Starring: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, Fred Armisen, Sebastian Maniscalco, Charles Martinet, and Kevin Michael Richardson

Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic

Universal, out now

The story of The Super Mario Bros. on their journey through the Mushroom Kingdom.

Being a fan of a particular property or genre can be a help or a hindrance. In the case of Super Mario Bros, I bring no nostalgia or insight of the Nintendo game series beyond a general awareness of the releases. Video game enthusiasts are better placed to pick up any clever references or Easter eggs, and I’ll just judge it here as an animated movie.

And you know what, this is a fun 93 minutes that gives you the sort of rush akin to eating a whole bag of Haribo in one sitting. Wisely accepting that Mario is best realised on screen as an animated character – 1993’s live-action version with Bob Hoskins hardly set the box office tills alight – he’s here voiced by Chris Pratt, with the OTT faux Italian accent soon dropped.

There’s guest cast aplenty (Jack Black, Seth Rogen, Anya Taylor-Joy) filling in the supporting roles, and there’s some genuinely funny moments along the quest. As you’d expect with a kids’ movie, there’s some positive messages to carry us through, and I for one would happily sit through another adventure.

Verdict: Mamma mia! A movie that can successfully engage an audience of pre-teens and their adult companions on a wet bank holiday morning. Enough said. 7/10

Nick Joy