It's been nearly 30 years since audiences we're last treated to a live-action film adaptation of the popular Nintendo game, Super Mario Bros. The previous attempt became such a huge critical and commercial misfire, that Hollywood strayed from revisiting the popular video game universe until now with Universal Pictures The Super Mario Bros. Movie, producing a more faithful adaptation of the classic video game this time in animated form. If one found themselves to be tremendously disappointed by the failed 1993 film, they'll be happy to hear that the newest iteration is the exact opposite and more true to its source material despite its plot feeling generic.
The plot for Super Mario Bros. has Mario and Luigi with the help of Princess Peach, preparing to square off against the all-powerful Bowser to thwart his plans from conquering the world. The newest adaptation of the classic Nintendo game is what the fans have been waiting decades to see, and promises a fresh new cinematic start for these characters. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is exciting, funny, unapologetically charming, and rightfully heartfelt in providing a solidly well-crafted comedic adventure that's fueled with fan-focused devotion.
Much of Mario's effectiveness as a faithful video game adaptation comes from the voice performances of its all-star cast, who demonstrate clear excitement and dedication towards playing their iconic roles. Though initially considered to be a controversial choice for the role, Chris Pratt makes for a worthy Mario despite not using a thick Italian accent to play the part. Pratt is convincing as a struggling plumber from Brooklyn, whose accidentally transported to the world of the Mushroom Kingdom. Charlie Day is perfectly casted as Mario's timid younger brother Luigi with both actors sharing strong chemistry. Anya Taylor-Joy is terrific as Princess Peach, ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom and Mario's love interest. Joy presents her character as being strong-willed and determined to defend her kingdom against King Bowser. Jack Black steals the show as Bowser, king of the Koppas, who plots to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom by marrying Princess Peach. Black is hilarious in the role with his surprise song "Peaches" destined to become a major hit next award season. Seth Rogan surprises as the powerful anthropomorphic gorilla, Donkey Kong, whose also the heir to the throne of the Jungle Kingdom. Adding to the films level of fun is Keegan-Michael Key as Mushroom Kingdom resident Toad, who aspires to go on his first real adventure, along with Fred Armisen as Donkey Kong's father, King Cranky Kong, whose the ruler of the Jungle Kingdom, and Sebastian Maniscalco as Mario and Luigi's former boss from the wrecking crew, Spike.
When it comes to the films style of animation, Illumination proved to be the perfect animation studio to design the universe for Mario world with directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic presenting the story with stunning animation that's vibrant, and brings the Mario universe to the screen in a way that feels immersive and larger than life. The fantasy action violence presented is family-friendly though has bits that include the use of magic and characters fighting with various powerups resulting in explosions. There is one sequence shown in which a character is tortured by magic along with another being pursued by zombie skeletons. At 92 minutes, the film remains fast-paced with the first overall story playing out more like a thrill ride, while still allowing time for both plot and character development. The soundtrack does a fine job of honoring the games classic themes, while weaving together with the films newer compositions to deliver an incredibly upbeat feel that includes iconic 80's tunes like Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out For A Hero. With bringing the Super Mario Bros. to the screen, the job for any filmmaker is to bring the games universe to life for the audience to experience in film form. In that regard both Borvath and Jelenic succeed in doing so while incorporating fun bits including sound effects which are lifted directly from the games to further drive the audiences nostalgia with playing them.
Some key themes in Super Mario Bros. that allow it to have a tremendous amount of heart are siblings looking out for each other, feeling small and insignificant with the desire to do something big, fulfilling ones dreams, unrequited love, and heroism that's demonstrated by the Mario Brothers and Princess Peach. The Mario's are portrayed as having a great sibling relationship with dreams of doing big things with their careers as plumbers. With their relationship, the audience see's how both siblings look out for each other with Mario having the stronger character arc of the two. Princess Peach is shown to be a strong leader of the Mushroom Kingdom with her prepared to defend it against Bowser while simultaneously catching feelings for Mario. Whereas her character could've easily ended up being a typical damsel-in-distress, Peach is presented as being smart, strong-willed, and not needing men to do things for her. King Boswer steals the show with him not just providing the film with the correct type of villain required, but surprises with the amount of humorous bits his character possesses.
Although the story is serviceable at best, it's the nostalgia of the game along with the fleshing out of its key characters that help the film overcome the scripts shortcomings and ultimately make it work. For fans of the video game, this one will leave them feeling hugely satisfied due to it being jam-packed with Easter eggs, and the dedication put forth by its voice cast who approach the source material with the utmost amount of respect and dedication. For audiences as a whole, The Super Mario Bros. Movie provides an enjoyable experience for the whole family.
Final Verdict: SEE IT
Images Courtesy Of Universal Pictures
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