The Super Mario Bros Movie review- The Super Mario Bros film aims to appeal to a wide audience. The world-famous Mario Bros. franchise is combined with Michael Jelenic and Aaron Horvath, the minds behind the massively successful and dynamic animated series Teen Titans Go!, by Illumination Entertainment, the animation studio behind the Minions. They include hilarious actors like Chris Pratt, Keegan-Michael Key, Charlie Day, Seth Rogen, Fred Armisen, and Jack Black in the cast just for good measure. The Super Mario Bros. Movie, however, falls short of being genuinely enjoyable.
Movie Details:
Director: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic.
Distributed by: Universal Pictures
Language: English
Cast: Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Charlie Day, Seth Rogen, Fred Armisen, and Chris Pratt.
Run Time: 1 hour 32 minutes.
Genre: Adventure, Comedy.
Produced by: Chris Meledandri; Shigeru Miyamoto
Where to watch? – At the theatres!
The Super Mario Bros Movie review:
The Super Mario Bros. franchise has over 20 games to its name and is still growing, so there is a tonne of iconography that filmmakers may use to excite viewers. Use a lot, say directors Horvath and Jelenic. Brian Tyler, the film’s composer, cleverly incorporates Koji Kondo’s original Nintendo music. These once-chirping tunes have been given an orchestral treatment, giving them a vast cinematic grandeur that works well whether the brothers are diving into a perilous sewer, celebrating a win at a castle, or going up against the evil Bowser.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie features an ensemble cast led by Chris Pratt’s Mario, Charlie Day’s Luigi, Anya Taylor-Princess Joy’s Peach, Jack Black’s Bowser, and Seth Rogen’s Donkey Kong, in addition to Toads, Koopa Troopas, Goombas, Dry Bones, King Boo, Bullet Bill, Cheep Cheep, Shy Guys, and other characters. There are also well-known backgrounds and gameplay-based action moments, like a frantic vehicle pursuit on Rainbow Road. Nevertheless, not every element is included with attention.
Storyline:
The storytelling is utterly devoid of inventiveness. The screenplay, credited to Mark Fogel, primarily relies on tiresome clichés taken from fantasy and superhero films. The character of Mario is transformed into an MCU hero. When a stroke of luck grants him the opportunity and superpowers—in this case, in the form of mushroom power-ups—he is a scrappy underdog who is eager to prove himself.
Naturally, there is a humorous training sequence in which the protagonist is seen honing his new abilities. His adversary will be huge, nasty, and hard-shelled in contrast to him, who is thin-skinned (and sensitive to being called “small”). The Super Mario Bros. Movie even uses the MCU cliche of having the decisive fight take place in New York City, where a hero is praised despite wreaking havoc on his own land.
In Brooklyn, Mario’s extended Italian-American family screams at him in stereotypical outbursts over pasta, telling him he’s a loser. Fogel throws in a tiresome narrative there for good measure. Ever wished Mario had a problem with his father? If so, The Super Mario Bros. Movie will give you that, so congrats.
Screenplay:
In addition, the romance between Mario, Peach, and Bowser is based on the traditional story of a white knight saving a beautiful princess from an evil dictator. Although she is more adept at the training track than Mario, Peach is admittedly more of a strong female character in the film version and will willingly step aside to allow him to do most of the daring-do. The Super Mario Bros. Movie provides Peach with one or two action scenes before calling it a day, in contrast to Adventure Time, which adopted this trope and gradually compounded it. Since empowering women can be achieved through cheat codes, why do we need three-dimensional heroes?
In comparison to the 1993 live-action film, which featured a fungus-covered city, Goombas as towering goons, and Bowser as a spiky-haired mobster, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is unquestionably more faithful to Nintendo’s IP. Super Mario Bros., which was directed by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel, was a laughably awful film that barely resembled the video game it was based on. But you do realise what it has, right? Mario.
Film Play:
Bob Hoskins, a much-lauded character actor, gave the determined plumber a blue-collar, grit-teethed drive. Also, he provided a touching story about a jaded man who learns to open up within a world of cartoonish mayhem, just like he did in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Did he have Mario’s voice from the video games? Without a doubt. Yet the moment Hoskins began to complain in a Brooklyn accent, you knew who Mario was. Chris Pratt is incomparable.
Of course, there is a tonne of game-related content in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. There are even a few humorous quips regarding video game culture, such as when one Toad advises another to “blow into” anything damaged in order to mend it. Together with these brief musical interludes, Horvath and Jelenic add well-known songs like “Waiting Out for a Hero,” “Take on Me,” and “Mr Blue Sky” to the soundtrack. These bouncy songs provide simple head nodding and enthusiasm but no depth as they only skim the surface of the scenes’ themes. This movie lacks any sense of play or challenge.
Conclusion:
This toy-based movie lacks the spark that makes us remember the special thrill of playing with its inspiration. In contrast to The Lego Movie or even the Barbie teaser. Nothing about this brings back memories of our youth like the click of Legos or the outrageous multiverse mayhem of a fleet of Barbies convergent on a painted beachscape. There is a painful absence of self-aware humour in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, maybe as a result of the film’s desire to avoid upsetting fans or the brand. There are many pratfalls, but not enough punchlines.
In the end, it seems like one continuous advertisement. Yes, I left eager to play more of my old Mario games. Yet I also left without ever wanting to start up The Super Mario Bros. Movie again.
So, this was all about The Super Mario Bros Movie review. Bollywood Hush would rate the film 2.5 stars out of 5. Click here to read more Bollywood movie reviews.
