Video games have excited people of all ages for over half a century. Potentially the most popular of them all is “Super Mario” by Nintendo. The Mario video game franchise has sold more than 830 million units worldwide. There have been hundreds of spin-offs and different versions of the game, such as “Mario Kart” and “Super Smash Bros,” bringing entertainment to millions around the world. 

Now, Universal Studios has taken on the challenge of compiling the legacy of Mario and all of its history into one movie. This is an ambitious task, yet they could not have done a better job. 

The movie starts off with Bowser, the portrayed villain of the Super Mario Bros, destroying the penguin kingdom. He obtained a magical superstar and became invincible, setting him up to be the main antagonist. From this point, I could tell how the entire movie was going to go and I knew it was going to be amazing because the plot was perfect. 

The movie then transitions to Mario and Luigi, who live in the real world in Brooklyn, working as plumbers. One day, they go to check some pipes underground, and they get sucked in by a magical pipe, an homage to the pipes in the real Super Mario Bros game. They travel through space to another dimension and begin their journey of stopping Bowser and protecting the Mushroom Kingdom. 

This movie’s well-constructed plot and widespread appeal made it a worldwide success. The Mario movie has grossed under 1.23 billion dollars worldwide and had the biggest opening weekend for an animated film ever. 

Not only was the plot of the movie itself amazing, but the cast was also spectacular. With Jack Black as Bowser, Chris Platt as Mario and Seth Rogan as Donkey Kong, the lineup could not be any better. 

The comedy of the movie is spectacular as well. Not only does it have action, but it has many scenes that even made me, a high school student, crack up. The directors slipped hidden features relating to the real Super Mario Bros. game and things you wouldn’t expect at all, making the movie more entertaining. 

Throughout the movie, there were characters and scenes that I recognized from the original game such as Toad, Princess Peach and the iconic rainbow road. If you’re a Mario fan, this movie is not one to miss. However, you don’t have to have played Mario to love this movie. 

The best part about this movie is its broad appeal. It is family friendly, so kids are able to watch and enjoy it. Yet it is also for older people, people who remember playing Mario as a kid or even people who just like a good movie. I would recommend this movie to literally anyone as it is one of the best animated movies I’ve ever seen.