Fans and younger audiences may get more out of it, but The Super Mario Bros. Movie is as terrific and faithful a cinematic adaptation as they come.
Overall Score: 9/10
Image: Nintendo / Illumination / Universal Pictures
Growing up, my sister and I weren’t like most kids our age. Unlike our friends, we didn’t play Minecraft or Grand Theft Auto. Instead, we played the same games our parents had played when they were kids — specifically the various installments in the Mario franchise. This included everything from the Super Mario and Mario Kart games to even the ones belonging to the Mario Tennis series. In short, if you haven’t guessed so already, Nintendo’s flagship franchise was (and still is) a big part of our lives. So when they announced that they were finally making an animated film adaptation of it, we were beyond excited.
A collaboration between Nintendo, Illumination, and Universal Pictures, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is everything a super fan of Mario could’ve wished for. The film looks and feels exactly like the different games it takes inspiration from, and it remains extremely faithful to the nature of its source material. For instance, although most Mario games may seem simple and easy at first glance, experienced players know just how difficult and chaotic they often turn out to be. Therefore, I appreciate that the movie goes absolutely bananas — pun intended — when it comes to the variety and number of enemies and obstacles its throws at its heroes.
Furthermore, I love that the film acknowledges and utilizes the fact that it often takes players multiple attempts to pass, let alone master, any given level in a Super Mario game. This is perhaps most evident in its characterization of Mario, who’s often told by others that he just doesn’t know when to quit. To them, this is a flaw, but the movie cleverly flips this notion on its head, arguing instead that this is actually a form of perseverance — a virtue of the highest quality. Only through perseverance can someone truly succeed, and that’s exactly what Mario learns. And so yes, while he does stumble along the way, through practice and experience, he becomes good at what he needs to do and eventually realizes his full potential.
Also, I should point out that despite its name, this film is so much more than just an adaptation of the Super Mario games. In fact, it adapts several elements from many other titles like Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, Luigi's Mansion, and even Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. That’s a lot of Nintendo properties to handle all at once, but the movie utilizes the different inspirations it gathers from them rather effectively and effortlessly weaves them together.
Additionally, The Super Mario Bros. Movie acts as a love letter to the Mario franchise and its many fans around the world. From start to finish, an infinite number of easter eggs and homages are sprinkled throughout the film. Whether it be visuals, songs or musical themes, sound effects, or even cameos, this movie, quite literally, has it all. I had so much fun taking in and understanding all the different references, and I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t grinning from ear to ear the entire time. Oh, how this film has reawakened my inner child!
And in terms of writing, although I fully admit that this may not be the flashiest or most outstanding movie out there, I honestly think that it at least does enough of what it’s supposed to do. By this, I mean that Mario and Luigi are given a pair of compelling arcs, keeping the film and its story grounded and allowing them to grow as individuals. Also, it does justice to basically every other character it features. Toad and Donkey Kong, for instance, are both beautifully brought to life, and heck, even Bowser, as silly as he is here sometimes, is terrific. But really, the real star here is Princess Peach. Instead of keeping her as the damsel in distress, the film reimagines her as a highly capable and badass princess. It’s a change that I’m very grateful for, and it reflects her more recent rise to prominence and introduction as a playable character in the newer Super Mario games.
Moreover, the voice acting in this movie is surprisingly good. Chris Pratt and Charlie Day work pretty well as Mario and Luigi — especially after you understand the context of the film and their respective characterizations. Anya Taylor-Joy and Keegan-Michael Key are also great as Princess Peach and Toad, and the same can be said — rather shockingly, I might add — about Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong. But if I had to pick the one cast member who does the best job of playing their character, I’d have to go with Jack Black. Rather impressively, Black infuses Bowser with a sense of ferocity and ruthlessness but also remembers to sell him as a goofy and somewhat sympathetic villain. This is a Jack Black performance through and through, and if you’re a fan of his style and what he does, I can guarantee that you won’t be disappointed.
Lastly, can we all just agree that this movie has some seriously phenomenal animation? The entire thing is beautiful, and I appreciate how all the different characters, locations, and objects look as if they’ve been taken directly from the games. This is by far Illumination’s best work yet, and I sincerely hope they’ll keep up this level of quality animation going forward.
So, is The Super Mario Bros. Movie everything I hoped it would be? Absolutely! It’s a solid film that’s both consistently fun and funny, but more importantly, it’s a perfect adaption of the various games within the Mario franchise. And sure, while the fact that your enjoyment of it depends on how well you know the lore may be a bit of a problem, as a massive fan and avid player of all things Mario, I have to say that it gave me everything I ever wanted and so much more. In other words, I’m beyond satisfied, and in a situation like this, I can only think of one thing to say: “Wahoo!”
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