BY JOHN CARTER JR
This is a non-spoiler review
Originally released in 1993, the original Super Mario Bros. film was a letdown to both franchise fans and executives. Since then, Nintendo hasn’t trusted its IP with another major motion picture or movie studio. Now 30 years later and with Nintendo’s heavy involvement in the development process, a new attempt at an adaptation of our favorite overall-wearing plumbers has been released.
“Super Mario Bros. (2023)” is an excellent venture in animation and in video game adaptation. Along with original Super Mario voice actor Charles Martinet making cameo appearances; Mario (Chris Pratt), Luigi (Charlie Day), Toad (Keegan Micheal Key), Princess Peach (Anya Taylor Joy), Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen), and of course, Bowser (Jack Black) are all fully realized. The Super Mario Bros. movie is here, “Let’s-a-go!”
The film centers around Mario as he attempts to save his brother Luigi from the clutches of the villainous Bowser. The film gives us a backstory to the Mario Brothers, their plumbing ventures, and their home in Brooklyn, New York. As revealed in trailers and in promotional materials, Pauline, Mario’s original girlfriend from the Donkey Kong arcade game, makes an appearance. This, however, is only one of a plethora of easter eggs for fans of the video games to enjoy and is not the only character cameo fans have to look forward to. The film features many characters from the Super Mario franchise and even some faces from adjacent franchises. Now let’s take a look at the good and the bad this film has to offer.
Nowthere are some problems with this film that stand out, luckily they are few and far between. The first noticeable issue with the film is it is too short and subsequently, the story isn’t given enough time to breathe. While its source material isn’t known for groundbreaking storytelling, the film’s breakneck speed allows little room for any major arcs of development to occur in our lovely cast of Nintendo characters. This isn’t as much of a detriment had it been something else like a Legend Of Zelda or Metroid adaptation, but it is noticeable enough to call it out. The second and only other problem I saw with this film was the voice of Cranky Kong was not only unappealing but sounded unaligned with the character we were presented within the film or in the source material.
Now on to the good, and there is so much more to say about the film. Jack Black as Bowser, Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek, and Anya Taylor Joy as Princess Peach are standout vocal performances. The performance Mario veteran Charles Martinet gives in this film is small, but impactful and heartwarming. The musical performances and score in this film are not only catchy but reminiscent of tracks from all of your favorite classic Mario titles. The film is comedic all around family fun with excellent Mario-themed action sequences.
Featured in the last of the trailers, the Rainbow Road scene steals the show. The character cameos, which will not be mentioned here, are so fun and will excite longtime Mario fans. The film is colorful, vibrant, and exquisitely detailed. The animation on these characters, the world they live in, and the objects they interact with are not only callbacks to the source material but also a visual spectacle we have never seen in these characters.
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is a perfect homage to the franchise we know and love. It is beautiful, fun, and at times heartwarming. It is ooey-gooey Nintendo goodness all throughout and is among the best video game adaptations out there. Is it a perfect film? No, but with a few tweaks, this film could evolve into a very fruitful and exciting franchise that could keep fans coming back to the Mushroom Kingdom time and time again. In time I hope and anticipate we will be hearing more announcements for future Nintendo film adaptations of not only the Mario franchise but others as well. As the post-credit scenes indicated, and there are two to stick around for, we may have more Mario on the horizon.
I give “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” 8/10 Super Stars! Its cast, character and world design, along with its beautiful heartwarming moments, make it a standout among video game movies. If it improves its script, runtime, and a few performances, it could make for a very sustainable franchise.
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