The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

Well, I guess it’s that time again,

Where I have to try to explain

The not really shocking revelation

That a film made by illumination

You know, that minion company?

The one with a licence to make currency

Has released another product!

Because the manner of business that they conduct

I just cannot call art,

Because to even try do so hurts my heart.

All they do is try to sell toys

To others, girls and even boys

And as you’ve probably guessed

Talking about them in rhyme is how I manage best

Because otherwise I simply find nothing interesting to say.

It’s here will and will entertain your kids whilst you go about your day!

Is my opinion of all that they have made

And my opinion hasn’t changed with The Super Mario Bros. Movie, I’m afraid.

It was on and made me smile,

But after a small while

I won’t remember a single frame

And I certainly can’t say that will be a shame.

Because, is it better than what came before?

Well, yes but that was no great chore,

Because the Mario Brother film from 1993?

From it both audiences and critics did flee

All though the BBC did put it on during Christmas Day

Which is probably why the licence fee has had to go away.

But this is bright and colourful and fun!

A song from the soundtrack might even be number one!

Except that song is dull and not much fun

When I think what the man from Tenacious D might have done…

The plot is simple, there’s not much to say,

As a group of strangers must unite to save the day!

Although even at a near perfect 92 minutes

I felt the ned for a glass of pinots (noir)

Although I simply must declare

That to my mind it simply isn’t fair

That instead of talented voice actors

The studio decided to use the audience attractor

Of celeb voices!

Of which they made the most obvious dull predictable choices

Lead by the omnipresent overexposed Chris Pratt

I think there’s a law enforcing that.

There has to be in every film made these days

A Chris! And so, on poor defenceless cinema this great weight weighs.

But as for this… product,

It’s a good bit pf business that they conduct,

The first act drags, of that, I’m sure.

That if you were to cut it, nothing of value would be lost, I’m sure.

Instead, we could have simply gotten on with the show

As video game Mario and (Luigi) has no backstory of which I know.

Also, this film simply has no tension!

Although this may have been the film-makers intention

But it makes fights dull and without excitement

Perhaps Mario with a bruise got nixed by management.

But it gives the whole thing a mechanical air.

The whole film is simply going from here to there.

The money it’s made, is more than one billion!

But the whole things… simply reptilian.

It made a billion?

So did Jurassic World: Dominion.

No wonder for the people that made the minion

It simply made sound financial sense

To get ever more dollars and cents

When a huge brand known for simply being there!

Never out of the spotlights unblinking glare

Decided to return to my beloved silver screen

To make a glorified add

Neither good nor bad

It was simply there,

To “entertain” me as I sat in my chair

Some more songs would have been fun so we couldn’t have that,

And as I said the action falls quite flat.

So, bravo Illumination you’ve done it again!

Your tedious catalogue continues to sustain.

But this isn’t full of joy or love or anything so human

As Kryptonite is to Superman, to Illumination it’s passion.

A commercial to sell toys is what they’ve made

To make something with simply a passing grade.

And that they’ve done, well done I say.

You’ve managed to pay the bills for yet another day!

But when I think what you could have done…

Well, that thought alone simply spoils my fun.

My Score If Nothing Else

Secret Life Of Pets 2 Review

When I saw with some trepidation,

that that cinematic home of mediocrity – illumination

had released another film upon my poor blighted nation

I decided that it was time

to do another review in rhyme

… at the time I might have been in the pub with my partner in crime.

Today the Secret Life of Pets 2: Pet Harder I’ll review

Because frankly there’s nothing else to do.

Except watch the Cricket world cup

and even I’m not that hard up…

Seriously though, for those playing Illumination movie bingo,

You’ll hit a full card and go

Eureka! I’ve wasted 86 minutes of my life!

When I could have been writing poetry about my wife

Or watching Dumbo, The Nightmare Before Christmas or Tory Story

infinitely better films from the animation category.

Because as usual, what is there to say?

For professional voice actors this studio won’t pay

For them, countless celebrities are the order of the day

The animations solid, although being CGI

It’ll look dated before this films on DVD to buy.

And if I didn’t know better, i’d swear that this film was three episodes edited together

of some TV show that I’d watched never

An 86 minute film should not have 3 stories!

Especially when they come from three different categories.

And don’t even really tie together, even at the end

which is the kind of thing the sends me around the bend.

I don’t mind a subplot here or there

Even in a kids movie that’s only fair.

It keeps my nephew distracted and quiet

but it wants me to start a riot!

Even IMDB doesn’t know what to say!

“Continuing the story of Max and his pet friends, following their secret lives after their owners leave them for work or school each day.”

It sounds like a pitch, a vague story outline!

Not the story of something that’s already leaked online!

(allegedly, I wouldn’t know)

Pirating films online doesn’t help cinema grow.

But each of these plots alone could have been an interesting flick

but all mashed together their all very anaemic

fairly generic as well, no moment stands out

because with no time to breathe each story exists in plot drought.

Hell, it was 20 minutes before the plot turned up

Just when I was starting to wonder if it had been locked away

And I’ve seen higher stakes in games of croquet!

In two of the three stories anyway

there might have been in the third where it given time to go the whole way

but 1/3rd of an 86 minute run-time allows no time to breathe

so honestly, I think you should leave

this glorified toy commercial to be found online

because whilst as a film it’s perfectly fine

but there’s nothing more to be said

and these rhymes are hurting my head.

It’s yet another film from illumination

who’s relationship with trying isn’t even a flirtation

Just wait a few weeks until Toy Story 4

Even though another pointless sequel it won’t be bore

it’ll have characters, light, stakes and fun galore

Everything missing from this cinematic bore.

But it’s bright and maybe a few moments were okay

If your desperate one rainy day

then Toy Story with dogs will have to do.

Just lower your standards and prepare for a sleep

Because doing anything else will just make you weep.

My Score- If Nothing Else