The Super Mario Bros. Movie is an interesting one to place, with its target audience probably being one of the primary reasons that the reception between critics and the public has been so diverse. It is not necessarily a movie for those who watch everything and have no attachment to Nintendo’s iconic video game franchise, nor is it for those after a weighty story or looking for a better attempt at the mature experience offered by the ill-fated 1993 film, or the much more impressive Detective Pikachu film in recent years. Instead what audiences receive is a fun and easter-egg-filled experience that embraces its roots, delivers a charming family-friendly adventure and offers much through its colourful visuals, delightful soundtrack and chock-full of nostalgia. Plus, the film is supported by a genuinely talented cast of comedians/voice actors, who while not all would be my first pick at representing such iconic characters, are clearly vested in giving the best to the characters.
Coming in at just over an hour and a half in length, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is on the shorter end of film runtimes but still packs dozens of references and a cohesive albeit short narrative that takes advantage of every minute. With no overarching Mario Bros. timeline to work from, the creatives have opted to go with another ‘origin story’ tale of Mario and Luigi, two new-time but ambitious plumbers from Brooklyn who attempt to resolve a massive leak affecting the sewers but are instead whisked away by Warp Pipe to the Mushroom Kingdom. With Luigi already falling into the grasp of the dastardly Bowser, Mario now seeks the assistance of Princess Peach to rescue him, with the two teaming up to seek the aid of the Kongs in a nearby land and take down the most dangerous of koopas.
The dynamic between Mario and Peach is of particular note, departing from the traditional damsel-in-distress approach of the games and making them strong complements of each other. Even if the narrative does eventually eventuate into the tropes you would typically expect from a Mario game, Peach serves as a competent guide for Mario as he – a human – has to adapt to the uniqueness of this new land. In fact, Luigi is the one who falls into the typical ‘imprisoned by Bowser’ role, which makes him a solid motivator for Mario to save the kingdom and plays upon his typically “scaredey-cat” nature well. Bowser, on the other hand, is an absolute delight to watch, complemented by the terrific voice-acting kudos of Jack Black. While able to up the ante when it comes to scenes where he serves as a threat, a hidden side of his personality which serves as a justification of why he seeks to capture Peach is both delightful and answers the question that fans of the series may have had for years… why does Bowser seek to capture the princess of a Kingdom mostly comprised of Toads? Hilarity and some downright enjoyable musical numbers ensure while going down that rabbit hole.
Is it a perfect plot? Unfortunately no. The plot is rather formulaic and does sacrifice more than enough of its limited runtime for certain jokes or references – such as an extended (although justifiably action-packed) Mario Kart scene, or trying a bit too hard with a ‘Your Princess is in Another Castle’ reference. The other issue I had was with the pre-launch trailers. Given the drawcards that Universal Pictures, Nintendo and Illumination already had by the IP itself, I felt they gave away a little bit too much of the film in them, especially the inclusion of the Luma, which would have been more surprising had the final trailer not prominently featured them in it.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie has a relatively small cast of lead characters, drawn from both Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong franchises. While it felt a little disappointing that Yoshi was relegated to a cameo appearance mid-way through the movie, opting to include not only Donkey Kong but Cranky Kong was a nice touch, harkening to the original rivalry between Mario and DK in the original arcade games while not outright copying it. Opting to channel some of the Captain Toad personality into a Toad travelling companion for Mario and Peach was also welcome, even if they seemed like a shoo-in character.
The casting of Chris Pratt as Mario was a controversial one since he was first announced, and yes, his interpretation of the character is far from the tone many have enjoyed since the 90s kudos to Charles Martinet (who himself has a few minor voice roles in the film). But he took on the role well, and I think complemented his character more than adequately. With other cast members including Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong and Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek – the other cast members all have some degree of experience in comedy, and it shows, delivering passionate but also where required, entertaining lines naturally. Of course, the biggest compliment must go to Jack Black, who quite frankly I wouldn’t mind having as the recurring voice actor for Bowser should Nintendo ever try to give the character voiceovers a la Super Mario Sunshine.
While Illumination Entertainment is clearly skilled at bringing child-oriented animated feature films to life, I have personally felt that their films tend to lack a unique charm that sets them apart from other franchises. While I can imagine that having the powerhouse that is Nintendo looking over their shoulder would have assisted in this, they nailed the design and animation when it came to bringing the Mushroom Kingdom to life. It felt like they took the design language of games such as Super Mario Odyssey, alongside a few of their own unique concepts, and successfully delivered much eye candy for fans to enjoy.
A collaboration between Brian Tyler (The Fast & Furious series, Avengers: Age of Ultron) and long-time Nintendo composer Koji Kondo, so much nostalgia is drawn from the remixes offered, from the iconic leitmotif to a megamix of iconic songs as the credits begin to roll. Coupled with some awesome choices of licensed songs (Bonnie Tyler’s Holding Out for a Hero and A-ha’s Take on Me being two such fantastic choices) and some original tracks, it captures the spirit of the Super Mario Bros. world effectively. Oh, and Jack Black / Bowser’s original song ‘Peaches‘… I hope that will stop replaying in my head sometime soon.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie in my opinion serves as a strong start to a potential franchise, and provided their hearts are in the right place towards doing right by fans, has much source material or potential ideas to draw from. If you don’t look over the film with a critical eye and instead see it as a nostalgia-fueled family-friendly experience for those who are fans… then you have on your hand an enjoyable and memorable experience. But does it reach the heights of The Lego Movie or Sonic the Hedgehog in previous years? Probably not, but there is definitely groundwork to reach that stage with future films.
