The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a movie that Nintendo fans have been dreaming of for a long time, especially after the failed 1993 film Super Mario Bros. starring the late Bob Hoskins as Mario and John Leguizamo as Luigi. Nintendo decided they wanted to do it right this time and partnered with Illumination to make it a reality. The animation is stunning, the score is fantastic, and the voice acting is great across the board (yes, even Chris Pratt). This film was made for kids but has humor and easter eggs galore for adults.
The Plot
The plot is fairly straightforward, much like the classic video game itself. Mario and Luigi own a plumbing business called “Super Mario Bros. Plumbing” but the business is struggling. Mario is especially struggling because nobody but Luigi believes in him because he’s so small. Everything changes when they discover a mysterious green pipe underneath Brooklyn and get transported to the Mushroom Kingdom.
Meanwhile, Bowser is on a quest to find the Super Star (a powerup we’re quite familiar with) and conquer the Mushroom Kingdom. Princess Peach teams up with Mario and helps train him so he’ll be ready to defend the kingdom and rescue Luigi after they become separated. After a fun training montage, the team sets off to recruit an army, defeat Bowser, and save the Mushroom Kingdom.
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The Critique
The biggest critique I know people will have is the story and how simple it is. With this in mind, I’d like to bring up two points:
- The film was made with kids in mind, so having a simple plot helps them understand what’s happening in the film.
- The plot of the original Super Mario Bros. game is Mario running through different worlds and castles to defeat Bowser and rescue Princess Peach.
That seems like a pretty simple plot for a video game to me, but because we have such nostalgia for the game, it’s easy to forget about that. The film plot is simple, but it’s the easter eggs and characters that make it stand on its own.
Chris Pratt faced a lot of backlash when he was cast as Mario, but I have to say he did a good job. Pratt was never going to replicate Charles Martinet, the voice actor of both Mario and Luigi since 1991. Also, Charles Martinet’s version of Mario wouldn’t have worked for a 90 minute movie; he does get several cameos throughout the film, which is nice. Mario is from Brooklyn, so Pratt makes that work while paying homage to Martinet throughout the film with his catchphrases.
The rest of the voice cast does a fantastic job as well across the board, from Charlie Day as Luigi to Keegan Michael-Key as Toad. Even Seth Rogen’s regular voice somehow works for Donkey Kong. However, the two standouts are Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach and Jack Black as Bowser. This is Taylor-Joy’s first time voice acting for a film, having previously voiced Brea in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. She gives Princess Peach tons of character and makes her the heart of the film in many ways.
Jack Black as Bowser is an absolute treat; it both sounds like him and doesn’t at the same time. He’s menacing when he needs to be but also heartfelt at times. Black even gets to highlight his singing in an absolutely hilarious song. Since we’re on the topic of music, Brian Tyler did an incredible job with the score for this film. He pays tribute to countless Nintendo themes throughout the film. The soundtrack choices are fantastic as well, trust me.
In Conclusion
Overall, I would absolutely recommend checking out The Super Mario Bros. Movie with the entire family when it arrives in theaters tonight. As a lifelong Nintendo fan, I was grinning from ear to ear seeing and hearing these characters come to life on the big screen. More importantly, kids are absolutely going to love it and it might inspire some kids to play some Mario games for the first time. It’s important to remember that not everything is made for us as the adults we are now, but for our inner child and today’s children as well.
Rating: 9/10
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