The Super Mario Bros. Movie Was a Block-Buster Hit!

The Super Mario Bros. Movie released in theaters today by Nintendo and Illumination, and was an action-packed love-letter to the series of games and media from 1981 to the present. It featured the voices of celebrities like Chris Pratt, Jack Black, Charlie Day, Anya-Taylor Joy, Seth Rogen, and Keegan-Michael Key. Charles Martinet, who was the voice of both Mario and Luigi in their respective games since 1991, had a cameo as the voice of Mario and Luigi’s father, as well as a side character named Giuseppe who is shown early in the film. The creator of Mario, Shigeru Miyamoto, had a huge creative impact on the movie, allowing for it to be as “Mario” as the movie could be. The voice acting throughout the movie, despite some criticism, worked very well and brought a lot of life and personality into each character. Most of the criticism came from the fact that the movie planned to divert from the iconic voices from the Mario series of games, however I feel like the Brooklyn-Italian accents sounded great from Pratt’s Mario and Day’s Luigi. A jab is taken at the original voices in a commercial for the brothers’ plumbing service at the beginning of the movie, where heavily exaggerated Italian accents are used to promote their business, prompting Mario to ask Luigi if they were “too much.”

The movie sets up the origin of the famous duo, as they quit working for Wrecking Crew, much like the respective game, to start their own plumbing business. The previously mentioned commercial gave a nod to The Super Mario Bros. Super Show, using the beginning of its theme song. While trying to fix a problem in the sewers of Brooklyn, the pair find themselves in a strange area, where a large, green pipe transports Luigi to the Darklands, and Mario to the Mushroom Kingdom. Luigi finds himself being chased by an army of Dry Bones and Shy Guy, before being captured by Bowser’s army. Mario on the other hand meets Toad and Princess Peach, learning of the King Koopa and the powerups that would aid in defeating him. Bowser steals the Super Star, which he would use to convince Peach to marry him, or else he would use it to become invincible and destroy her kingdom. Mario, Peach, and Toad make their way to the Jungle Kingdom, the home of the Kong family. After a fight with Donkey Kong, the trio gain the Kong’s army to help save Luigi and protect themselves from Bowser’s fury. They then ride using go-karts through a shortcut to Bowser’s Castle, on an all-too familiar rainbow road. Eventually, a fight breaks out to prevent the forced wedding, leaving Bowser in a block of ice thanks to Peach. Mario saves Luigi and Donkey Kong saves his father, Cranky Kong, from the boiling lava that Bowser planned to kill them in, leading to some emotional character building. The movie ends after everyone is transported back to Brooklyn for a final battle, where Mario and Luigi work together to get the Super Star, becoming invincible and defeating Bowser and his army.

There is a heavy theme of family in the movie, with both Mario and Donkey Kong proving to their fathers that they aren’t jokes and can do a lot when they put their minds to it. Luigi gains more confidence as he fights alongside his brother, not as cowardly as he was shown to be in the beginning. The bond between Mario and Luigi is shown a lot throughout the movie, really touching on how much they care for each other. Princess Peach’s backstory of wandering through a pipe into the Mushroom Kingdom and being crowned princess after growing up and learning the toads’ ways was a nice touch, allowing her to help train Mario for the inevitable fight.

The animation was incredible, with loads of detail in every scene and character. But the greatest part of the movie by far was the original soundtrack. So much passion went into the sound design and music, with the talent of American composer, Brian Tyler, and Japanese sound director and composer for Nintendo, Koji Kondo giving it life. Music cues from every corner of the Mario franchise can be heard throughout the movie, and the timing for each one perfect. Similarly, there are plenty of easter eggs for fans to point out, from locations to background characters, powerups to music choice, tiny details and everything in-between. A long history of video games, shows, and lore were represented in this movie, along with a fun story with a lot of room to expand from.

Here were some of my favorite things from the movie:

• King Bob-Omb and King Boo showing up at the wedding
• The many different themes, sound effects, and details from the many different games
• Bob-Omb Battlefield from Super Mario 64 and the Sand Kingdom from Super Mario Odyssey making an appearance
• The hinting and references to Super Mario Galaxy
• The irony of Mario not liking mushrooms
• The animation of each character moving, taking a lot of movements from their games
• Jack Black singing an original song, “Peaches,” as Bowser
• The Yoshi egg hatching during the end-credit scene

Overall, The Super Mario Bros. Movie was a blast to watch and a very fun time for fans of the most prominent plumbers over the last forty years. I wouldn’t be surprised if a sequel was in the works, or a movie focused on other Nintendo properties. A movie for The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Kirby, F-Zero, or Super Smash Brothers would be a lot of fun, I think. The potential for a sequel is high, and I would love to revisit this world for more powerup-filled fun.

Update: As of the 10th of April, 2023, The Super Mario Bros. Movie has officially gained the title of the biggest animated movie box office opening ever! The past record of $358.5 million was held by Frozen II, but now sits at a whopping $377.6 million because of the plumber brothers and their smash-hit of a movie.