The Super Mario Bros. Movie Review
The Super Mario Bros. Movie has so much passion and is lovingly made, but is it good? I might be sick of Internet discourse about these films and how rude everyone is to one another. Yet I'm not tired of writing movie reviews, and I'm certainly not tired of talking about The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Thank you all for joining me in today's Reel Ranker review, and I hope you enjoy this article!
As always, I'm gonna start with the negatives and move into the positives. I know this is going to be so controversial because some people will hate me either way, but here goes. I enjoyed this film, but its story is rather weak. I've always had the same problem with the games, but it's made even more apparent in a medium primarily focused on storytelling, not gameplay. The Mario series can tell better, more emotional stories than this one. Take Super Paper Mario or Paper Mario: The Origami King, for example. Those games told stories that literally brought me to tears. While far simpler than many games' stories still, those two games still have truly compelling narratives. I'm not saying that those are the types of stories that should've been told in the first game, but I am saying that the quality of storytelling in the film could've been of that caliber. A film can have a really simple story yet still feel much more cohesive than this one. Instead, this film feels driven by cameos and fun moments rather than by story and characters.
However, unlike many critics, I do believe there's some merit to the story here. The pre-Mushroom Kingdom moments were a wonderful origin story, the Baby Mario & Luigi moments were beautiful, and the Mario-Kong pseudo-Jonah moment was impactful. Bowser taking on the penguins, Luigi becoming a little braver, and the Mario Bros' parents having a change of heart... all these are great moments. However, by falling into the game's trap, we've kept Mario as a very passive character with little growth. Peach takes on her more bada** Super Princess Peach persona here, and Toad is pretty much Key doing his shtick with a cuter twist.
This movie has good payoff in many ways, but doesn't quite crescendo into the moments or connect them effectively. It's sad to see this when Illumination has previously proven they can blend fun action and an amazing character arc in Despicable Me and, practically ever since, they rely on super fun moments, but struggle with the story. This film has never been the problem alone; it's been a common repetition by the studio. In fact, it does a lot of this better than previous films, but since it's an adaptation and has such high highs in other regards, I feel it's been more noticeable and overblown in these two Mario films.
Seriously, though, there are so many good moments, just not a fantastic throughline... which is far better than can be said about many films, especially some critically acclaimed arthouse films that don't have a good story or moments, but are trippy and pretentious enough to enamor critics. The hate has been overblown by critics, yet the weaker story has been overly defended by fans, and the production company is just raking in more money, smiling that controversy over mother-jechtin' Mario is what's putting additional money in their pockets.
Now that I've addressed those negatives, I have a couple of smaller personal critiques to cover before moving on to the film's positives. While I enjoy Chris Pratt and Charlie Day in the roles, and have nothing against them as actors, seriously, get some lesser-known voice actor to fill the role, especially an Italian or somebody who studied Italian... because, no offense, Pratt can't quite nail the "mamma mia" persona. I know hearing the exact Martinet style would get a little old in normal speech, but Mario could still sound more, well, not like Chris Pratt. It feels like these performances could've been far more authentic and multifaceted, yet, as always, Illumination goes for more juice to throw in the marketing. While I understand the business choice, people will show up for the Mario movie regardless, and Chris Pratt isn't going to be what persuades people to go or not. There's no reason to not find people more suitable for the roles. Again, they do a really solid job, especially Day, but they could've been better.
In the same vein, though, Jack Black and Anya Taylor-Joy are really smartly cast and work really well. Even though I'm always rooting for voice actors over traditional actors in roles like this, I can't think of many who could've nailed Bowser here more than Black. And then there's Key and Rogen, which didn't quite work for me as well as they could've. This voice cast is a mixed bag for me: there's perfection, there's mediocrity, and there's misfires. Everyone does well enough, but could be better.
The last matter that took me out of the film was the terribly misplaced needle drops. I don't typically mind Illumination's obsession with pop music. Still, given the series's rich history of great VGM, it's honestly a teensy bit offensive that they felt pop was necessary here. What really could've worked? Remix the songs, à la Remix 10 in Super Mario Run, or get Mega Ran to drop some spits over a Mario beat. Heck, even get Flo Rida to throw some music together like his sampling in "Good Feeling", but with a Mario twist on it or whatnot. Even Toad singing "All I Want For Christmas Is You" would've worked—anything with a modicum of Mario-ified personality that still captures the idea of a needle drop sequence while still honoring the work of composers like Koji Kondo, Asuka Hayazaki, Motoi Sakuraba, Ryo Nagamatsu, and more.
When you've got a film with such strong musical hits as the "The Mario Rap" commercial remix and Jack Black's Bowser ballad "Peaches", it's baffling that the crew here felt "Take On Me", "Mr. Blue Sky", and "Thunderstruck" should be in this movie. While I didn't mind Bonnie Tyler and Georges Bizet pulling up as much as those felt a tad more fitting in a satirical, funny way, the problem still stands!
Honestly, it's a lot of typical Illumination problems that kind of plague the film's quality across the board, even though many of their sensibilities are what make so much of the film work... so let's get into what really works well about the film!
As I mentioned earlier, this film is full of fantastic moments, even if the story is weaker. The cameos and references here are done incredibly well and feel like heartwarming, passionate tributes to the Mario series. Some say they feel soulless, but they're far too hype to feel as such for me. The Rainbow Road moment, the utilization of the Mini mushroom and the Superstar, the sound effects, the references to the old TV show... It all comes together to make the film feel unabashedly Mario. Add that to the fact that this and its sequel are far and away the best-looking Illumination films, and honestly, some of the prettiest 3D animation of all time, and you've got one of the most stylish films you'll ever see. Everything here captures the beauty of the whole mainline Mario series.
In the end, if I have to pick style or substance for a Mario film, you've gotta prioritize style to make it work. And this really nails that style. When you've got this great a style and so many aura-farming moments, it's hard not to enjoy this film as a Mario fan. It's impossible not to recommend it. Outside of a story that needs more breathing room for character growth and emotional moments, as well as Illumination's usual issues, this film is the most perfect video game-to-movie adaptation I can think of.
The last things I got to applaud are some of the story elements that really worked. Everything on Earth is a fantastic setup. Saving Luigi instead of Peach changes the dynamic a ton. The idea of a brotherly bond between Mario and Kong is excellent. Taking the whole marriage to Peach approach with Bowser was great, even if it should've taken notes from the way Super Paper Mario handled it, or at the very least the way Super Mario Odyssey does it. The implementation of the suicidal Luma was absurd for a kids' movie, but it fits surprisingly well with the film's tone. While this film is most definitely a mixed bag, it isn't without great artistic merit.
The Reel Ranker Verdict
Reel or Unreel? - Reel
The Reel Ranker Score: 72%
Letter Score: B+
Star Ranking: 3.5 out of 5
The Super Mario Bros. Movie may have a rather weak narrative. It may fall into the typical trappings of Illumination as a studio. It may be reliant on cameos and style to drive the film. Yet, it's still a supremely entertaining ride with phenomenal style and animation, as well as plenty of incredible moments.
Interested in my reviews for other animated films? Check them out below! I'll be updating this a lot as I get to reviewing older films I've watched!
Brighton Nelson
Brighton Nelson
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