The Super Mario Bros. Movie review

THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE: 

BELOVED VIDEO GAME CHARACTER’S SECOND VENTURE INTO FILM PLAYS LIKE A MARIO GAME! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND NINTENDO

Bowser, Mario, Luigi, Kamek, Koopa, Princess Peach, Toad, and Donkey Kong in The Super Mario Bros. Movie

 

            Mario and Luigi jump out of their iconic video games and onto the big screen (again) in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the new animated feature from Illumination based on the enormously popular Nintendo video game franchise. This isn’t the first time the Italian plumbers graced the silver screen as there was already a live-action film adaptation of Super Mario Bros. released in 1993 which starred Bob Hoskins (R.I.P.) and John Leguizamo as Mario and Luigi and the late Dennis Hopper as the villainous Koopa which was a massive critical and commercial failure upon release.  

            Now, thirty years later, Nintendo finally gives the Mario Bros. another go on the big screen and this time in animated form. After the success of other recent films based on beloved video games like Pokémon: Detective Pikachu and both Sonic the Hedgehog movies, it makes sense for Mario to get in on the action. 

            I was both intrigued and excited when it was announced especially after the voice cast was revealed and the first trailer dropped. Whether the film turned out good or bad, I had to see it since the Mario games were a huge part of my childhood, almost as much as Sonic. 

            So, what do I think of Mario’s return to the world of film after that live-action dino-dropping from thirty years ago? It’s good. 

            Just to make it perfectly clear, this film is significantly better than the live-action movie and much more faithful to the source material, but I don’t think it’s a great movie. We’ll get to that after the plot. 

            The film follows Mario (voiced by Chris Pratt-Parks and Recreation, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jurassic World trilogy) and Luigi (voiced by Charlie Day-It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Horrible Bosses 1 and 2, Pacific Rim 1 and 2), two Italian brothers working as plumbers in Brooklyn. But when they get sucked down a mysterious pipe and Luigi gets separated from his brother, Mario finds himself in the whimsical land of the Mushroom Kingdom ruled by Princess Peach (voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy-Emma (2020), Last Night in Soho, The Menu) who guides Mario on a quest to rescue his brother and save her kingdom from the clutches of the tyrannical King of the Koopas, Bowser (voiced by Jack Black-Tenacious D, School of Rock, Kung Fu Panda trilogy). 

            The film also features the voices of Keegan-Michael Key (Key & Peele, Keanu, Wendell & Wild) as Toad, Seth Rogen (Superbad, 50/50, This is the End) as Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Battle of the Sexes, The Mitchells VS the Machines) as Cranky Kong, Kevin Michael Richardson (Mortal Kombat, Lilo & Stitch, Family Guy) as Kamek, and Khary Payton (Teen Titans/Teen Titans Go!, The Walking Dead, Young Justice) as the Penguin King. 

            Overall, The Super Mario Bros. Movie gives exactly what it advertises, a beautifully animated adventure that’s filled with constant references to the Mario lore and a narrative that’s about as deep as an actual Mario game’s storyline. I do understand why most critical reactions have been mixed as it is an unapologetically simple story with little surprises, but even the best games in Mario’s library never really excel at compelling storylines and are more about the experience. 

            That’s essentially what this film does, it maintains the simple-natured spirit of the source material even right down to the flaws. It isn’t trying to be anything meaningful or game-changing, it’s just a fun, straightforward adventure that never tries to be anything more than what it is. 

            What the film lacks in plot, it makes up for in visuals and fan-service, the animation in this movie is absolutely stunning and some of the best Illumination has ever done. From the textures on the characters to the environments and flashy sequences during the action (Most notably the Mario Kart scene), you can tell the animators were pouring their heart and soul into every bit of animation and showing their love of Mario every step of the way. 

            The film is riddled with constant Mario references, callbacks, and Easter eggs that Mario purists will have a blast trying to spot them all. Whether it’s an item someone uses, a map on the wall that resembles the overhead map from Super Mario World, a character appearance, musical choice, or just a well-known attack someone does in the game, the animators put a lot of thought and attention to detail in these references/background jokes, there’s even a nod to the theme song for The Super Mario Bros. Super Show in here. 

            The voice acting is decent (Including the controversial casting of Pratt as Mario) with the two biggest standouts being Charlie Day as Luigi and Jack Black as Bowser. Charlie Day captures the comedically cowardly nature of Mario’s brother and Jack Black as Bowser manages to be both intimidating and hilarious with some of his best scenes involving him rehearsing his vows for when he tries to marry Peach or singing a song about his love for Peach while playing a piano, it’s funny and adds a surprising amount of humanity to the classic Mario villain. 

            As great as those elements are, The Super Mario Bros. Movie isn’t without its flaws, for one thing, despite the film being called Super Mario Bros., Mario and Luigi are separated for most of it which is disappointing because they had an enjoyable dynamic in the beginning and wanted to see more of them together. Another being how Peach was handled who isn’t depicted badly or anything and Anya Taylor-Joy is a fine pick for the character, but her role in the movie as the person who accompanies Mario alongside his quest felt like it was reserved for Luigi and there isn’t a moment in the film where Peach gets captured, and Mario has to save her. 

            Maybe if she started off as the person who shows Mario the ropes and gets captured at the halfway point, I think it would have worked better. You can still have Mario and Peach have a connection and deliver on one of the most famous video game objectives ever. 

            Despite its flaws, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a good time for fans of all ages and I’m sure it will do incredibly well with kids and the family market. I’m hoping it succeeds because this film opened up tons of possibilities not just for future Mario sequels and spin-offs, but also feature films based on other beloved Nintendo properties like The Legend of Zelda or Metroid, a man can dream right?