super mario bros movie review roger ebert

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

I can vividly remember playing the first Nintendo version of “Super Mario Bros.” when I was just a boy in the ‘80s. It was at a friend’s house, my first buddy to get an NES, and I went home and had a dream about the game. The goofy, jumping plumber has been a part of my entertainment life ever since. I’ve passed my love for the franchise down to my boys, who have all played the stunning “Super Mario Odyssey” to completion more than once. Mario has come a long way since the notoriously awful 1993 version of his adventure starring Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo , but the new “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” doesn’t reflect the franchise’s creativity in the slightest. The latest animated blockbuster from Illumination is their most soulless to date, a film that feels like ChatGPT produced it after data and imagery from the games were fed into a computer. It is “The Chris Farley Show” of family entertainment, mistaking making references to something that was “awesome” for actually making a movie. And it is one of the most drenched-in-desperation animated films I’ve ever seen. “Remember this?!? Remember how much you liked it?!? Please like it again!” I so desperately wanted to see something that sparked the imagination of the kid in me, like that first game, or spoke to the fun I’ve had playing installments across multiple Nintendo platforms. Instead, I got a movie that’s as hollow as a trailer, something that willfully avoids anything creative or ambitious. Mario and Luigi deserve so much better.

“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” opens in Brooklyn with the plumbers Mario ( Chris Pratt ) and his brother Luigi ( Charlie Day ) trying to get their new business off the ground. Some Nintendo easter eggs in the background of these initial scenes should produce a small smile from people of my generation, and there’s a bit of inspiration structurally, like a clever early shot in which Mario and Luigi race through the city in a side-scrolling manner that mimics the earlier games. There’s also a nod to The Odyssey on a bookshelf in Mario’s room, implying that we’re about to watch a hero’s journey and a reference to the incredible Switch game. What follows doesn’t live up to either inspiration.

In a way that makes little sense, Mario and Luigi find a massive chamber of pipes under Brooklyn, get sucked into one, and end up in the Mushroom Kingdom, which is being threatened by the villainous Bowser ( Jack Black ). The notorious bad guy has found the Super Star he needs to make his final assault on Princess Peach ( Anya Taylor-Joy ) and the residents of her kingdom, including Toad (Keegan-Michael Key). Bowser doesn’t just want power; he wants to make the Princess his bride, singing some truly uninspired songs about his love for her. How on Earth a film like this gets a rock talent like half of Tenacious D and doesn’t let him unleash a few clever Bowser tunes is one of this film’s many mysteries.

Although Luigi lands in the pipeline that drops him immediately in the dark lands and makes him Bowser’s prisoner—a dumb decision that sidelines him for an hour—Mario meets Princess Peach, who introduces him to power-ups. And so all the question-mark cubes get a chance to shine as Mario grows, shrinks, and even turns into a raccoon. They eventually recruit Donkey Kong ( Seth Rogen ), race down Rainbow Road, and save the day. That’s not a spoiler if you’ve ever seen a movie.

Fans of this movie will shout from the rooftops that the scripting for something called “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” doesn’t need to be a strength. And, to be fair, there are a few strong settings in terms of design. I enjoyed the choices made by the team in the structure of Donkey Kong Country, and the Rainbow Road “Super Mario Kart” sequence is well-directed. But I would ask why fans of a franchise that has inspired so much love for generations must be satisfied with the absolute minimum regarding storytelling. 

There are so few actual decisions made in the construction of this film. It’s just a collection of visual and character references cobbled together to form a 92-minute movie. Take a risk. Just do something . Anything. It got me thinking about the fun spin-offs that could exist, like a “ Mad Max: Fury Road ” version of the “Mario Kart” sequence that gets energy out of non-stop motion. Or a version that unpacks like “The LEGO Movie” that’s more sharply aware of its references and world-building—something that even incorporates the player like that movie does in the end. I swear that almost everyone who has played a game like “Odyssey” could come up with something more inventive. Heck, almost any ten minutes of that game is more creative.

It doesn’t help that the voice work is uniformly mediocre too. Chris Pratt can be charismatic with the right material, but it sounds like he pounded this out in three hours in a voice studio. Charlie Day has such an expressive voice, but the movie barely uses him. Seth Rogen is always a welcome presence, and he at least seems to be having some fun. I wish I was too.

With the nostalgia craze merging with the power of Nintendo and Illumination, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” feels too big to fail. That means we’ll get a sequel, and I expect another cycle of the debate of “critics vs. fans.” I am both. And I want a world where the people who made films for a fan base as devoted as this one don’t take that fandom for granted. This is far from over. I suspect we will get a ton of films from the NES universe, including “Donkey Kong Country” and “The Legend of Zelda” (and let’s not forget “Kid Icarus”). But we need creators who don’t just see these games as products to be referenced but as foundations on which new ideas can be built. That ‘80s kid who dreamed of Mario deserves it.

In theaters today .

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

• Chris Pratt as Mario (voice)
• Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach (voice)
• Charlie Day as Luigi (voice)
• Jack Black as Bowser (voice)
• Keegan Michael Key as Toad (voice)
• Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong (voice)
• Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong (voice)
• Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek (voice)
• Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike (voice)
• Charles Martinet as Giuseppe (voice)
• Khary Payton as Penguin King (voice)
• Eric Bauza as General Toad (voice)
• Aaron Horvath
• Michael Jelenic
• Brian Tyler
• Eric Osmond

Composer (original Nintendo themes by)

• Matthew Fogel

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The Super Mario Bros. Movie

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While it's nowhere near as thrilling as turtle tipping your way to 128 lives, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a colorful -- albeit thinly plotted -- animated adventure that has about as many Nintendos as Nintendon'ts.

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‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’: Review

By Tim Grierson, Senior US Critic 2023-04-04T19:00:00+01:00

Back on the big screen after a three-decade absence, Brooklyn’s finest plumbers tool up for a Universal franchise

Source: Universal

‘Super Mario Bros. The Movie’

Dirs: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic. US. 2023. 92mins

Mario and Luigi’s first big-screen outing in 30 years is a colourful animated adventure that unfortunately seems less interested in establishing its own identity than in setting up a sure-to-be-lucrative franchise. At its best, The Super Mario Bros. Movie has the same carefree spirit as the beloved Nintendo game series, sending its iconic characters flying through the air or careening in high-octane go-karts. But whether it’s the hit-or-miss jokes or the familiar action beats, the film too often plays down to its young audience, valuing rambunctious energy over wit or heart.

Less interested in establishing its own identity than in setting up a sure-to-be-lucrative franchise

Critics’ nitpicking should hardly affect Universal’s bottom line, however: as the better-than-expected returns for Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves suggest, family audiences are hungry for viable film options, and this Illumination production should fit the bill. Add in a star-studded voice cast that includes Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black and Seth Rogen, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie ’s commercial prospects look even brighter. Sequels seem sure to follow.

Living in Brooklyn, where they’re trying to get their nascent plumbing business off the ground, loyal brothers Mario (voiced by Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) are desperate to find customers. When a massive underground leak threatens to flood the city, they spring into action, only to be sucked down a pipe into a fantasy realm known as The Mushroom Kingdom, ruled by the kindly Princess Peach (Taylor-Joy) who is trying to keep her toad subjects safe from the evil turtle Bowser (Black). 

The 1993 Super Mario Bros. , which starred Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo, was a notorious debacle both commercially and critically, well-remembered as one of the first (and worst) live-action treatments of a popular video game. The Mario game franchise has only grown since, spawning spinoffs such as  Mario Kart that have greatly expanded the scope of the property. The Super Mario Bros. Movie seeks to appeal to that global fan base: unlike the dark-toned earlier film, the new picture is cheerful and breezy, primarily concerned with laying out the games’ central characters and principal settings. 

There are plenty of knowing references for those familiar with Mario and Luigi, as well as self-mocking jabs at some of the franchise’s sillier conventions. (Why do  the brothers wear white gloves if they’re supposed to be plumbers?) In keeping with the film’s hyperactive bent, directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic — who co-wrote Teen Titans Go! To The Movies (which Horvath also co-directed) — stuff the short running time with action and jokes, often to the detriment of character development. It doesn’t help matters that after the brothers land in this fantastical world, Luigi is captured by Bowser and separated from Mario, depriving the picture not just of Day and Pratt’s lively interactions but also the characters’ close bond. Instead, Mario teams up with Princess Peach to rescue Luigi, and the chemistry between these two characters is not especially electric. Black and Rogen (who voices Donkey Kong) bring their trademark boisterous energy, doing their best to fill in the gaps of underwritten roles with their own oversized personalities.

Although its humour is often aimed at children — the film is littered with ultra-adorable side characters and slapstick-y antics — Matthew Fogel’s screenplay doesn’t offer much in the way of life lessons or emotional shading for younger viewers. The picture’s only consistently sophisticated element is its rich animation, especially once our heroes arrive in The Mushroom Kingdom, which recreates the look and feel of jumping, punching, flying and driving like Mario and Luigi. Particularly pleasing is an extended Mario Kart -like chase sequence on a winding rainbow road high above the ground, the action slightly recalling the pedal-to-the-metal euphoria of Mad Max: Fury Road . 

But as often happens with the first instalments of anticipated cinematic franchises, The Super Mario Bros. Movie too often follows a predictable blockbuster template, turning Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach into just the latest superheroes who must save the world from a seemingly all-powerful foe. To be sure, Horvath and Jelenic try to slyly undercut such grandiosity, emphasising how ordinary Mario is. (The film also has pointed fun satirising the cartoonishly Italian voice Mario has brandished in the video games, although Pratt’s affected Brooklyn accent isn’t appreciably better.) The potential appeal of a new Mario picture is the opportunity it presents for filmmakers to bring the property’s memorable set pieces to a larger canvas. Sadly, The Super Mario Bros. Movie isn’t game enough to go its own way.  

Production company: Shigeru Miyamoto/Chris Meledandri Productions

Worldwide distribution: Universal Pictures

Producers: Chris Meledandri, Shigeru Miyamoto 

Screenplay: Matthew Fogel 

Production design: Guillaume Aretos

Editing: Eric Osmond 

Music: Brian Tyler

Main voice cast: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, Fred Armisen 

• United States

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Super Mario Bros. Movie review - an entertaining advert for everything Nintendo

Bowser's story inside.

It's taken 30 years, but Nintendo finally has a Super Mario Bros. movie to please the masses. As a life-long Nintendo fan, I still can't quite believe it exists - even seeing photos of Shigeru Miyamoto rubbing shoulders with Chris Pratt on the Hollywood red carpet this week felt like a bizarre collision of galaxies - and yet in this age of Sonic the Hedgehog film sequels and Mushroom Kingdom theme parks, it's simultaneously odd it has taken this long. Here we are then, with 90 minutes of bright and breezy fare bringing Mario and the gang to the big screen in an adventure which is all-action and wafer-thin on plot - just like most Mario games! - albeit with a few tantalising hints at character development buried between the constant cameos and continual laughs.

Aside from those cameos, it's almost impossible to spoil the Super Mario Bros. Movie's story, such that it is. Mario is the everyman from New York, a do-good plumber with an extended pasta-eating Italian family and little brother Luigi who he's always looked out for. The film spends longer than expected setting up Mario's Brooklyn background (accompanied by a couple of nice voice cameos from original Mario voice actor Charles Martinet), though never dares sit still for too long. Amidst several plumbing and platforming action sequences, the movie finds time to smartly acknowledge Mario's new Chris Pratt accent (which quickly settles on the ear) and hand-wave the practicalities of a plumber in pristine white gloves. Quickly, however, both brothers end up magically sucked into the Mushroom Kingdom, leaving them separated and placed on two very different paths.

The rest of the film plays out very much as you might expect, with the introduction of familiar faces like Princess Peach (a determined-sounding Anya Taylor-Joy), benevolent protector of the rather Minions-like Toads, here given enough agency to also be on her own quest: to save her realm from the invading Bowser. Joining them are Toad himself (an endearingly enthusiastic Keegan Michael-Key) and the swaggering Donkey Kong (literally just Seth Rogen). Luigi (Charlie Day) is left with a more minor role, though ultimately is given his moments to shine. The true star of the film though, by far, is the typically ebullient Jack Black as Bowser, who gets plenty of screen time as well as a family friendly Tenacious D-esque musical number, which perfectly encapsulates his comically menacing ambitions on power and expectations of Peach somehow becoming his bride.

The set-up of a sort-of love triangle between Mario, Peach and Bowser is the basis for some of the film's few real character moments, as Mario and Peach become better acquainted and get a few chances to reflect together on their individual backgrounds. Somewhat frustratingly, though, any real relationship-building is often cut short by the film's need to quickly cut to a gag for younger audiences, or what feels like a desire to save story threads for inevitable sequels. Of course, Mario games have never hinged on his home life, while Peach's own family has only had the vaguest of hints - which, bar one intriguing tease, is also about all we get here. Yes, it would have felt too odd for the Mario movie to suddenly offer some kind of canon-changing revelation, or a "we were all Mario all along"-style third wall-break akin to The Lego Movie. But for vast stretches of this film, where the characters do talk and interact in a way that's unlike most Mario games, little of substance is actually said, which is a shame.

Despite all that, though, the Super Mario Bros. Movie still ultimately succeeds. What moments we are given with Mario and Luigi, both as brothers and together as part of their initially stern family, end up servicing a predictable if no-less-thrilling finale, and an entertaining third act that has largely not already been served up in trailers and sneak peeks. The Mushroom Kingdom has truly never looked any better thanks to the technical wizardry of Despicable Me creators Illumination, or sounded any finer thanks to gorgeous orchestral reimaginings from 30 years of Mario video game history, brought to life here once again by the legendary composer Koji Kondo. And while the plot may be thin, the laughs are pretty constant, with several brilliant turns by secondary characters such as Bowser's masochistic sidekick Kamek, as well as the abruptly dark humour of the childlike Lumalee.

If you've played any Mario game (especially Mario Kart) in the past 30 years, you'll feel the warm glow of familiarity from the film's never-ending nods, references and Easter eggs to Nintendo lore - though, crucially, no prior knowledge ever felt necessary to understand what was happening on screen. Mostly I was surprised how well much of it transferred over as-is, including some smart side-scrolling action sequences and an explosive journey along Rainbow Road, plus some trickier-to-translate elements of Mario gameplay such as power-ups, which are kept largely accurate to their in-game selves.

It's been over five years since Nintendo announced its initial partnership with Universal to recreate elements of the Mario franchise in its theme parks worldwide. And while I haven't travelled to Universal Studios in Japan or Hollywood yet, watching the Super Mario Bros. Movie feels a little bit like I spent an hour or so there. It's no coincidence that parts of this film's Mushroom Kingdom look identical to the ones you can now travel to and wander around in real-life, nor that the movie's second act takes place largely in the Kong Kingdom, the next theme park area to open in Japan in 2024. And yes, I left the film ready to ditch London's grey streets and hop back into the Mushroom Kingdom myself in video game form. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is one massive advert for Nintendo's mascot and for the company's games in general - and a safe first step for what feels like a galaxy of sequels and spin-offs to follow.

We've come a long way from Bowser's brief cameo in Wreck-It Ralph, when Nintendo famously gave notes on the correct way for Disney's animators to show Bowser holding a teacup. Illumination's version of this world, made hand-in-white-glove with Miyamoto himself, undoubtedly allows for more freedom - though, perhaps unusually for Miyamoto, steadfastly refuses to upset the tea table itself. Perhaps Nintendo's caution is understandable, considering the last time Mario appeared on cinema screens . Three decades on, this film arrives as part of a vastly different era of Mario, albeit with Nintendo's mascot as entertaining as ever.

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‘the super mario bros. movie’ review: zippy animated version breathes new life into beloved video game.

Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key and Seth Rogen are among stars providing the voices for this new screen adaptation of the iconic Nintendo franchise.

By Frank Scheck

Frank Scheck

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Pga awards: illumination ceo chris meledandri to receive david o. selznick award, sebastian maniscalco sets hulu comedy special (exclusive), the super mario bros. movie.

After an amusing slapstick episode involving a routine plumbing job turned into a catastrophe by an aggressive pooch, the brothers take it upon themselves to attempt to fix a broken water main underneath the Brooklyn streets. When Luigi falls down a mysterious pipe and disappears, Mario dives in after him and finds himself in the magical Mushroom Kingdom. With the aid of the upbeat Toad (Keegan Michael-Key), the first resident he encounters, Mario embarks on a mission to rescue his brother from the clutches of the evil Bowser ( Jack Black ), the ferocious turtle leader of the Koopas, who is intent on conquering the Mushroom Kingdom.

The film features one jam-packed sequence after another, one highlight being Mario’s titanic battle with Donkey Kong ( Seth Rogen , sounding exactly like himself but still hilarious), in which his determination and resourcefulness become fully apparent. The fast-paced action effectively approximates the gaming experience; Brian Tyler’s equally frenetic soundtrack cleverly riffs on the game’s musical themes by composer Koji Kando, providing suitable accompaniment.

The plot is as basic as can be, and character development is clearly not a priority. Considering Day’s terrific voice work as Luigi, it seems a shame that the character disappears for such long stretches. But directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, creators of the Teen Titans Go! series, deliver a reasonably faithful big screen adaptation that, while it features plenty of juvenile humor, wisely doesn’t lean toward broad satire.

Fans will be delighted by the many Easter eggs liberally scattered throughout the proceedings — I’m sure I missed the vast majority of them, but there were plenty of appreciative laughs and cheers at the press screening — including the vocal cameos by original Mario voice performer Martinet and other game veterans.

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• Movie Review
• The Super Mario Bros. Movie is the new gold standard for video game films

From its cheesy nostalgia plays to its breathtaking and imaginative visuals, Universal’s new Mario movie is everything a video game adaptation should be.

By Charles Pulliam-Moore , a reporter focusing on film, TV, and pop culture. Before The Verge, he wrote about comic books, labor, race, and more at io9 and Gizmodo for almost five years.

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The most delightful part of Nintendo’s entire Mario franchise is how — despite all their decades of conflicts in various video games — Mario, Bowser, Peach, and the rest of their crew have really always been a troupe of actors putting on whimsical stage plays for a captive audience. That idea alone isn’t exactly what defines Universal and Illumination’s new The Super Mario Bros. Movie from co-directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic. But much in the same way Super Mario Bros. 3 ’s ending invited players to think about and appreciate it as being more than just a video game, The Super Mario Bros. Movie plays like a magical celebration of how this franchise has evolved.

For years after Nintendo’s first live-action Super Mario Bros. movie debuted in theaters and immediately bombed at the box office, it seemed as if the studio wanted nothing more than to leave the entire endeavor in the past and steer clear of trying to make movies. But one of the more intriguing things about Universal’s new feature — a co-production between Nintendo and Illumination — is how effectively it manages to weave together so many iconic elements from the franchise’s bigger outings, like the ’90s movie, Mario Kart , and the Donkey Kong games, into a story that’s equal parts nostalgic and reflective of the franchise’s future.

In addition to being generally good guys who know a thing or two about pipes, The Super Mario Bros. Movie ’s Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) are also introduced as Brooklynites and small business owners trying to make a name for themselves in the film’s opening scenes. As adults and the two youngest members of their surprisingly large family, both of the Mario bros. know how crushing it can be to come home every day to nothing but incessant criticism. But at the heart of Mario and Luigi’s bond is also the mutual understanding that, so long as the two of them stick together, there’s little they can’t accomplish.

That attitude’s what gets the brothers up every morning and inspires them to go out into the world in search of bill-paying gigs. But it’s also why they’re both so game when they unexpectedly get sucked into the adventure of a lifetime by way of a mysterious green pipe hidden somewhere deep in New York City’s sewer system.

Because it’s so dense with painstakingly crafted details meant to spark joy from the jump, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when The Super Mario Bros. Movie ’s intangible magic — the general feeling, rather than the movie’s actual magic — first kicks in. But as the Mario bros. jump, flip, and twirl their way across town on foot in an early action sequence styled after the classic Mario side scrollers, you can immediately get a sense of just how serious the movie is about translating the essence of its source material into something that feels familiar but also like its own distinct quantity.

This ends up being the case with most of The Super Mario Bros. Movie ’s complex set pieces, which doesn’t come as a surprise given Illumination’s track record and Nintendo’s reputation for being extremely protective of its brands. What does come as something of a shock, though, is how genuinely inoffensive (which is to say “not off-putting”) Pratt and Day’s takes on Mario and Luigi are — a concern the movie addresses head-on with some solid gags and a textual explanation as to why Mario occasionally sounds like he might have spent some time in Pawnee, Indiana.

As much information about the Mario bros. as the film lays out before they’re isekai-ed across the galaxy, it’s far, far more reserved about others like Bowser (Jack Black) and his sorcerer Kamek (Kevin Michael Richardson), who serve as hammy villain foils to the Mushroom Kingdom’s Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) and her loyal subject Toad (Keegan-Michael Key.)

If you’ve played through games like Super Mario World or Super Mario Odyssey , then the general shape of The Super Mario Bros. Movie ’s plot will be obvious from the moment you first hear why Bowser’s so hell-bent on getting his hands on a certain star-shaped MacGuffin. The movie works, though, because as it’s building toward its logical and very traditional Mario kind of ending, it uses every possible opportunity it has to make its various fantastical worlds feel like living, breathing, organic places that you’d want to spend hours exploring if they were parts of an open-world video game. It’s cool as hell every single time someone’s outfit transforms after they ingest mushroom power-ups, but it’s things like being able to see each of the individual seeds on a fire flower’s face flicking like a candle that really make you appreciate how hard the movie’s working to get things “right.”

At times, it almost feels like Illumination might have gone overboard in terms of dotting its i’s and crossing its t’s for a movie that moves incredibly fast and consistently has the air of something that’s been crafted with children prone to rewatching the same thing in mind. But it’s just as easy to interpret those things about the film as signs of how much more immersive and engaging Nintendo plans for its Mario theme park and future games to be.

Watching The Super Mario Bros. Movie , it’s impossible not to imagine what it might be like to one day play a game as visually rich running on hardware that puts current-gen Nintendo Switch to shame. That’s probably (part of) the reason the movie exists. But as big-budget commercials for video games and consoles go, The Super Mario Bros. Movie ’s going to be undefeated for quite some time.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie also stars Seth Rogen, Fred Armisen, Sebastian Maniscalco, and Charles Martinet. The movie’s slated to hit theaters on April 5th.

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