The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Movie Review)
Let's-A-Go!
When Shigeru Miyamoto’s father grumbled about his son wanting to take up guitar, he got a job at Nintendo. Just a short while later, Miyamoto was tasked with helping make a game to counterattack the failure that was Radar Scope. He originally wanted to make a game on Popeye (yes, the sailor man), but couldn’t land the rights. So, he went on to make the classic arcade title Donkey Kong. You played as Jump Man, a construction worker who would get to the top of buildings to save Pauline from the titular monkey.
Eventually Jump Man became Mario, and then when Nintendo needed a game to help with its new Family Computer video game system, Mario would star in Super Marios Bros. The game would go on to sell over 40+ million and Mario would become the Mickey Mouse of the video games world. Since then Mario has been the most popular video game franchise, including his spin off titles. A 1993 movie adaptation happened… and failed badly. So when Illumination, the makers of the Despicable Me franchise came knocking, could they do what 1993’s version couldn’t? Well, what we got was a movie with some flaws, but overall a fun ride for families, kids, and Mario/Nintendo fans.
Lets get the negatives out of the way, this movie has pacing and small character development problems. The movie moves at such a speed that just as you are meeting a new character, it forces you to move along and get used to them right away. Because of this, characters like Princess Peach, despite being a well done and modernized version of the character, get no character development what so ever. I couldn’t help but wish this movie had another 15-20 minutes to flesh some things out between major moments. Outside of that, everything else is a blast.
This movie feels like a love letter to Mario in such a good way, that it begs to be watched with other fans. The music jumps perfectly from one scene to the other, based on classic and iconic theme songs from the franchise. Some people weren’t crazy about the needle drops, but I liked them and felt they made sense. The easter eggs all give fans a pop, and they make sense instead of just being there. The integration of power ups to the world is genius and makes every moment they are used matter. And lastly, these characters and the source material are handled with great care to make sure you not only love them, but non-fans as well.
The MVP of the film is Jack Black’s Bowser. He mixes in a comedic element with a great menacing villain, its obvious Black was the best voice casted in this movie. Chris Pratt deserves his apology and flowers for doing a great job as the iconic plumber. Everyone else also does a good to great job, especially Toad, who I actually really liked. The animation is beautiful and shows Illimunation are just every bit as good as Disney at creating seamless and spectacular worlds.
This movie is a perfect fun ride for families and Nintendo fans. I’ve watched this movie twice and had a big smile on my face both times. I’m sure I have lot more watches in me. Sure, the pacing and some lack of character development does hold this back from being a great film. But what you are getting is a fun, thrilling ride through one of the best video game worlds ever made. A love letter that’s fun, funny, and filled with all the pops fans can ask for. I had a blast watching this and you should too.
FINAL SCORE - 4 / 5