Most critics dislike it, and several dislike it intensely. The reviews return again and again to the same complaints: a plot so thin it barely registers, a pace that never lets up, and a screen crowded with cameos and references standing in for story. Many hear a sales pitch in it; The Telegraph calls it one long advert, and The Times gives it nothing at all, finding it lifeless and painful to sit through. Lack of humour is a recurring charge, with Empire and The Guardian both finding it joyless. Where there is praise it lands on Illumination’s animation, which even sceptics concede is bright and busy, and on the voice cast. The spread is wide. A few reviews, led by Deadline, Collider and the Los Angeles Times, find it a fun, playful family sequel with charming casting, though even Collider admits the story is thin and the new characters underserved. Polygon sits in the middle, dazzled by the visuals and bored by the plot.
The critic finds the film a fun, family-oriented animated sequel that explores sibling dynamics among the Mario brothers and their friends. It singles out the remarkably beautiful animation by Illumination, which stays true to the 8-bit source material while feeling deeply cinematic.
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