legobiwan

Wow, did this movie go fast. Ludicrous speed. Even though I knew we were heading towards the conclusion, all I could think was, "That's it?"

I guess Yoshi was just...assumed to be a thing? Honestly, I enjoyed his little New York tourist montage, but his introduction was no Mama Luigi. I guess Mario and Luigi are at the point of "this might as well happen."

Anyone notice how they 100% copied their old bedroom in Brooklyn in the updated Mushroom Kingdom House?

I know it's been pointed out elsewhere on the internet, but Rosalina has the DARK PROGNOSTICUS in her library?!?!?!?

I think my disappointment with this movie was that there were so many opportunities for some real character development - absolute kernels of fascinating material which were never developed. Say what you will about the first movie, but at least the main characters had some kind of trajectory and narrative.

As an add-on - Mario and Luigi really felt like side characters in their own movie here. It's not that I minded the focus on Bowser, Bowser Jr. and Peach, but it was choice, to be certain, for a supposed Mario movie.

Coming back to Yoshi - I'm not sure what he added to the narrative aside from toy sales and character popularity. Honestly, you could have cut him out and not missed much. (Also a lost character moment with Toad, who was so sidelined in this movie).

So to not be a Negative Nelly, the character bits I did like: --Luigi teasing Mario about his crush on Peach --Luigi befriending Bowser through a book club --Luigi pulling wheelies on the motorbike - my Engineer!Luigi headcanon is still going strong --Luigi's quip that being a baby was easier because he didn't have to think about things. Relatable, my dude. Totally relatable. --The whole Bowser and Bowser Jr. backstory was fascinating. Bowser is not 100% evil. Bowser Jr. has inherited all of the worst of his father's inclinations. Bowser knows his son is fallen into a kind of extremism and doesn't even agree with it, but does go along with it as he values his relationship with his son more than his moral code. (I don't see this as Bowser backsliding at all. He's enabling his son so he can maintain their connection, to the point of going to prison over it. Now that's some tasty character development).

Speaking of prison - that post-credit scene with the nihilistic Luma was...weirdly dark? Same with all of Bowser Jr.'s talk of killing people and obliterating worlds. For a movie with very little actual substance, that was...weirdly disturbing.

While Wart and Fox McCloud were gun characters...they could have been easily cut and replaced with some actual narrative/character scenes.

The Rosalina-Peach relationship retcon is...fine, as far as it goes. But it's also just so...uninspired. The missing/unknown/lost sibling trope is a little played out, especially considering that the Mario-Luigi relationship is supposed to be central to the franchise.