A+Z Movie Review Podcast · Alex Long and Zach Cavanagh

Episode 31 - The Super Mario Bros. Movie + Trailers, Star Wars & Harry Potter News

·1 hr 22 min·5 clips

Luigi's ringtone is the GameCube startup sound, and Mario hits a side-scrolling construction sequence.

1. A+Z Movie Review Podcast episode 31 covers The Super Mario Bros. Movie and a run of trailer, Star Wars, and Harry Potter news. 2. Alex hosts as "the A" and Zach hosts as "the Z," and their movie-fan chemistry drives the review. 3. The episode asks whether The Super Mario Bros. Movie works as a Mario adaptation more than as a traditional critic's film. 4. Alex says the movie is "safe" and "purposefully so," while Zach argues that Nintendo's control kept the visuals and sound true to the games. 5. They compare the new film to the 1993 Mario movie with Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, and Dennis Hopper as King Koopa. 6. They also bring up Sonic's redesigned face and Detective Pikachu as examples of near-miss game adaptations. 7. The hosts say Illumination's usual style is a problem for them, especially the long-limbed character designs and needle-drop songs. 8. They call the use of A-ha's "Take On Me" a scene that pulls attention away from the orchestrated Koji Kondo music. 9. They discuss the cast in order, including Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, and Jack Black as Bowser. 10. Zach says Chris Pratt is "inoffensive" as Mario, while Alex says Charlie Day "gets it down" as Luigi's high-strung energy. 11. Jack Black's Bowser earns the biggest reaction because the hosts think the piano-ballad material feels like Jack Black being allowed to do Jack Black things. 12. They say Anya Taylor-Joy's Peach sounds bored, but they accept her more active role because Peach is already playable in Mario games. 13. Alex and Zach note that Charles Martinet appears as Mario's father Giuseppe and as an early stand-in cameo, which they treat as a respectful nod. 14. The episode spends time on the Brooklyn opening, including the Super Mario Brothers plumbing commercial and the Punch-Out pizzeria full of Nintendo details. 15. They point out Luigi's GameCube startup ringtone, the Duck Hunt restaurant reference, and the side-scrolling construction sequence as standout easter eggs. 16. The Bowser scenes move toward Peach, and Zach says that storyline is the part that bothered him most. 17. The show mixes rapid-fire recap with specific game references, and the hosts regularly interrupt each other to react to details on screen. 18. The pacing is conversational and energetic, with a spoiler section that starts after the main review and shifts into plot specifics. 19. Mario fans who care about game references and adaptation choices. 20. Viewers expecting Pixar-level emotional depth or formal originality.

As heard by us

A breezy Mario verdict that keeps the praise measured and the Bowser gripe in view.

Alex and Zach keep the Super Mario Bros. Movie segment easy to follow: they say they had a lot of fun, but they do not pretend it is more than a straightforward Illumination movie.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

If you want a fun, lightly skeptical Mario verdict before you hit play, start here.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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