Run time: 92 mins

Mario has been one of the most beloved characters in video game history, ever since he was first seen jumping over barrels and running up girders in Donkey Kong way back in 1981.

The Nintendo mascot has been given the movie treatment before: the bizarre live-action version from 1993 starring Bob Hoskins. Here, the plucky plumber is in the less creatively risky hands of Despicable Me studio, Illumination. The straightforward plot sees Brooklyn handymen and siblings Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) sucked into a magical far-away land where Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) is trying to defend her kingdom from the monstrous Bowser (Jack Black). Mario must recruit the help of Donkey Kong (Seth Rogan) and his simian army to defeat the baddies and save the day.

The candy-coloured visuals and relentless pacing might grow wearisome for adults who aren’t familiar with the games – there are references to almost all of his digital adventures and various spin offs, not least a thrilling Mario Kart themed centrepiece – but kids and hardcore SMB fans will be in Nintendo heaven; for those, that sequel can’t come soon enough.