The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

[Eric Prime]

Let's-a go!

[Reddroast]

I'm going to keep this short and sweet: I was smiling the whole time

[lilmac]

During my viewing of Super Mario Brothers, the phrase "oh they did the thing" frequently came up in my head, anytime a familiar sight triggered waves of nostalgia. Although shamelessly indulging in fan-service, I thoroughly enjoyed the film and it transported me back to my youth. I loved seeing the various sights and characters, like Tanooki Mario, Invincible Star, Donkey Kong, Mario Kart, Rainbow Road, Cat Mario, Flower Power, the Yoshi species, and Toad. However, I would have preferred less Princess Peach and more focus on Mario and Luigi (which happened for....reasons). Despite this flaw, the film earned an A rating, largely due to the finale which indeed feature the brothers. Looking ahead I suspect this film, more so than the Sonic franchise, will be viewed as the bellwether for many cherished videogame IPs coming to the big screen (Zelda??!).

Edited April 7, 2023 by lilmac

[Kalo]

This movie was made by Mario fans for Mario fans imo, and it was so freaking full of Nostalgia. I was smiling almost the whole time, it looks gorgeous and the intricate attention to detail was astounding, like there was soo soo many Super Mario (and Smash Bros and Donkey Kong ) references here. yes the plot is very basic, but for the first in the series it works. I think Luigi was my favorite (like he is in the game). and he could have gotten a bit more screen time (Charlie day is prefect as his voice).  But the story he got kind of makes since. the generic slow mow and some overused kiddie humor it could have done without, but it didn't do it too much thankfully. incorporating almost all the Mario themes from the games really made this movie feel like a Mario Bros movie imo. the 1980s songs were emm. not as bad as I thought they would be, and more or less worked. at least there weren't 2000s/2010s. pop songs. 

 

Anyways there is definitely plans for more movies and if they are all as fun as this one I will gladly see them all. 

[Morieris]

That ... was a movie.  It's not without its merits (It is a beautiful, beautiful film, Jack Black), but it is without ... anything beyond lightly brushing the typical story beats.

 

It reminded me why I don't bother with Illumination movies normally.

[filmlover]

Meets the expectations of an animated Super Mario Brothers movie from Illumination, no more and no less, I suppose. There's a couple of fun set pieces (my favorite being the chase on a very elaborate rainbow), it's got a couple of amusing gags, and it's sure to entertain both small children and super fans of the video game (destined to have a field day looking for the many, many easter eggs found within). But there's just no heart and the whole thing comes across as Animated Filmmaking by Committee. The entire point is just to sell merchandise (mission accomplished, judging from the box office receipts). Not necessarily a bad thing, but vastly superior films like The Lego Movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and even many Disney Animation/Pixar sequels have proven that shameless brand marketing can also open the door to rich storytelling.

 

The animation is stunning (easily the best from Illumination yet), the starry voice cast is enjoyable (yes, even Chris Pratt, miscast as he may be), and it's a much better cinematic attempt at this property than the terrible live-action 1993 movie was. But even though you can certainly do much worse in terms of Hollywood animation, you can also do much better too.

 

C+

[Potiki]

Loved this much better than the 1993 film I watched as a child (and even knew it was bad back then) hopefully this sets up more movies, seems like Yoshi's Island spinoff with the post credit will come next.

 

Likely won't be my top movie of the year but could be in the top 10 or 15 depending on how the year goes.  

 

A-

 

[RandomCat]

This is exactly the movie your expecting. It does what it wants to do very competently. Solid jokes. Pacing is good. Acting goes from good to great. The animation is beautiful. 

 

This is just another entry in why Illumination is successful. They know their audience and know how to cater to it. As someone who loves Mario games, I did get a kick out of all the small references and even the bringing of the platforming to their world.

 

Also the Integration of iconic mario music into the film was very satisfying to me.

 

It's a good time.

 

My only complaint is perhaps the ending bits in Brooklyn.

 

B+

Edited April 15, 2023 by RandomCat

[The Panda]

5/5

[Avatree]

I saw this 24 hours ago and I have forgotten everything about it apart from the Jack Black song.

[LegionWrex]

Forgot that I saw this, which I think says more then any review I could do but here we go anyways.

 

It's fine. Totally serviceable stuff. Perfectly ok kids movie that leans towards being more enjoyable then anything else, but can't really muster that much enthusiasm for. And this is coming from somebody who really love Mario and Nintendo stuff in general - many of my favourite games are Mario based - so while I had fun with the references and easter eggs and the general vibes here they aren't enough in the long run. I needed something more and the film just doesn't have it. It's got the barest bones of an actual structure with very little in the way of actual ideas, character, or even story, but considering it's box office and general audience reception I guess that was enough for most audiences. And that's awesome! I'm glad that it found a massive audience and I sincerely hope the inevitable sequel delivers something with a little bit more meat on it's bones.

 

Some highlights scattered in there though. Animation is pretty stellar throughout (easily Illumination's best work), the voice work is shockingly good across the board - I can't believe I didn't hate Chris Pratt, he's pretty good here all things considered - and it's got a fun climax that references Evangelion so I can't completely hate it. Overall just an ok film that's a fun time that I forgot about within a week - so an Illumination film.

[Webslinger]

The Super Mario Bros Movie is plenty colorful and amusing, but also so lazy and unambitious in its storytelling that it doesn’t leave much of an impression after the credits begin to roll. The animation from Illumination Studios is hands down the most gorgeous, eye-catching work they have ever done, with the world Mario falls into boasting an abundance of visually appealing touches and so many easter eggs that it will surely have home viewers pressing the pause button frequently to take everything in. There are also numerous moments in which the filmmakers engage with beloved elements of the games that are sure to draw smiles with viewers who have nostalgia for this IP. Unfortunately, as has been true of too many Illumination films, it is so concerned with packing gags, references, and needle drops into a chaotic, fast-moving plot that it never really bothers to develop themes or character arcs beyond the most perfunctory shades. While I’m sure some viewers will argue that they don’t come to an animated Super Mario Brothers adventure for themes or character development, it’s ultimately the film’s refusal to explore any ideas that deviate from its very basic plot that hold it far back from the ranks of far better family-friendly films that actually did the intellectual and emotional legwork to succeed as more than an appealing but ephemeral piece of entertainment.

 

C+

 

That said, what was even more entertaining than anything happening onscreen was a trio of teenagers at my screening who were clearly baked and giggled uncontrollably at every line out of Bowser's mouth.