I understand why it took such a long time to put another "Super Mario Bros." movie on the big screen after the disaster that was the live action 1993 version. However, after seeing the final product, this feels like such a no-brainer. Everyone who grew up in the '80s and '90s knows the original game, and everyone who's grown up since knows some version of the characters and their universe. For context, I played the first three games, watched at least one television show based on the game, and even read some of the comics, despite not really counting myself a fan of the franchise. "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" had plenty for me to get fuzzy nostalgic feelings towards, and didn't feel like a waste of my time, despite being a very mediocre kids' movie.
Boy, is "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" mediocre. Put together by Illumination Studios, and a bunch of primary creatives from "Teen Titans Go!," all the characters speak and act like they were written by eight year olds, all the character designs are taken directly from the old comics and the video game box art, and the voice actors are a collection of familiar actors who were only cast for name recognition. Because it's Illumination, there are obvious needle drops everywhere, and a long, drawn-out sequence involving our heroes getting on the wrong side of an ornery dog in the opening act. It takes far too long for Brooklyn plumber Mario (Chris Pratt) and his brother Luigi (Charlie Day) to go down the wrong pipe and end up in the magical Mushroom Kingdom, which is under threat by the evil Bowser (Jack Black). Luigi winds up captured by Bowser's minions, so Mario teams up with Toad (Keegan-Michael Key), Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen) to defeat evil and save the day.
If you're here for the nostalgia, there's plenty. Many of the action scenes are built with the original games' mechanics in mind, including a whole training sequence designed to look like a level of one of the early "Super Mario Bros" NES games, and a big race that is straight out of "Super Mario Kart." There are Easter Eggs everywhere you look, with many of the games' creatures and design elements included in some way. The most effective references are the aural ones, which bring back a ton of familiar musical themes and sound effects. Kudos to composer Brian Tyler for being subtler than I expected, and doing some interesting things with Koji Kondo's familiar Mario themes.
There's a little updating to the characters for 2023, but not much. A more competent Princess Peach never needs rescuing, and is the one who guides Mario along on his journey to becoming a hero. There's a cute explanation for why Mario and Luigi no longer have broad accents, but they do gain a stereotypical big Italian family. The only actor who brings much to their character is Jack Black, whose Bowser is now a lovelorn reptile pining after Peach, writing and performing love ballads when he's not plotting evil deeds. Keegan-Michael Key and Seth Rogen are also clearly trying their best, though they're not important enough to the story to leave much of an impression. One of the only new characters, and the only really good joke in the film, is the cute little Luma (Juliet Jelenic), a chubby little sprite who is one of Luigi's fellow prisoners, and reveals a disturbingly dark outlook on life.
I'm probably being too tough on "The Super Mario Bros. Movie." It was obviously designed for younger kids, maximizing the noise and action, while keeping everything as cuddly and bright as possible. They got the important things right as far as the characters and the worldbuilding, and the filmmakers are clearly fans of the franchise. As children's entertainment, this is perfectly acceptable and unobjectionable fare. However, I can't help wondering what this movie could have been if it were in the hands of a creative team that was able to take some risks and not just rehash the familiar elements from the games. I don't look forward to the inevitable sequels and spinoffs to come.
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