LogFAQs > #972929689

Ahh I thought Detective Pikachu was at 64% as well, my bad.

Paratroopa1 posted...

I feel like the biggest reason critics don't like this movie is that it's really made with fans of Mario in mind. There's a lot of stuff in this movie that isn't even really properly introduced, just assuming you are already acquainted with the world and the characters in it and their associated gags. I was thinking about the "blue shell" gag, for instance; if you've ever played Mario Kart, you get it, it's a funny little joke/reference. If you've never played Mario Kart, there is absolutely no context to that moment whatsoever, it's just a guy yelling "blue shell!" and attacking. It makes no sense. The movie is rife with that kind of stuff which has to make it a hard watch if you're not invested in the Mario universe. Similar movies don't really have this problem - Sonic 2 for instance has plenty of easter eggs and Sonic-related stuff in it but it tells a fairly traditional story that you don't really need to be previously invested in the universe to get. SMB really foregoes nearly all worldbuilding and normal storytelling in favor of just assuming that you already kind of get it.

Eh, Id say the vast majority of critics get those jokes, even the ones who barely play video games. Mario Kart 8 alone has sold over 60 million copies and has been played by many more a lot of whom will never own a Switch. Its a very broad appeal.