The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Review #2005: The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Cast: 

Chris Pratt (Mario), Anya Taylor-Joy (Princess Peach), Charlie Day (Luigi), Jack Black (Bowser), Keegan-Michael Key (Toad), Seth Rogen (Donkey Kong), Fred Armisen (Cranky Kong), Sebastian Maniscalco (Spike), and Kevin Michael Richardson (Kamek) Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic.

Review: 

Admittedly, waiting to watch a movie, particularly one that is projected to have plenty of viewers in theaters (as one would expect to do unless they are a streaming sucker), isn't the worst idea in the world. This goes double for a good chunk of films that could be watched by anybody, and it goes even more for a film based on a video game that I actually enjoy from time to time. You may remember that this is not the first film based on the video game series of the same name, as Hollywood Pictures had made Super Mario Bros. (released in May of 1993), a live-action movie that point blank sucked (spare me the cult classic argument). Nintendo has only allowed two of their franchises to be made into films, and the other is Pokémon (insert your joke here, since I know people who play it as adults), which with the exception of one (the 2019 detective spinoff one) are all animated. Of course, this is technically not the first animated Mario movie because of the 1986 anime Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach!- oh hell, let's just get to the other thing to briefly mention. You know, the only thing that I had hesitation with was not the fact that Pratt was cast as Mario. No, what I had a bone to pick with is one that is more of a recurring gripe that should be mentioned more for animated films: the gripe of seeing animated movies (whether made by someone like Pixar or not) that have very recognizable names voicing characters rather than familiar voice actors. Of course, as long as the movie isn't garbage like say, Shark Tale, this isn't much of a distraction, so feel free to remind me of name actors trying to play animation the next time it happens. The film is directed by Jelenic and Horvath, best known as developers of the animated series Teen Titans Go!

You know, it is at least interesting that video game movies have managed to seem a bit better in quality than what came out in the years around the new millennium. Anyway, the movie is fine. As with the Sonic the Hedgehog films (2020, 2022), it is pretty much exactly what it says on the tin, being fairly bright and charming that mildly goes to please everyone and doesn't stumble on most of the steps of the trip. As an animated film, it is the kind of colorful adventure that you would think would be in a film made by a studio in Illumination that I have seen exactly only one other film from them (Despicable Me). It is lightly plotted and lightly funny, which is totally fine, since not every movie is going to turn into a passioned debate over plot dynamics. It is evident that Pratt, alongside his name recognition, was picked because of the idea that he could play the role with blue-collar charm and heart. With that in mind, he does just fine. Given that Charles Martinet has voiced the character countless times in the last three decades, the best thing to be said for Pratt is that the two Marios are distinct without becoming a distraction, and Pratt makes a quality pair in terms of family chemistry with Day and his timid amusement. Taylor-Joy makes an assertive lead to make the proceedings interesting, as one would hope. How exactly does one judge Rogen when he has stated that "I don't do voices" when he is voicing a goofy gorilla? Let's put it this way: if you know and like Rogen, go right ahead, but if you want the tiniest bit more than just a name phoning it in, then, well, give me a break, because he gets outclassed by the warm goof in Key or even a real voice talent with Richardson. But at least Black makes a quality adversary, drawing most of the chuckles that balances might within delusions of grandeur that clearly made an effort to have fun with such a clear-cut role. You can't even say it is predictable because you pretty know what you are getting into with something that is meant to be honed for entertainment with general reference to its source material without doing half-baked renditions of what people think they want. The Mushroom Kingdom looks quite inviting, and the family story works just fine with the general adventure to make nobody seem extra, even if I could barely care for the idea of music veing used for montages (does the world really need a "Take on Me" usage?). As a whole, it is perfectly serviceable for an hour-and-a-half when it comes to fast-moving adventure that sets things up with patience while putting in little references that rewards those who care about such things without turning into a movie of goo. It invites the idea of another film without begging for it, which I would say is more than enough for a solid piece of entertainment.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Mortal Kombat.

Review #1670: Mortal Kombat.

Cast: 

Christopher Lambert (Lord Raiden), Robin Shou (Liu Kang), Linden Ashby (Johnny Cage), Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Shang Tsung), Bridgette Wilson (Sonya Blade), Talisa Soto (Kitana), Trevor Goddard (Kano), Chris Casamassa (Scorpion, with Ed Boon as voice), François Petit (Sub-Zero), Keith Cooke (Reptile), Tom Woodruff, Jr (Goro, with Kevin Michael Richardson as voice), Gregory McKinney (Jax), Kenneth Edwards (Art Lean), Stephen Ho (Chan), and Frank Welker (Shao Kahn; vocal efforts of Goro and Reptile) Directed by Paul W. S. Anderson.

Review: 

There is a certain inevitability to how certain movies come out, if you think about it, particularly if it fits the time and place. Mortal Kombat, released in 1995, certainly fits the bill in all the weird places when it comes to gloriously ridiculous entertainment. But before we get into all of that, why don't we have a little bit of details to the methods of madness. The video game was created by Ed Boon and John Tobias in 1992, which started as an idea with ninjas that at one point wanted to included Jean-Claude Van Damme (there were numerous influences, such as wuxia cinema and the video game Karate Champ); its use of digitized actors made it stand out among fighting games, which at the time was rocked by the success of Street Fighter II (Boon apparently described his intent to make a "MTV version" of that game, i.e. one that would be distinctly different from that game). Near release, Lawrence Kasanoff was on the trail as someone who had done merchandise promotion for Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) that included its arcade game, and when shown of the impending Mortal Kombat arcade, he was amazed by what he saw. Kasanoff saw the potential for a phenomenon, reportedly eyeing television shows and stage shows to go with movies, and he described it as "Star Wars meets Enter the Dragon" in the pitch to Midway, who were skeptical at first before agreeing after three months of negotiation for the rights. The doubts of its appeal were not completely unfounded: Super Mario Bros (1993), Double Dragon (1994) and Street Fighter (1994) made folks wary of that sort of intention in terms of audience appeal for video game movies. New Line Cinema, despite not liking the script (done by Kevin Droney), decided to let it go forward as a film. Paul Anderson (who added the W. S. later) had exactly one film credit to his name (along with writing for El C.I.D., a television comedy-drama), but Shopping (1994) certainly found someone to impress, since a screening at the agency office gave a chance for Anderson to enter the running. A native of Wallsend, Northumberland in England, this would be the first of a string of effects-driven films by the director (which includes the Resident Evil series), who had to learn about visual effects (which he did by reading any book he could on the subject) and fight scenes (which were choreographed by Pat E. Johnson). With a budget of $18 million, the amount of effects and choice of actors would be selective at times to adhere to what they could do, with Christopher Lambert being the most well-known of the cast (and he would've had less time on screen with their original plan of doing close-up shots in one place and then do wide shots of a double in Thailand, but Lambert decided to go with them to the chagrin of his agents). Believe it or not, the filmmakers actually had to add action scenes after they had finished enough to show for focus screenings, because they wanted more fight scenes (such as the Scorpion and Reptile fights). 

I do remember the games, mostly because my first experience with the series was Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, which I found pretty enjoyable in my college years (ah the joys of shopping for old games on GameStop) with its level of violence to go with fighting. Look, if you can't buy into a movie that yells its title out in the first ten seconds, I don't know how I can really convince you that this is one of the most curious average movies to ever come out of its era. Don't get me wrong, the movie has its flaws, most notably in its varying levels of cheese in the acting, but it surely will please those who thought Bloodsport (1988) was an inspiration, falling just a notch above that film with an inviting atmosphere that doesn't fall prey to all of the schlock qualities or overt self-seriousness that could have come from a less enthusiastic director and crew; remember, this is involving a tournament of fighters that have to beat a guy who needs to win just one more title (to make ten, which is done every generation that implies one has to win for at least three centuries) to take over the Earth in a movie that was aimed for a PG-13 crowd. It is an ensemble piece that is driven by the trio of Shou, Ashby, and Wilson while Lambert and Tagawa grease up the wheels as mentor and villain, respectively. Shou had a few films in Hong Kong action films in experience (alongside time spent as a stuntman), and it is the action sequences that he does quite well with helping to shape a journey without hiccups. Ashby takes some time, but his wisecracks do help make the film a bit funny (at least intentionally). Lambert is generally best known for his star role in Highlander (1986), and it is perhaps ironic that he was the second actor offered the role after Sean Connery didn't want a physical role to mess with his golf game. He invites a bit of mystery with that gravel voice and careful stare that certainly could have lended to further action moments (ah the pitfalls of a cliffhanger closing scene). Wilson does okay with giving the lines some emphasis, but real credit goes more to doing all of their stunts (complete with dislocating her shoulder at one point); she actually was the second choice, since Cameron Diaz broke her wrist in training. Who would have thought that the highlight would be Tagawa? The Tokyo native (raised in Calfornia) got his start with The Last Emperor (1987), and he was the first and only choice in mind for the role. Keep in mind, the dialogue may cliché (a combination of the script and improvisation by actors like Ashby that was encouraged by Anderson), but there is a way that he conveys this cheese that makes him enjoyable in inflection that never seems outmatched. The others are okay, in that no one makes a ham-fisted effort to get in the way (Richardson is probably the more notable voice to hear for a time). So yes, there is a certain quality to this film that works out, although its effects are certainly more for the time as opposed to now; the character of Goro was a massive animatronic that needed over a dozen people to operate, and it is a fairly decent achievement for something that couldn't be done on location. The CG is a bit less there, having a glob effect that counteracts the attempts at balancing violence that isn't too sanitized (for some reason, one could show creatures being killed on screen but not humans in order to keep it under a R rating by the ratings board - go figure), and the spear effect on the character of Scorpion doesn't help either. The wire fu has been argued by Anderson to be cutting edge, and we are talking about a film released four years before The Matrix (1999), and there is a kinetic feel to it that keeps you on the edge without too much trouble that fits the film without seeming like an over-indulgence, one that would fit right at home for those who dig the wuxia genre.

The film received attention from audiences that would help to spur a made-for-video release with Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins (which digitized the sets for its animation) and a sequel in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997), which would only have Shou and Soto return in probably the most confusing degradation of cast/director turnover for any movie sequel (Anderson expressed slight regret at not returning, citing his desire for something different for his next venture...which was Event Horizon). 25 years later, Mortal Kombat has a following that manages to endure even with the impending release of a new feature film for all the right reasons. Over the top, intense and entertaining, it might not be the most sound film to ever grace the screen in action and effect-laden features, but it sure has its fun for those who find it to their liking in enjoyment for what it accomplishes. 

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Lilo & Stitch.

Review #387: Lilo & Stitch.

Cast
Chris Sanders (Stitch), Daveigh Chase (Lilo), Tia Carrere (Nani), David Ogden Stiers (Jumba), Kevin McDonald (Pleakley), Ving Rhames (Cobra Bubbles), Kevin Michael Richardson (Captain Gantu), Zoe Caldwell (Grand Councilwoman), and Jason Scott Lee (David Kawena) Directed by Chris Sanders (#294 - How to Train Your Dragon)

Review
Once again I'm reviewing a Disney film, the last time I reviewed one was Wreck-It Ralph, which was...1 review ago, so this is a bit of trend, for once. Disney films have a well enough track record, so I wondered if this would keep that trend going. It did, for the most part. The pairing of Stitch and Lilo work allright, but the one between Lilo and Nani also works well enough because it doesn't feel artificial, it feels real enough to work in a film like this. The action, while not the main part of the story, works well enough. The film, while having a good sense of drama, has some gags to it, and they work allright. The film has lush animation at times, using its environment and setting very well. It has its moments of fun and it can entertain more than just kids, but for everyone, for the most part.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.