Released in cinemas on the 6th of April 2023, the Super Mario Bros. Movie is an eye-catching impressive, animated film directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic and written by Mathew Fogel, based on the Super Mario Bros games and Mario Kart that many of us grew up playing.
The clever, clear, and colourful amination all starts with Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) starting their new business of Super Mario Bros plumbing in Brooklyn, New York. These brothers are still as joyful and joint at the hip as they are portrayed in games. This film sets the context and origin of these lovable brothers and how they ended up in the Mushroom Kingdom. It also dives into their relationship with their big Italian- American family. After they are sucked into a warped pipe after they try to save Brooklyn they are taken into a new world.
Toad (Keegan-Michael Kay) makes a major appearance being Mario’s and Princess Peach’s sidekick to defeat Bowser (Jack Black) in his attempt to take over the Mushroom Kingdom. When you meet Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) the expectation of her is high, displaying strong empowerment and ambition. If your favourite Mario Kart character is Princess Peach like me then you will love the representation of her in this new film #girlpower.
Bowser’s obsession with Peach leads him to daydream about his proposal to her, through a song “Peaches” which has become TikTok famous. Cranky Kong (Fred Armisen) and Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen) team up with Mario, Toad and Princess Peach to save Luigi from Bowser and save the Mushroom Kingdom. This movie has all the classic Mario Kart songs by Koji Kondo embedded, from many of the iconic tracks. Travelling on Rainbow Road in karts to Bowser’s castle doesn’t seem exactly logical but of course, it matches Mario Kart. The film is full of quirky moments for example Mario hates mushrooms, but he is forced to eat them every time he needs a power-up. Mario and Luigi used many catchphrases such as “Mamma Mia” and “Lets-a-go!” in the games as well as in this film.
But the film left me questioning Mario and Princess Peaches' relationship, am I not the only one who thought they were together? I was so excited for the stereotypical eyes lock moment between them but only a friendship was developed in this film. I am a sucker for some cute romantic action. Some minor game characters like King Boo, Shy Guy, Kamek and more made little cameos throughout the film. Unfortunately, other characters were forgotten like Waluigi, Rosalina, Daisy, and Yoshi. Yoshi appears for a split second in the film but I would have loved to see how they all play into this world. Even though there was a star-studded American cast it forfeited the classic Italian accent, I would have hoped they had.
Overall, this film has eye-popping animation, and funny moments and is an entertaining 90 minutes suited to any age. The movie encapsulates many elements from the Super Mario Bros. franchise. Still, some little details were missed in the creation of this movie, not losing the entertainment factor but lacking small details from the games themselves.
Grace Cooper is a third-year Media (Comms and Journalism) and Arts (Theatre and Performance Studies) student. She loves all things theatre and performing, hoping to pursue both television journalism and acting. Another love of hers is coffee, it has become a necessary part of her university life. Grace went to Basser College and is involved in many shows with NUTS (New South Wales University Theatrical Society).
