The Super Mario Bros. Movie Review

The Super Mario Bros. Movie – Fun for the Fans

In 1993, the live action Super Mario Bros. film, eh, graced cinemas.  Since then, Nintendo has been very hesitant to bring any of their iconic IPs to the big screen.  That is, until now.  Partnering with Illumination, The Super Mario Bros. Movie aims to bring the fun and magic of the games to the big screen.  The result of this partnership is a film that absolutely brings joy to fans and families, but is otherwise fine for those unfamiliar for Mario and Nintendo.

The Characters Power-Up a Standard Story

Courtesy of Illumination/Nintendo

With a story as basic as Mario, the characters have the job of doing the heavy lifting.  Thankfully, the vast majority of the characters in this film have all been translated to the big screen in an effective manner, albeit there are slight differences.  Of course, one of the most controversial aspects of the movie was the casting.  Thankfully, most of the cast actually does a great job.  Of note, Chris Pratt as Mario wasn’t too distracting, and the movie does a good job explaining why Mario talks the way he does.  Of course, Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, and especially Jack Black as Bowser steal the show.

Some of the characters act slightly different than expected, yet for the nature of the film, the changes work well.  The most notable change being that Luigi is the one kidnapped, while Peach plays a more proactive role.  While not the norm for the main series, in other games, there have been cases where either Mario or Luigi would need rescued, and Peach would join in the fight.  In the film, Peach serves as Mario’s guide and mentor through the Mushroom Kingdom.  This, however, does not come at the expense of Mario as a character, as he has a lot of agency throughout the film.  Peach also still maintains the kind, nurturing aspects that make the character so well loved.

That said, Jack Black’s Bowser steals the show.  Equal parts intimidating as he is hilarious, Bowser can best be described as a simp or incel.  One minute, he’s burning castles with little effort, and another he is singing about his love for Princess Peach, much to the confusion of the Koopa Army and Peach herself.

Super Star Presentation

Courtesy of Illumination/Nintendo

Being Illuminations most expensive film, with a budget of $100 million, it’s fair to expect the animation would be stellar.  Thankfully, the animation is just that.  It’s colorful, full of all sorts of little details for fans to pick up on, and the action is fast, cartoony, and full of energy.  So often I was looking in the background for little details that could be included by the animators.  Of course, the final act of the movie takes all of this to the extreme, as so much is happening and it all comes together to form a fun experience.

The soundtrack of course, helps play to this as well… for the most part.  The original soundtrack does most of the heavy lifting.  Iconic songs from the games fit beautifully in the film.  Some are directly put into the movie, such as the music from Bowser’s Fury.  Other’s feel effortlessly reworked to match more with the medium of a film.

Unfortunately, this film has a bad habit of utilizing pop music, namely from the 80’s.  While not always distracting, those songs could’ve been replaced with more of the film’s original soundtrack.  Notably, many fans have pointed out a scene involving ‘Take On Me’, seemingly replacing an original song from the film.  This song, ‘Drivin’ Me Bananas’ works far better in place of that ‘Take On Me’.

A Fan for Fans, by Fans

There’s a very clear divide between audience/fans and critics in regards to this film.  Quite honestly, it feels as though some critics unfairly judge this film.  The Super Mario Bros. Movie isn’t trying to be high art, or a deep story.  It’s giving fans and audiences what they want, which frankly is more important.  It’s absolutely fine as a standard, animated film for kids and families, but for Nintendo and Mario fans, it is a love letter to everyone who has followed Mario for all these years.  And maybe, that’s all it needs to be.  Here’s hoping the films success leads to more of Nintendo’s beloved franchise finding their way to the big screen.

RATING – 8/10.

Find a ticket to the film here.