Chaos Level | The Super Mario Bros Movie Review

Hello, all you people out there who still cling to the vestiges of your youth, desperately trying to recapture the magic of a time when the most stressful part of your day was rescuing a princess that were in other castles from a pixelated turtle-dragon. Yes, I’m talking about the Super Mario Bros. movie. As of April 18th, 2023, The critics at Rotten Tomatoes gave it a score of 58%, while the audience, probably high on nostalgia and mushroom-shaped candies, scored it at a whopping 96%. By September 8th, 2023 it move to a whopping 59% to 95% ratio. Today, I'm going to dissect this disparity and throw in my two cents because why not?

The Super Mario movie, a cinematic venture no one really asked for but we all secretly wanted, has spawned discussions, debates, and probably a few existential crises among fans worldwide. As a self-proclaimed Mario existence knower of, I found myself oddly captivated by the movie. It was like a nostalgia-laden acid trip that appealed to both the Fortnite-obsessed kids of today and the jaded adults who remember a time when Mario was just a bunch of pixels on a screen.

The voice acting? Superb. Jack Black as Bowser was a masterstroke, Charlie Day as Luigi was delightful, Chris Pratt as Mario was... well, Chris Pratt, and Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong was a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one. 

The sound and music were a blend of old and new, the visuals were eye-popping, and the attention to detail made the Mushroom Kingdom feel like a living, breathing world. It was good, clean, family fun that didn't feel like you were being forced to watch a two-hour-long advertisement for Nintendo (although, let’s be honest, you kind of were).

However, the movie wasn’t without its flaws. The plot was as straightforward as a Mario level, albeit with some pacing issues. It felt like the director was in a hurry to get from one iconic scene to the next, with little regard for character development or narrative cohesion. Now this is typical with animated movies but it could also be fixed with a director's cut hint, hint, nudge, nudge.

 I was also on the TableToTV Podcast where go DEEP into the movie and tell you everything.

And while we’re on the subject, can we talk about the relationships between the characters? Toad and Peach were inexplicably buddy-buddy with Mario from the get-go, Peach’s life was conspicuously struggle-free, and Luigi felt like an afterthought until the very end.

Now, let’s address the elephant in the room: a certain critic’s assertion that the movie’s reliance on nostalgia and fan service made it unenjoyable for those unfamiliar with the franchise. To that, I say: hogwash. Yes, the movie was a love letter to the fans, but it also served as a fun introduction to the Mario universe for newcomers. Criticizing something on how much it did not do what you wanted while ignoring whether or not it did well doing exactly what it set out to do seems a bit disingenuous, don’t you think?

Furthermore, I don't think this necessarily makes the movie unapproachable for those unfamiliar with the franchise.

In fact, I would argue that the movie provides an excellent introduction to the Mario franchise. Even if someone has never played a Mario game before, they can watch the movie and get a sense of what the franchise is all about. And if they enjoy the movie, they may be more likely to seek out the games and become fans of the franchise.

But let's not kid ourselves. It's a film about a plumber who jumps on mushrooms and goes down pipes. If you're expecting Shakespearean dialogue and complex character arcs, you might want to adjust your expectations. This is a film that knows its audience - people who spent their childhoods (and probably a good chunk of their adulthoods) playing Mario games. It's a film for the fans, by the fans, and if you don't like it... Well, there's always the next reboot. Because let's face it, in this day and age, there's always a next reboot.

In conclusion, the Super Mario Bros. movie is a wild, wacky, nostalgia-fueled ride that will delight fans and provide a fun introduction to the franchise for newcomers. It has its flaws, but it’s definitely worth a watch. So, grab some popcorn, sit back, and let the magic of Mario wash over you. And who knows? You might just discover a new favorite series.

Chaos Level 
8th 

Grade
4.2 

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