“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is a fun watch. With a near perfect cast and attention to detail, this movie did everything it promised to do: live up to the expectations of Mario fanatics.
I wasn’t upset about the lack of character development or simple storyline — saving Mushroom Kingdom and Princess Peach from Bowser — because of how enjoyable every other aspect of the film was.
It is not shocking to admit that Jack Black as Bowser greatly enhanced the already enjoyable movie-watching experience. His song, a ballad to Princess Peach titled “Peaches,” has reached over 1.3 million streams on Spotify. It is difficult to ignore the passion and emotion Black put into this villainous role.
Charlie Day has stated that it is difficult for him not to sound like a cartoon character, making him perfect to play Luigi, and Seth Rogan’s infamous laugh paired with Donkey Kong somehow worked. The main casting decision I was unsure of was Chris Pratt as Mario, especially after the original trailer was released. However, edits and reshoots were done between the release of the trailer and the release of the movie, making Mario sound more like the original.
In the movie, Princess Peach — played by Anya Taylor-Joy — is not a helpless damsel in distress, the way she often is in the Mario Universe. Princess Peach proves to be a dedicated ruler and strong fighter, teaming up with Mario to defeat Bowser instead of waiting to be saved.
The graphics were mesmerizing, transporting viewers to different locations from the games, mainly showing the vibrant Mushroom Kingdom and the fiery Dark Land. During the racing scenes, especially on rainbow road, it felt like you were playing Mario Kart on a 40-foot screen.
The film’s composer, Brian Tyler, used music from different Nintendo games for much of the soundtrack. One musical reference is the sound that comes from receiving a power-up, which originated from “Super Mario Bros. 3.”
Incorporating these references made the movie feel even more like the game, but that was lost at times with odd song choices. “Take On Me” by A-ha, “No Sleep till Brooklyn” by the Beastie Boys and “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC were all songs included that I felt were out of place in the movie. The montage of Mario training with Princess Peach, which featured the song “Holding Out for a Hero” by Bonnie Tyler, felt especially cliche.
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” provides audiences of all ages an hour and a half of fun and original Nintendo content, primarily enjoyable for fans of the Mario Bros. franchise.
