Review: Illumination’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”
The Super Mario Bros. Movie animated feature is something that fans have been wanting for over thirty years, since the first cinematic adaptation of the property crashed and burned upon arrival and had the dual effect of scaring Nintendo away from further film efforts. And while the film certainly is not perfect, it is immensely fun, adorably nostalgic, and everything both families and seasoned gamers could want.
The story follows wayward dreamers Mario and Luigi on the cusp of a new business venture as they seek to fix up Brooklyn, one broken toilet at a time. After a disastrous first job, and in an effort to make a name for themselves in the community, the brothers accidentally tumble down long-forgotten green pipe only to find themselves in the world of fire-breathing turtles and talking mushroom people.
It would be easy to ham things with a bevy of winks and nods to the audience, but Illumination and Nintendo, to their credit, do not do that. Rather, they let the foundation of the Super Mario world stand as authentic. Sure, it is insane that the Mario Brothers found a secret cavern underneath the famous New York borough that transported them to another dimension, but by playing the concept straight, it allows the audience to buy in. And because of that, the runtime clips by at such a pace that the film feels light and breezy, in much the same way succeeding at a particularly vexing level (I’m looking at you desert world in Super Mario Odyssey) can feel.
On top of all that, the performances in the film really do a lot of heavy lifting. While the internet, for ridiculous reasons we will not mention here, decided that Chris Pratt was unfit for the role, the actor fits surprisingly well. He is not just rehashing Emmett from The Lego Movie, nor is his version of Mario a sanitized rip off of Star-Lord. Instead, Pratt has such an earnest air to his portrayal that it is hard not to root for him. He is just a guy who wants to succeed alongside a brother that he loves but feels duty-bound to protect. It is something that is easy to connect with, as most viewers have a story about how they were responsible for someone else. The good think is that it is never overt, even as all Mario is concerned with is finding his brother. Rather, it feels natural. Again, if you found yourself in a similar situation and got separated from your closest sibling, and you knew they were in danger, wouldn’t you do everything you could to find them?
And while Pratt more than lives up to the role of Mario, and the rest of the cast, from Charlie day as Luigi, to Keegan-Michael Key as Toad and Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach, no one comes close to the majesty and sheer awesomeness that is Jack Black as Bowser. Certainly, everyone could assume that he would do well in the role, but few, if any, imagined that he would personify the character in so strong a way that, by the midway point of the film, you almost want him to win. What makes Black so successful in the role is that it seems he has been let off his leash, almost as if the director pulled him aside before the recording sessions and essentially said, “You go into that booth and do whatever the f— you want!” And Black, for his part, took the aforementioned director up on his offer and did whatever the f— he wanted. Bowser is equal parts bombastic and sentimental. He is a giant turtle warlord that spits both fire and tender melodies, because all he wants is love. And for a silly as the premise may seem, the film takes it seriously, which, again, makes the audience take note and do so as well.
Now, there are certainly some issues with the film, but, in all honesty, why even bother with those? With such a rollicking fun flick, why bother with pessimism? There are loads of fun Nintendo callbacks, from Spike from The Wrecking Crew video game (which was the first appearance of the Mario character) to Donkey Kong throwing barrels to entertain genre fans, tons of frenetic action and goofy jokes to grab the attention of kiddos, and an underlying heart that beats throughout and keeps the story from straying too far off course. And there is that “Peaches” song that you are probably still humming in your head, even if you saw it three weeks ago. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is pure popcorn fun mixed with stark emotionality. It is Disney’s Frozen, but a little less ham-fisted.
Rating: 4.5/5
