The Super Mario Bros. Movie Review

Super Mario is one of the most recognisable characters in pop culture, let alone in video games. He teams up with the animation titan Illumination so the character can have a second cinematic adventure.

Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) are brothers who start a plumbing business. They try to build their reputation by trying to prevent Brooklyn from being flooded but end up finding a mysterious pipe that teleports them to another world. When the pair get separated Luigi gets captured by the King of the Koopas, Bowser (Jack Black). Mario resolves to save his brother and teams up with Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) who needs to prevent Bowser from conquering the Mushroom Kingdom.

Mario hardly needs an introduction. He’s the mascot for the biggest video game companies and has been ever-present in pop culture for over 40 years. Mario has appeared in some of the most iconic video games. However, Mario’s appearances in other media have been mixed. There were the cartoons in the ‘80s and ‘90s which were best remembered for nostalgic reasons, and the live-action movie that has somehow earned a cult following. The reception for the 1993 film was so bad that it started the negative reputation for video game movies and Nintendo refused to license their properties for Hollywood film adaptations until 2019’s Detective Pikachu.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie was playing double duty, it wanted to appeal as a film for the whole family and to fans of the franchise. It managed to succeed on both fronts. I went with my brother and my nephew and all three of us came to the film with different views. I had knowledge of the series, my brother wasn’t as knowledgeable about Mario, and a four-year-old boy and all three of us did enjoy it. My nephew said he wanted to see it again, so it clearly pleased the target audience.

Mario had been around for so long that there are generations of fans. People who played the games on the NES and SNES are old enough to be parents themselves. The film offers a chance for older audiences to have a nostalgia trip and allow them to bond with their children, whilst for Nintendo the film can act as an advertising tool.

The filmmakers behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie seem to have been influenced by the first Sonic the Hedgehog film. Both films have the main character going to another world and was littered with references to the franchise. Mario’s dislike of mushrooms felt like the filmmakers were paying homage to Mario’s blue spiky rival. The people who made the film were fans of the franchise. The commercial for the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing Company was filled with references like the rap number, Mario’s Italian accent, and the company logo looking like the Super Mario Bros. 3 cover art. The film was filled with visual cues from various games, from Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros., and Luigi’s Mansion, and I did chuckle at some of the game-based jokes throughout the film.

I was a Sonic the Hedgehog fan when I was younger and I will say this, The Super Mario Bros. Movie was a better adaptation than Sonic the Hedgehog movies. The Super Mario Bros. Movie looked and felt more like its source material since it was set in the Mushroom Kingdom and other fantasy kingdoms. It was a family-friendly fantasy adventure. The film made sure they could incorporate as many video elements as possible like Mario’s platforming and the use of power-ups.

The heart of the film was the relationship between Mario and Luigi. Mario was the reassuring older brother who would do anything to protect Luigi. Mario’s mission was to save his younger brother and change the formula of the games a little because Luigi was the damsel in distress. Princess Peach was shown to be a competent and compassionate leader who was willing to put herself in danger to protect her subject. The filmmakers were conscious of the damsel in distress trope that was prevalent in the games.

Before The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s release, there was criticism of the casting, especially Chris Pratt as Mario. This was amplified when the first trailer was released because it seemed he was speaking with his normal voice.  These criticisms were harsh since Pratt didn’t use his regular voice and his character was determined and earnest: he wasn’t Peter Quill or Owen Grady. Jack Black was the most impressive vocal performance since he made Bowser a crazed megalomaniac and he was able to show off his singing abilities. I personally enjoyed Khary Payton (AKA Ezekiel in The Walking Dead) and Eric Bauza in their roles. This was because they have big theatrical voices, yet they were playing a penguin and a toadstool.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie may not have emotional depth compared to some of its animated rivals, but it was clearly a film made out of passion, as much as financial gain, and it was strong popcorn entertainment.