Movie Review: The Super Mario Bros. Movie

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With eye-catching visuals, likable characters and some fun action, kids should love this film. Add in the fact that it’s based on the Super Mario games, and you have something that fans of that franchise will love. However, those who don’t fall into either of those categories may not find it all that entertaining. While the plot gives us one of the most definitive origin stories for the Mario Bros, the rest of the film contains elements from a lot of the more recent games in the series. (Which are all more or less repeated as each new generations of video games systems are released.) Once the story gets to the Mushroom Kingdom, it moves shockingly fast and breezes past what could be some cool observations from an outsider experiencing this fantastical land. This also doesn’t give our characters enough time to bond or get fleshed-out very much. The visuals look amazing, and recreate some of the most memorable stuff from the games. (This also includes working some classic soundtracks into the mix.) Unfortunately, the go into overload with the easter eggs. It feels like they tried to cram almost every reference they could to every Mario Bros. Game. While these are fun to catch as a fan, non-gamers may feel overwhelmed by everything wondering if any of it is important to the plot. The voice acting is solid, although Jack Black occasionally hams it up a bit too much as King Bowser.. The finale is fine action wise, but the character development wasn’t strong enough for any emotional payoff. There is a quick mid-credit scene that plays as a joke, and a post-credit scene that I skipped that may set something up for a potential sequel.

**1/2 out of *****

Movie Review: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

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A mildly entertaining film that feels like a bit of a throwback to late 90’s era action flicks. The pacing is little all over the place early on and it’s hard to see exactly where the plot is heading but once it gets on track things get pretty predictable. The action is shockingly lackluster. It feels like every time things are about to get good the scene is over. The special effects are fine, but like some of the action scenes, quick cuts sometimes make it hard to see what’s going on. While the characters are fine, their arcs are fairly cliche. Thankfully, the actors are able to elevate most of the material especially with the humor. There’s some funny moments and some solid one-liners, particular from the Michelle Rodriguez’s Holga. While Hugh Grant is fun as the secondary bad guy, the main villain is one-note and not remotely compelling.(Not to mention the whole evil plan just seems lackluster.) There is a quick mid-credit scene that’s just a fun extra bit.

**1/2 out of *****

Movie Review: John Wick: Chapter 4

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Despite a slow start, this film eventually becomes another solid action flick and one of the better films in the franchise. Things move fairly slowly in the beginning, and there’s not much indication of what the plot is supposed to be. And when we do finally get to the first action sequence, it doesn’t really do anything that different that what we saw in the last film. (Including having an attack dog.) Add in some new characters with questionable allegiances and it feels like the set up for a bit of a mess. However, once the plot gets laid out, things start to pull together. The cinematography and music began to add more personality to the film and then the final act pumps the action up to insane levels with some creative fight scenes. While the ending initially seems to knock it out of the park, it takes a strange turn that feel more anticlimactic then anything else. The acting is serviceable, but all the main players bring their best for the action scenes, with Keanu Reeves and Donny Yen being the standouts. (There is a post-credit scene that I didn’t catch, but it didn’t sound like it was anything too special.)

*** out of *****