A breath of fresh ‘Air’

And, of course, the music team did amazing with the main villain Bowser’s original love song, “Peaches.” I wasn’t sure how to feel about it at first since I listened to it before I went to see the movie. However, with where it was placed in the movie, it was an instant hit for me, and I think the original song was a great addition to a lineup of well-known Mario tracks.

Speaking of Bowser, I think Jack Black as Bowser was the strongest voice acting performance in the movie. His acting helps the Koopa King go from a terrifying villain to a lovestruck guy seamlessly.

I also thought Chris Pratt did well, despite what some were saying about his casting as the main man himself.

Of course, the movie wasn’t perfect; it felt rushed at some points and some of the lines fell flat for me.

However, I can say that I had a great time watching and would give the Super Mario movie a 7.5/10.

I encourage those who grew up with Mario to give the movie a shot.

By Madison Keel Photography editor

“Air” “follows the history of shoe salesman Sonny Vaccaro, and how he led Nike in its pursuit of the greatest athlete in the history of basketball, Michael Jordan,” according to IMDB.

The film was released on April 5, 2023 and was directed by Ben Affleck, who also stars in the film as Phil Knight alongside Matt Damon as Sonny Vaccaro and Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan.

The film grossed $33.3 million in the United States and Canada as of April 16. It was also positively received by critics with Rotten Tomatoes giving it a 92% and IMDB ranking it a 7.8/10.

I think this film is an allaround good movie. The pacing of the story is excellent and with a run time of just shy of 2 hours that is an important factor. There were not any dead spots where I was waiting for the next thing to happen. I also thoroughly enjoyed the way it was filmed. It had that ‘80s vibe without taking away quality cinematography. It also had a great soundtrack to back up the time period with songs such as “Born in the USA” by Bruce Springsteen being heavily featured.

The way the writers of “Air” decided to not focus on Michael Jordan was brilliant in my opinion. It drives home the key point made by Vaccaro in the film that people will not remember who made the shoe, but they will always remember Jordan. This rings true even today. I am admittedly biased as I am a huge basketball fan who frequently wears Jordan shoes, but I think even those who are not into the sneakers, or the sport could enjoy this film.

Overall, I would recommend this film to sneakerheads, basketball enthusiasts, and those who are interested in learning a little more about the side of celebrity collabs you do not see every day.