Crossing over from video game to film, The Super Mario Movie does a good job at making referencing to the game. PHOTO CREDIT: mubi.com
For almost the entirety of my life I have been a continuous fan of the Super Mario Bros. franchise. From the countless afternoons I’ve spent playing Mario Bros. Wii over my friends house, to discovering the classics such as the original NES game and the iconic Super Mario 64, this series has been near and dear to me like countless other people.
So, when they announced there was going to be a new Mario movie a few years back, I was concerned. First, because there was another Mario film made before that was terrible, and second, this was going to be done by Illumination Studios, a company known for phoning it in when it comes to their animated features. (Except for Despicable Me 1, they actually tried on that).
However, I decided to go and see “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” with my friends, and I have to admit it was one of the most fun experiences I’ve had watching a movie theater. However, this doesn’t mean that I consider the film to be good. Let me explain.
So, the film features the titular brothers from Brooklyn, Mario (voiced by Chris Pratt) and Luigi (voiced by Charlie Day), as they are transported and separated from each other in the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario then has to rescue his brother from the hands of Bowser (voiced by Jack Black), with the help of Princess Peach (voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy) and prevent Browser from taking over the world. This is a simple enough plot as it follows what the games are like very closely, but problems arrive through the way that it’s told.
Now, I wasn’t expecting anything grand narrative-wise to come from this movie, and that’s what it ends up being. The plot points in the film are pretty predictable, and it’s not bad, but all they really do is make me shrug. Pacing-wise, this film moves at a supersonic speed, with there being little time to develop the characters or the setting. Most of the time, the film gives the audience something to focus on and then less than a few minutes later tosses it to the side and moves on to the next thing as if it’s afraid it will lose the audience’s attention.
There were also some jokes in the film, some working better than others, but a majority of the time they usually go through one ear and out the other. Still, I’m glad they didn’t do any obnoxious low-brow humor, so there’s that.
The casting choices and the voice acting itself was also just alright in most places. I remember when they revealed the cast in a Nintendo Direct over a year ago everyone collectively lost their minds over the casting of Chris Pratt, Jack Black and even Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong. When it came to the film however, Pratt was just ok, same with Rogen and everyone else. The two who stood out, however, were Charlie Day and Jack Black, as Day managed to capture Luigi’s cowardly-loveable personality and Black is a certified gamer and fan of Mario, so him being Bowser felt natural.
Most of these criticisms though come from me as a movie fan. Me as a Nintendo fan, however, loved the film, as there were so many fun references to the games that are packed into it. There were a plethora of references to Nintendo games, such as there being a Punch-Out themed restaurant with various boxers such as Little Mac, Glass Joe and Don Flamenco plastered on the walls.
A model Arwing from Star Fox can be seen in Mario’s room while he’s playing Kid Icarus on his Nintendo. Luigi’s ringtone on his phone is the Gamecube startup sound. The D.K. Rap from Donkey Kong 64 is played when Donkey Kong makes his first appearance, when he faces off against Mario in a Smash Bros.-like battle.
Charles Martinet, Mario’s original voice actor, makes a cameo in the film as Jumpman, which was the original version of Mario. And there’s even a whole sequence that pays homage to Mario Kart, complete with Rainbow Road and a blue shell. The film’s soundtrack also features orchestral versions of various famous Mario tracks. I had a blast with my friends as we pointed out all the little details that only we could notice.
You can call me a dribbling fanboy if you want, but I’ll at least note that the film has the courtesy to include these references in a more subtle way to enhance fans enjoyment of it, and not to serve as a distraction to the story like in other films, such as “Ready Player One.”
Overall, as a fan of both movies and Nintendo I’d give this seven Chris Pratts out of ten. As a film it’s serviceable, but if it weren’t for all the cool references and details included I would have just given this five Chris Pratts out of ten. Watch the film and see what you think of it!
