The big successes such as “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and “The Last of Us” — and the big failures — provide lessons for Hollywood to consider.

First, the bad news: Super Mario Bros. Wonder doesn’t cure covid-19. Trust me on that. But, if you ignore that one flaw and focus on everything else—the gorgeous graphics, the immensely ...

Super Mario Bros. Wonder commits to the bit. You'll be running a side-scrolling Mario level, only to have the familiar 2D format break into a fever dream when you touch a titular Wonder Flower.