Super Mario Bros. needs no introduction. Since 1985, there have been sequels and spin-offs that spanned consoles from the NES to the Switch. There is merchandise, theme parks (Universal Studios Hollywood), TV shows, and yes a (universally panned) movie. There isn’t one person alive now (almost) that doesn’t know who Mario is.
With the success (and some failures) of the franchise, there is a new “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” (it would’ve been slick if it was called “The New Super Mario Bros. Movie) and it is a definite improvement.
The plot is rather simple. A couple of rookie down-and-out plumber brothers named Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charles Day) get sucked in to the Mushroom Kingdom after a supposed mishap from fixing a leak (though that didn’t happen immediately). Luigi lands into the “Dark Lands” of Bowser’s Lair and Mario lands into the Mushroom Kingdom. With the help of Toad (Keegan Michael-Key), Mario convinces Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) to search for his brother, captured by Bowser (Jack Black).
The characters in this story are much more detailed and expressive than even Super Mario Odyssey. Illumination Entertainment (Despicable Me and Minions) did a spectacular job recreating their movements and animation for the movie. Even the Donkey Kong Universe gets a nod, but the movie doesn’t show much of the land other than a fighting arena.
We’re faster than the others, you’ll be hooked on the Brothers, uh!
The voices in the movie are up to par. Chris Pratt and Charlie day did well in portraying the brothers without sounding too over-the-top like their gaming counterparts. However Charles Martinet did voice Jumpman as a cameo with his original Mario voice. Jack Black did great as Bowser, but he was more lovesick for Peach than wanting to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom; however, his singing of “Peaches, Peaches, PEACHES” had the audience laughing. Anya Taylor-Joy brought out some spunk and serenity as Peach. Keegan Michael-Key was over-the-top as Toad. Seth Rogan and Fred Armisen as Donkey and Kranky Kong, respectively, brought out a great supporting cast with some good comic relief; unfortunately, Diddy and Dixie Kong were just background characters. The Penguin King (Khary Payton) from the trailer was just filler, but Hungry Luma’s nihilistic monologue is actually funny.
The movie is full of references from the Mario universe, from The Super Mario Bros. Super Show theme that played in their plumbing commercial, to the side scrolling camera angle that make it look like gameplay footage, to the sample music from Kojio Kondo (rearranged carefully by Brian Taylor). Mario Kart played a major role in the battle scenes that was creative, not a throwaway.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a love letter to the fans that were starving for a great Mario film. To the “secular” filmgoer, it may not be much to see, but as the general audience gets older, people will realize what big of a deal Mario was to the world.
