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The Super Mario Bros. Movie Review
Image Credit: Nintendo and Universal Studios
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Directed By: Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic
Written By: Matthew Fogel; Based on the games and characters from Nintendo
Runtime: 92 minutes
MPAA Rating: rated PG for action and mild violence
Chris Pratt – Mario
Charlie Day – Luigi
Jack Black – Bowser
Anya Taylor-Joy – Princess Peach
Keegan-Michael Key – Toad
Seth Rogen – Donkey Kong
Fred Armisen – Cranky Kong
Kevin Michael Richardson – Kamek
Khary Payton – Penguin King
Sebastian Maniscalco – Spike
Jessica DiCicco – Mario & Luigi’s Mom
Charles Martinet – Mario & Luigi’s Dad/Giuseppe
Juliet Jelenic – Lumalee
The last time Mario and Luigi were in a big-screen theatrical movie with the 1993 film Super Mario Bros., the film was a gigantic flop, and Nintendo didn’t make motion picture adaptations of its beloved properties for almost 30 years. Nintendo’s longtime ban on film adaptations has finally ended with the new CGI-animated movie, produced by Illumination, The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Depicting the adventures of the iconic video game duo in an animated feature format was the ideal choice for the Brooklyn plumbers. The film faithfully recreates the worlds of Nintendo’s interactive adventures onscreen for a vibrant, fun, and heartwarmingly sweet tale.
Animation is the ideal format for adapting the adventures of Mario and Luigi since there is no predilection for grounding the material to make it look more realistic and palatable for a live-action audience. Illumination, and co-directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, embrace the visual look, style, and characters of Nintendo’s games. The animators do not stray far from the established and iconic designs of the worlds and characters of Super Mario Bros., right down to the Mushroom Kingdom, the Cheep Cheeps, Goombas, and Bloopers. They’re all here and appear faithful to their game counterparts. The animators of Illumination went wild to bring the world of the games to life without skimping on all the imaginative, wild concepts.
At the heart of , Super Mario Bros. is the bond of its two would-be heroes, Mario (Pratt) and Luigi (Day). The duo just quit their day job as plumbers for the big bully Spike (Maniscalco), and they are now ready to start their own plumbing business, much to the chagrin of their dad (longtime Mario and Luigi video game voice actor Charles Martinet, who thankfully has a role in this picture). With things not going too well after they strike it on their own, Mario seeks to bring the duo some glory by investigating a devastating water leak that threatens to flood all of Brooklyn. Their endeavor causes them to be unwittingly sucked into an underground pipe that transports them to another world, stranding Luigi in the lava-filled Darklands. Meanwhile, Mario is transported to the Mushroom Kingdom, a peaceful land inhabited by sentient mushroom people, such as Toad (Key). The Mushroom Kingdom is soon to be under siege by the despotic King of the Koopas, Bowser (Black), who has stolen a magic Super Star that will grant him the power to rule the world, lest the Mushroom Kingdom’s human ruler, Princess Peach (Taylor-Joy), grants him her hand in marriage. Now, it’s up to Mario and Peach to save her kingdom, Luigi, and stop Bowser once and for all.
The Super Mario Bros. tells a very simple story, but it has heart where it counts. The strong bond between Luigi and Mario shines through, even though the duo is separated for most of the film. Mario and Luigi make for charming underdogs who refuse to quit no matter how much they get bullied or beaten down.
The emotionally tortured and belligerent Bowser is a tyrannical monster, but he wants to be loved. The filmmakers lovingly adapt the classic Bowser, and writer Matthew Fogel clearly wrote the character with Jack Black in mind. Black’s casting is perfect, as they incorporate the actor’s gift for music and song as part of Bowser’s personality, which makes for some hilarious musical interludes.
The film’s casting is incredibly solid. Day as Luigi and Black as Bowser are pitch-perfect casting choices. Day’s nasally, scratchy voice is perfect for the cowardly, neurotic Luigi. Black has always been a gifted vocal talent and performer, and Bowser takes full advantage of his range and talents.
Chris Pratt was a very controversial choice to play Mario, and that’s understandable. However, it is also understandable that Charles Martinet did not reprise his role as Mario. Considering the film makes Mario and Luigi Brooklyn natives, it would not make much sense for them to speak with heavy Italian accents through most of the film. However, the movie does portray their Italian background which is illustrated when they sometimes speak in Italian-accented phrases.
Pratt’s vocal performance is adequate. He tries to put in the effort, even though he uses a quasi-Brooklyn accent. Pratt does not attempt to use his typical inflection and voice. His vocal performance does not blow you away, and it is a weird attempt by a guy who is not from Brooklyn trying to adopt Brooklynese. It’s not quite as strong a vocal performance as Pratt has done in the past for The LEGO Movie, but it mostly gets the job done.
Much is due to the film’s score composed by Brian Tyler. Tyler put considerable effort into creating the score for The Super Mario Bros. Movie and adapting the classic, iconic theme music composed by Koji Kondo for the original games. Many movies based on video games have been missing the boat by not maintaining the iconic music that goes with the games. The music of video games is important. The music empowers players for their gameplay sessions, and the Super Mario Bros. game series music evokes a warm tingly feeling.
Tyler understands the power of Nintendo music themes and consulted with Koji Kondo to create the film’s score, converting the iconic Kondo’s indelible music themes into big orchestral instrumentations. It comes together for a delightful score that enlivens this vibrant, animated world and makes it sound alive. So many composers try to assert their own will onto video game properties without paying proper homage to the classic sounds. That is not the case here.
The problem with the score is that the movie often resorts to using popular rock music and needle drops throughout the runtime. Brian Tyler worked incredibly hard and collaborated with Koji Kondo to create a fantastic score, yet the film repeatedly drops in pop music tracks when the music Tyler composed is infinitely better. The movie needs more of its excellent score and fewer pop songs.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a wonderful and joyous experience. Horvath and Jelenic demonstrate their love for the games and characters that comes through visually. The movie is loaded with fan service and nostalgia. However, those moments are executed in a way that propels the story forward with effervescent energy. Some of the action sequences are staged like classic platform levels. There is also the Mario Kart Rainbow Road sequence and an homage to Super Smash Bros. The filmmakers incorporate game concepts within the narrative in an organic way that doesn’t require long-winded, ridiculous exposition and is easy to follow. Within the cinematic world, the integration of video game-type conventions makes sense. Horvath and Jelenic go the extra mile by including some classic Easter eggs in the most surprising places. The discovery and inclusion of these references prove the filmmakers are true fans, and they manage to incorporate those all-important Easter eggs to have a maximum narrative impact.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a joyous event that will bring excitement to all longtime Nintendo fans and players, giving them a new generational story that they can share with their children and families. This movie is playing with power.
