The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Not to be mistaken for the famous (or infamous) 1993 adaptation, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is the latest in a long line of films based on video game source material. The question to ask, then, is clear: does the Universal/Illumination/Nintendo production live up to the storied source material? The answer is a resounding “Kind of, I guess.”
Directed by a duo best known as co-developers of popular Teen Titans Go!, Aaron Hovarth and Michael Jelenic, The Super Mario Bros. Movie was written by Matthew Fogel and contains a sizeable, and in some cases controversial, star-studded voice cast. Notable cast members include Chris Pratt as Mario (50% of the titular Bros.), Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach (ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom), Jack Black as Bowser (antagonist and king of the turtle-like Koopas), Charlie Day as Luigi (the remaining 50% of the titular Bros., as one could expect), Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong (second in command of the Jungle Kingdom), Keegan-Michael Key as Toad (inhabitant of Mushroom Kingdom who first encounters Mario), and Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek (a wizard Koopa who seems to be Bowser’s leading minion). There’s also a noteworthy cameo from Charles Martinet, the voice actor who portrays Mario in Nintendo’s video games, as a neighbor named Giuseppe modeled after early Mario appearances; he also plays Mario and Luigi’s disapproving father.
The plot, as one can expect from a modern animated movie, wastes little time moving forward. Opening with Bowser’s attack on an ice village populated by adorable yet scrappy penguins, Bowser almost single-handedly makes short work of the kingdom’s walls (begging the question as to why Bowser even needs an army outside of his helpful wizard Koopa, Kamek). Stealing the “Super Star” from the penguin kingdom, Bowser begins his conquest. From there, the film shifts its focus to Mario and Luigi, two ne’er-do-well plumbers operating out of Brooklyn. The movie hangs a hat on their matching outfits, making it part of their newly founded plumbing business. After a few setbacks (including the standard “unsupportive father” trope), the brothers attempt to heroically save Brooklyn from a plumbing emergency when they are pulled through the Mario series’ patented teleportation pipes.
From there, the brothers are separated, with Luigi ending up in the scorched badlands ruled by Bowser and his minions, and Mario finding himself in the significantly more welcoming Mushroom Kingdom, immediately greeted by Toad who becomes attached as a friend and ally. While fleeing attacking Dry Bones in the badlands, Luigi finds himself captured by Shy Guys (and transported to Bowser), while Mario himself is caught up in Princess Peach’s attempt to garner allies from the Jungle Kingdom (home to Donkey Kong, of course) to thwart Bowser’s upcoming invasion. In the meanwhile, it is revealed that Bowser’s true goal is to gain Peach’s hand in marriage, intending to rule the world with her side by side.
At that point, the movie moves from one set piece to another, not afraid to lean into video game elements. Peach teaches Mario the basics of platforming and power-ups, Mario has a Super Smash Brothers-style brawl with Donkey Kong, and the opposing factions find themselves in a kart race. Throughout, the film doesn’t shy away from game references; because of the short length, the pacing can feel a bit rushed, but at least it doesn’t overstay its welcome. Vocal performances across the board range from unremarkable to unexpectedly effective. On the more unremarkable side is Seth Rogen’s turn as Donkey Kong. In interviews, Rogen has acknowledged that he sticks to his usual voice; it really does seem like Seth Rogen as an animated gorilla. Despite the controversy prior to release, Chris Pratt’s turn as Mario is serviceable, albeit with one or two too many instances of slow motion “Mama Mia!” Charlie Day is a bit under-utilized as Luigi, although an early turn where he wanders around terrified had the right ring of the Luigi’s Mansion series.
The strongest performances come from Anya Taylor-Joy’s Peach and Jack Black’s Bowser. Taylor-Joy brings a level of confidence to her vocal performance that allows her personality to shine through; she never feels along for the ride, sharing the spotlight with Mario. Black, as Bowser, is hindered a bit by voice distortion (something that hinders Keegan-Michael Key’s turn as Toad), but there is enough of Jack Black’s particular vocal idiosyncrasies that make it a performance that couldn’t be replicated by another performer – something that the popularity of the recent “Peaches” song on the internet has made abundantly clear.
As far as animation goes, the worlds are appropriately vibrant and textured. Mushroom Kingdom, Jungle Kingdom, the badlands, and Brooklyn all have their own personalities. The character models, too, are overall solid. Peach’s character model in particular seems a bit out of proportion, especially next to a relatively video game accurate Mario. Overall, however, the world feels alive, and the characters inhabit space and interact well.
At the end of the day, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a relatively inoffensive, if unremarkable, animated film. It moves at a decent pace, quickly progressing from scene to scene, set piece to set piece, introducing new characters, locations, and events in stride. There are plenty of nods to keep fans of the series happy. As a movie clearly aimed at children, perhaps the best recommendation I can make is that there were three children in my aisle at the movie theater; none of those children moved for the entire runtime of the film. If it manages to keep children entertained for 92 minutes, it must be doing something right, even if it isn’t for everyone.
By: Stefan
