It’s-a-him: Mario! Families, and especially young children, are going to have a lot of fun at the movies this weekend with the new Super Mario Bros. Movie, now playing in theatres.
Filled with exciting and cute worlds for Mario to explore and save, the movie is colourful and sweet and…not much else. The story may not make you jump and say "Yahoo!", but it is inoffensive and fun to watch.
Super Mario is one of the most recognizable characters on planet Earth, and aside from a disastrous live-action attempt 30 years ago, this is truly Mario’s first notable appearance starring in a feature film.
The good news is the team-up between Universal, Nintendo and Illumination Animation (Despicable Me, Sing, among others) works as a faithful adaptation of the characters and their infectious, playful energy.
Where Mario falters, however, is that the plot and action of the movie is as shallow as one of their dozens of beloved video games. Family video games have interactivity to make them engaging, but a movie needs a more enticing story to be great. The simplicity of a video game plot won’t win anyone a super star.
For this adventure, brothers Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) have just opened their own plumbing business, and it’s not off to a great start. It doesn’t get easier when they discover a big, green warp pipe that whisks them into the fantasy Mushroom Kingdom.
The rest of the story is Mario teaming up with Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) to save his brother and stop the conquest of the mighty Bowser (Jack Black).
Not including credits, the film is barely 85 minutes, making it appealing as a first time trip to the movies for young ones. Given the length, it feels weird that one-quarter of the movie is set in real-world Brooklyn, New York. If this is a supposed to be a video game fantasy story, why is so little of the story spent there?
However shallow it is, there are some memorable sequences that are a lot of fun. An early race scene with Mario and Luigi is a clever take on platforming games that’s whimsical and creative - and Mario’s early exploration of the Mushroom Kingdom is equally wondrous.
The celebrity-stacked cast ranges from passable work (star Pratt and Keegan-Michael Key as Toad) to the more memorable, such as Seth Rogen’s arrogant Donkey Kong.
Adult purists and video game aficionados may take some offence with the lack of voice accuracy among the cast - but this isn’t trying to replicate the games. Still, original Mario actor Charles Martinet does get a well-suited role as Mario’s dad.
By far the most impressionable and impressive character of the film, in a pleasant surprise, is Princess Peach. No longer a victim needing Mario’s rescue, she’s now a confident leader of the Mushroom Kingdom and acts as a trainer and partner to Mario in his heroic adventures.
It also helps Peach is given spunk, warmth and drive in a cast-best vocal performance from Taylor-Joy. I’ll go as far to say this on-screen Peach and Taylor-Joy’s performance may be the best female character ever realized by Illumination.
Seeing Mario and Peach (and to a lesser extent Luigi) working as teammates is a brilliant idea, and watching them become sincere friends is really enjoyable. The trio’s core relationships are the closest Super Mario Bros comes to impactful storytelling.
In another way, the appealing relationship of our heroes is refreshing in a way Illumination hasn’t pulled off since Scarlett Overkill and Herb in 2015’s Minions. (Oddly, another example of great feature characters in a mediocre kids movie.)
What Mario needs now is depth - the production design, character design, sets, effects and music are all great. But having Mario and his friends engage in a such a simplistic story won’t cut it for a movie.
Universal predictably wants this to evolve into a new family movie franchise - two post-credits scenes even tease the next film intentionally. Now all they need is a more compelling plot and conflict to justify Nintendo’s on-screen adventures.
One final, quick note: there’s are a few small moments of fan service clearly meant to appease the online adults who’ve been skeptical of the Mario movie since it was announced two years ago. If you’re in that skeptical audience, know this film was made clearly for young children first, and ease your expectations.
Will Universal, Illumination and Nintendo line up another big-screen Mario adventure soon? It’s almost certain. Will it amount to anything more than the fluffy fun of Super Mario Bros.? That’s the real level-up that will make this property a success.
Game on.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
6 out of 10
PG, 1hr 32mins. Animated Family Fantasy Adventure Comedy.
Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic.
Starring Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Keegan Michael-Key, Seth Rogen and Jack Black.
Now Playing at Film.Ca Cinemas, 5 Drive-In, Cineplex Winston Churchill and Cineplex Oakville & VIP.
