed its name to “Trip Master Monkey.” The band, he said, would often perform at Grounds Coffeehouse, located in the basement of the UDM Student Union.

Overall, the cast came together to make this story a fun adventure.

It performed well at the box office, even over the Easter holiday weekend. To-date, it’s grossed over $600 million globally.

Although fans were skeptical of choices made on who was in the film, it paid off, and their ability to serve what the fans wanted to see and more, gave us more context on, and a deeper appreciation for, these characters we grew up with.