The Super Mario Bros. Movie has been breaking records since its release on 6 April 2023. Having watched it on opening night, I personally see why it is popular, though not to such an extent.
As one of the highly-anticipated game adaptations of 2023, it was by no means bad but it definitely was not spectacular, at least not enough to gross $377 million worldwide and becoming the biggest opening weekend of an animated film (beating one of my favourites, Frozen 2).
With a Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score of 57% but an Audience Score of 96%, the movie has split audiences. If you haven’t seen it, here is a spoiler-free review of the show that has karted its way to the number one spot last weekend across cinemas worldwide.
Plot
The movie follows Mario and Luigi as they attempt to fix a water main in Brooklyn, New York. However, they get separated after entering a Warp Pipe – Luigi landing in The Dark Lands and Mario in the Mushroom Kingdom. With the help of Princess Peach (and Toad), Mario works to stop Bowser from conquering the world and save his brother.
At the end of the day, the underdeveloped plot was the movie’s biggest drawback. Not only did I feel like there was a lack of character development on Mario’s (and Luigi’s) part, some scenes just dragged on for far too long. They could have cut out some of those and fit in others adding to the characters’ growth. Plot-wise, the movie just felt very flat.
Nostalgia
To no surprise, the movie felt a lot like fan service. It was filled to the brim with references from the various Mario games. Our favourite characters and iconic games all found their way into the movie. I also enjoyed how the movie brought a modernised twist to the classic game soundtrack. Just picking out and identifying all the callbacks and easter eggs within the movie made the 92 minutes really engaging.
Bonus: It may not be accurate to how the games portrayed her, but I loved how Princess Peach was not the “damsel in distress.” I enjoyed how the creators made her a heroine without making it feel too forced.
Comedy
I laughed so much in the theatre. From the Penguin Army’s choice of attack tactics to Bowser breaking out in song, there were many moments that made me burst out in laughter or at least chuckle.
Personally, as a 19-year-old teenager, my personal favourite was Luma, the blue star-shaped creature we saw trapped in Bowser’s dungeon. Every line that came out of its mouth, like “There’s no escape; the only hope is the sweet relief of death,” was true Gen Z humour.
Catering to Children
The movie is clearly a children’s movie. I may not be a kid anymore but take it from the whole slew of children who sat around me in the cinema. In any other movie, I would be irritated by the frequent whisperings next to me during the showing, but hearing the kids gasp, get excited seeing all the characters and just be completely captivated by the movie made me smile. For a children’s movie, the bright colours definitely did its job.
Overall, I enjoyed it, despite knowing it could have been so much better. It is what you expect a movie adaptation of the Mario games to be, so in that sense it delivered. But the best animated movie to ever grace us? Definitely not.
Who knows? With its success in the box office, we might be seeing a The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 sooner rather than later. Who will it focus on next? Will it be “Peaches, Peaches, Peaches, Peaches?”
Iykyk.
My rating: Six out of ten mushrooms
