Super Mario Bros. Movie, The
Release Date: April 5th, 2023
Directed by: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Pierre Leduc, Fabien Polack
Screenplay by: Matthew Fogel
Cast: Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, Fred Armisen
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is an absolute delight for both fans of the Nintendo classic IP and moviegoers with little children alike! The film startled animation fans by how close it looked to the actual Mario Bros Nintendo universe, as opposed to the sometimes-loved-sometimes-hated 90s adaptation, pushing this adaptation closer to the visual qualities of 2019’s Pokémon Detective Pikachu, which frankly I enjoyed quite a bit even though I didn’t grow up with the franchise.
As evil Koopa King Bowser (Black) manages to take over the Super Star, and plans to marry Princess Peach (Taylor-Joy) and take over the Mushroom Kingdom, our story really starts with brotherly plumbers Mario and Luigi, who have recently set up their own plumbing service [lovable cheesy commercial included]. After a disastrously wet first case and wanting to make a big name for themselves, the brothers decide to save Brooklyn after they see the city’s water main leak on the news, ending up accidently sucked into a Warp Pipe and separated into worlds they had no idea existed.
It is true that one of the aspects of the film that jumps out is the possibilities of world-building, leaving open the prospect of developing Yoshi’s World and Donkey Kong. It was hard to not think about merchandise, different types of games and future developments of Nintendo amusement parks. The movie is visually spectacular and action-packed, with the Rainbow Road scene undoubtedly stealing the show. The use of vibrant colors, as well as dizzying twists and turns made the almost non-stop racing sequence the most fun for viewers.
Though I enjoyed the playful banter between Mario and Donkey Kong (Rogen), whom Mario encounters on his Hero’s Journey where he also meets his spirit companion Toad (Key), the film is anchored in the brotherly love between Mario and Luigi, which drives the brothers throughout their adventure.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie also stirs your nostalgic feelings when you hear the the music cues from the original NES game— while everyone is losing it over Bowser’s Peaches [MV], what really took me back to being a kid was briefly hearing the Underground Theme [1]; the NES OST is really an outstanding achievement in simple music.
Overall, this new Super Mario Bros entry is a total smash hit— as seen from their smashing box office records in less than a month of release, and it hasn’t opened in one of its main markets yet, which is Japan. The film is the perfect entry to the overly zealous Nintendo (who are known to hunt down anything on the web that relates to its material), they will make you respect their IP because they know it’s their bread and butter.
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