Hello all!
The next movie we have is The Super Mario Bros. Movie. My prediction of this one was moderately hopeful with Illumination possibly bringing some substance to the property but also not having high expectations. Of all the video game properties to be adapted into a movie, Mario is definitely on the low end but I thought the trailer was really funny. Here we gooooo!
What's the story about: The Super Mario Bros. Movie follows Mario as he and Peach journey to defeat Bowser and save Luigi. That is literally it. There is no personal journey or greater worldbuilding of any kind.
This movie was not even really a movie. It was an INCREDIBLY visually stunning experiment to see if Mario can work as a story. This movie proves...it cannot. There is an attempt at beginning to establish the "world" of Mario, but before it gets any traction to hook viewers, the plot starts and the viewer is left wondering why literally anything is happening. The most backstory we get on any character or the world at all is literally 20 seconds of history on Peach, but the rest of the movie just takes for granted that you've played all the Mario games and don't care too much about it making sense or having cohesion. I really wanted to like this movie and expected a simple plot but it never turned into anything other than a showcase of what the video games have already done with a through-line of Mario and Peach doing stuff.
Which leads to another issue that exemplifies this, the characters literally don't have personalities. Since there are so many to introduce, everyone is reduced to caricatures. Mario is reluctant brave. Peach is firmly competent. Luigi is shamefully fearful. Donkey Kong is pridefully strong. And Toad is determined sidekick. The one glorious exception to this problem is Bowser. Jack Black hilariously breathes Bowser to life by allowing a dynamic of contradiction that is nothing short of endlessly giggle-inducing. I won't ruin it, but I honestly liked Bowser the most and felt for his mission because I actually knew what he wanted. This was so disappointing for me. Characters can make simple plots work, but since we didn't spend time getting to know any characters or their motivations past the plot requirements, there was nothing they could do besides "accomplish mission."
I actually feel pretty sad about how flimsy of an attempt this was. Animated movies have really been showcasing a higher level of storytelling as of late by incorporating the best of animation and storytelling (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Lego Batman Movie, Inside Out, the How to Train Your Dragon series, etc.) If there is one thing that redeems the experience of the movie, it's that the humor is often enjoyable, lighthearted, and at times, very funny. Bowser, Luigi, and Toad are pretty amazingly on par with the characters. I had higher hopes for Mario, Peach, and Donkey Kong, but like most of the aspects of the film, they just don't stack up to much of an effort.
Final Verdict: ★★ 2 Stars - The Super Mario Bros. Movie feels like it wants to be something special at times, but acts like it doesn't want to try to get there. The movie could be summed up as a 90 minute montage of fun aspects from the games and the plot serves as a conduit to fun action scenes every 15 minutes. The aspects from the games would have been really satisfying if there had been any emotional pull to bind them to the story. This movie is really enjoyable to look at but nothing lies beneath the surface. The world is pretty lifeless with characters that don't actually breathe with reality because the story moves so fast to do anything remotely emotionally resonant. The movie is funny and sets up the idea that they could explore many different avenues of this universe, but unfortunately they didn't focus on telling a good story at the end of the day.
Let me hear from you! If you like what you read, want to hear more thoughts on this movie, other reviews, or talk movie recommendations and Essential Reading, leave a comment below.