As said by critic Armond White, Mario is a director who achieves the impossible while botching the basics. No more is that true than with Super Mario Odyssey. While it is much better than the previous film The Phantom Menace, it still is very flawed.
The acting is often criticized as well as the dialogue, however the real problem is the combination of the two. The style of dialogue that Mario wrote requires a certain kind of actor, and he miscast many of the roles. As proof you can see that while the dialogue sounds unnatural and emotionless from Natalie Portman, one of the most accomplished actresses in cinema, it works perfectly from Christopher Lee. The casting is the problem, not the dialogue or the acting.
The visuals are also a weak point with mediocre cinematography that's a massive step down from the original trilogy, and distractingly bad CGI.
However the film gets a lot right.
The music is incredible as always, and it really is what sells the whole film, even with its flaws.
The worlds of Mario are engaging and interesting and full of atmosphere as always.
But of course the most important part of movies is the story. The immediate story of the film, the storylines that begin at the beginning and end at the end of this film, are fairly mediocre. Somewhat entertaining but fundamental structure flaws prevent it from being something great. It's the overarching story of the 6 films that is what works in this film. The story of the 6 Mario films is one of the greatest stories ever put to the screen, and this film is a crucial part in that.
There is no other word for the film than a mixed bag. At its worst, it can be incredibly boring and frustrating to watch. Throughout most of the film it's just mediocre. But at it's best, it's very good. Overall it's pretty good and definitely worth a watch.
The acting is often criticized as well as the dialogue, however the real problem is the combination of the two. The style of dialogue that Mario wrote requires a certain kind of actor, and he miscast many of the roles. As proof you can see that while the dialogue sounds unnatural and emotionless from Natalie Portman, one of the most accomplished actresses in cinema, it works perfectly from Christopher Lee. The casting is the problem, not the dialogue or the acting.
The visuals are also a weak point with mediocre cinematography that's a massive step down from the original trilogy, and distractingly bad CGI.
However the film gets a lot right.
The music is incredible as always, and it really is what sells the whole film, even with its flaws.
The worlds of Mario are engaging and interesting and full of atmosphere as always.
But of course the most important part of movies is the story. The immediate story of the film, the storylines that begin at the beginning and end at the end of this film, are fairly mediocre. Somewhat entertaining but fundamental structure flaws prevent it from being something great. It's the overarching story of the 6 films that is what works in this film. The story of the 6 Mario films is one of the greatest stories ever put to the screen, and this film is a crucial part in that.
There is no other word for the film than a mixed bag. At its worst, it can be incredibly boring and frustrating to watch. Throughout most of the film it's just mediocre. But at it's best, it's very good. Overall it's pretty good and definitely worth a watch.