Oh, look, another new review! This time we’re heading to the Mushroom Kingdom for Nintendo and Illumination’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie. As I have mentioned, it was a fun film that Critics were quick to write it off as a film aimed at kids or make idiotic claims like, it teaches kids that bullying is ok. What I can tell you is that this film shows that animation isn’t just for kids, it is what Guillermo del Toro described perfectly, Animation is not a genre for kids, it is a medium for art, and for film.
The premise is simple, our favorite plumber brothers Mario (Chris Pratt), and Luigi (Charlie Day)l venture under Brooklyn for what they thought would be a simple plumbing job but are quickly transported to the Mushroom Kingdom via the warp pipe and they are quickly embroiled in Bowser (Jack Black)’s plan to steal the Super Star and use its power to take over the Princess Peach (Anna Taylor-Joy)’s Kingdom. It sticks to the familiar Hero From Another World narrative, but when you have a treasure trove of Super Mario Video Games in your arsenal for scenarios and possibilities to pull inspiration from, it was in safe hands.
The movie has plenty of moments where it has an inventive in-world solution to whatever pops up that relies on something easily recognizable from the games and never withholds any information about how it works. What’s even clever is that they even recreated World 1-1 with Mario and Luigi parkouring through it with ease and even offering humorous moments such as Mario using the catsuit and even eating the Blue Mushroom.
The use of references is regarded as a double-edged sword, for example, the rainbow road sequence was a bit tacked on without any explanation are make the case of it being there (Other than using it as a marketing ploy to sell more Mario-themed toys.) but other than that, logic isn’t always the currency needed when you approach a project like this and the audience isn’t going to care about why there are Question-Marked blocks or wonder how the platforms float on their own. Other than that, it works out for this type of film.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie sets a very high bar for animated video game adaptations, and there will most likely be more in the future, whether it be from Nintendo or another studio. From Bowser’s invasion of the Penguin Kingdom, the busiest area of the Mushroom Kingdom, and the lush jungle of the Kong Kingdom, it is a visual masterpiece. Accompanying this was Brian Tyler’s explosive score, expressing the game’s iconic soundtracks with a sense of whimsical wonder.
The voice acting for the Mario Brothers brings enthusiasm but doesn’t take home any commendations from Brooklyn and New York on their accents, but they do a good job of embodying the character’s heroism and bravery. Other than that, it does address quickly why it flattens the cartoonish qualities of the lead characters’ in-game voices. One of the most humorous moments of the film would have to be Lumalee’s (Juliet Jennic) joyous nihilism. Yes, this little star made some very dark observations while she was locked up with Luigi. Jack Black’s performance as Bowser was perfect, depicting a power-hungry Koopa King who wants to make Peach his bride (not to mention that ballad in Peach’s honor is certainly a tune that you can’t stop listening to!) wasn’t on my bucket list, but it is now!
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is available now in Digital and on Blu-Ray, 4k UHD, and DVD. It certainly is a great video game adaptation, and it will probably lead to the revival of the SEGA and Nintendo Feud between SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog Movie Franchise and Nintendo’s Super Mario Animated Films.
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Final Grade:
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