Spoilers ahead.
Let’s-a Go! . . . Back to the drawing board
While not outrageously a bad movie by any means, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is an ambitious, bland adventure despite stunning visuals and a killer score. The bar for video game adaptations has been set higher than an end-of-level flag pole, with the recent success of projects like Sony’s Sonic the Hedgehog, HBO’s The Last of Us, and Netflix’s Castlevania. In this context, The Super Mario Bros. Movie meets all expectations of an adaptation faithful to the source material, full of fan service and endless Easter eggs, but as a movie on its own merits unfortunately disappoints.
The movie stars Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Jack Black as Bowser, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, and Keegan-Michael Key as Toad. The plot centers around the Bros. who, after being whisked away to the Mushroom Kingdom by way of a mysterious underground pipe in their native Brooklyn, must save that world from being taken over by the evil King Koopa himself, Bowser, who has stolen the all-powerful Super Star. To do so they’ll need the help of the Kong army, hilariously led by Cranky Kong (Fred Armisen). Princess Peach leads a reluctant Mario, training the future hero for the coming fight. Despite the cool Easter eggs and deep-cut references, the movie tries real hard to shoehorn in as much as it could, which creates a bad balance between good pacing and narrative exposition.
The plot is paper thin, leaving the the audience to accept the characters at face value. Each character’s personalities and mannerism we’ve coming to know and love over the franchise’s 35 plus year history are intact, like Bowser’s naivety when it comes to trying to swoon Peach, Luigi’s cowardice and tendency to land himself in spooky situations, or DK’s stubbornness and cockiness. Something the movie handles well is Princess Peach. Typically, she’s a run-of-the-mill damsel in distress, waiting to be rescued by Mario. But here, she leads the charge against Bowser to help save her world. It’s nice to see her on this side of the action.
The marketing around the movie centered its mega movie stars, and the movie itself tries to piggy back off of those names. This really didn’t need to be as star-studded as it is, because there’s not much dialogue throughout. Chris Pratt’s Mario voice has been the center of online discussion since it was revealed that he’d be playing the character, and it was overall mediocre. He did an alright job, but across the board performances were dull and lackluster (although, Bowser does have a hilarious piano scene that Jack Black absolutely blows out of the water).
Super Stars
The Super Mario Bros. Movie does do a few things well. The visuals are jaw-dropping (seriously, the water looks amazing); the environments and lighting effects really help the already colorful world pop. Each character’s redesign for the movie is done flawlessly, from Bowser’s scales to the Bros.’ individual mustache hairs. Their appearances are still very faithful to their original video game designs, but are modernized in a way that works well on the big screen. The kart section on Rainbow Road is a dazzling display of what the team over at Illumination is capable of, and I do hope we get see more of their take on the Mushroom Kingdom (or other video game worlds) in the future.
The movie’s score is probably its best feature. You’d be hard-pressed to find a tune, sound effect, or jingle from the series’ long history that isn’t in this movie. Mario’s iconic jumping sound, stomping on a Koopa shell, and the power-up jingle are all on display here, along with gorgeously orchestrated medleys of songs from the games by longtime legendary composer Koji Kondo, including tracks from Paper Mario, Super Mario Galaxy, and the Mario Kart games. And the best part? Grant Kirkhope’s DK Rap is here. Licensed music is around as well, like A-ha’s “Take on Me”, which is typical of an Illumination project to help amplify the fun, higher octane moments.
Eagle-eyed viewers and longtime Nintendo fans will spot some pretty sweet Easter eggs, like the Arwing from Star Fox and the Punch-Out Diner featuring pictures of Little Mac. The movie is filled to the brim with little references and callbacks to classic Mario lore, and the ones that aren’t narrative-specific are subtle enough that, despite their abundance, don’t feel too in your face. Other Easter eggs game fans will recognize include the baby characters in a flashback, images of Jump Man, and a certain green dinosaur egg.
Verdict
Gorgeous visuals and a masterpiece of a soundtrack full of fan favorite tracks throughout Mario’s over 35 year history can’t save The Super Mario Bros. Movie from its bland performances, lack of plot, and blink-and-you-miss-it pacing. Jack Black’s performance as Bowser and some great action sequences easily steal the show. Die hard players of the games who have been looking forward to this will need to manage their expectations, but this movie is perfect for casual viewers, kids, or a family movie night.
Be sure to stick around for a mid-credits and after-credits scene.
See The Super Mario Bros. Movie in theaters April 5, 2023.
In the meantime, be sure to check out Temple of Geek’s other movie reviews!
