The Super Mario Bros. Movie is finally here in all of its super glory. As a huge Super Mario Bros. fan myself, I’ve been hyped for the movie and finally got to see it today. So, as a Mario superfan, here’s my thoughts on the movie as well as my overall view on the film. This is a spoiler-free review of the movie. No important plot points or unannounced details will be shared in this review. And without further ado, let’s-a-go!
The main plot of The Super Mario Bros. Movie is that Mario and Luigi are plumbers from Brooklyn, New York and get sucked into a warp pipe where they are split up, and Mario joins Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom to defeat Bowser so he can save his bro. Since it is a kids movie, don’t expect the plot to be very complicated. However, there are really cool moments throughout the plot, such as Mario’s fight with Donkey Kong and the Mario Kart scene on Rainbow Road. Plus, there’s many other cool moments, but I won’t share them here.
I see The Super Mario Bros. Movie as a film made for two main audiences: families and Mario fans. If you are older and aren’t a fan of or don’t care for the Super Mario games and characters, you probably won’t enjoy this movie as much as most others. It’s still a fun movie, even if you’ve never even heard of Mario and don’t know why a plumber, a mushroom boy, a princess, and a gorilla army would fight a giant turtle without powerful flowers and mushrooms. It’s still an exciting adventure with well-established characters for anyone who is unaware of who they are. And by the way, if you’re someone who hates movies showing flashbacks to older movies in a newer movie to educate modern audiences who these characters are (like my dad with Top Gun: Maverick), don’t worry since that is not in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. All the characters are well-established in the movie for anyone who doesn’t know them.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is an enjoyable movie for families. I went to see the film with my mom, dad, and sister, all of whom enjoy Mario games but have way less knowledge about the series than me. My mom knows what the raccoon suit is, my dad knows the original Super Mario Bros. Super Show theme song, and my sister knows what Cat Mario can do, but none of them know what a Luma is or why the pyramids in the desert world are upside-down. However, they still loved The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The story, characters, adventures, and scenes are all made so well that the movie is enjoyable even for those who aren’t Mario fans. You don’t need to be a Mario superfan to love this movie. Plus, one thing I was a bit nervous about with this movie before watching was it being a kids movie, just like with Pixar’s Lightyear in 2022, which was a bit too childish for me. While there are some childish moments here, the movie isn’t designed for kids in that manner and the film is fun for everyone.
Next is the viewpoint of Mario fans, who definitely will enjoy The Super Mario Bros. Movie the most. This movie is filled to the brim with Mario references and secrets everywhere, most of which are more hidden than others. As a spoiler-free example, a pizza place in Brooklyn is called Punch-Out Pizza, and there’s a Donkey Kong arcade machine inside. For Mario fans, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a question block holding a new Mario adventure to stop Bowser along with tons of hardcore easter eggs. Perfect timing, right? Anyway, as a huge Mario fan myself, I was overjoyed to see everything I love from the Mario games into a 90-minute movie. It was awesome.
The thing I liked most about The Super Mario Bros. Movie was the incorporation of music. Several classic Mario titles from the new and old games in the video game series were remade, and all of them sound great. Plus, they are cleverly included in specific scenes in the movie where something from the game or a part of that game is being referenced. For example, when Mario takes flight in the raccoon suit, the remade theme of Super Mario Bros. 3 starts playing, and these renewed classic tracks are perfectly edited in with the brand new music made for the movie. Incorporating this music doesn’t change the tone of these scenes, and add to the magic of each part of the movie.
I was nervous going into The Super Mario Bros. Movie, but was incredibly impressed coming out. The film is a perfect mix of old and new from the Mario games and more, as well as doing a wonderful job as being a great movie for both series superfans and families. I loved The Super Mario Bros. Movie, however as a movie on its own, it did have a more shallow storyline with a few things that are missing to make a meaningful story the movie seemed to be aiming for. I give it a 5.1/6 on the Ryan Meter.
*By the way, for anyone who has not seen the movie yet, The Super Mario Bros. Movie has a mid-credit and end-credit scene.
What did you think of the Mario Movie? Let me know below in the comments.
Ryan
This is an awesome review. I’m not a super fan of Mario anything. However, you make me want to see it just because it is a fun movie and seems easy to follow even without tons of Mario knowledge. I will let you know if we see it.
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