From 2D pixellated screenplay to upgrading to racing games and fighting-game collabs, the Super Mario Brothers have generated thousands of fans across their multiverse of games. This past month, Mario and Luigi found their way to theaters in the new “Super Mario Bros.” movie featuring celebrities like Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, and even Jack Black!
Social media has been buzzing about this movie since Bowser’s song “Peaches” clip went viral. However, the film was much more fulfilling than I was expecting! Seeing that Seth Rogan and Keegan-Michael Key made appearances in the cast on-top of the already celebrity-filled cast made me assume that the film would be packed with low-brow humor. I was gladly mistaken, though!
Transitioning between the realms of reality (aka Brooklyn, New York) and the Mushroom Kingdom that Princess Peach reigned over, the movie follows the Super Mario Brothers being separated and thrown into a strange new world where they must reunite and team up against the villain, Bowser.
There were many references to the original game lore, including cameos from characters like Goombas, the Cooligans penguins, and even the Cheep-Cheeps fish that were trademark animations in the video games!
I appreciated the femme-fatale independence exhibited by Princess Peach’s character. Not only was she far from a damsel in distress, but she wasn’t forced into any cliche tropes such as the fragile princess who falls for the savior. Majority of the plot centered around the fact that Bowser was in love with her! She demonstrated strong leadership qualities and was even faced with tough decisions in the face of danger, but she rode her pink motorcycle with no fear and fought for her kingdom!
I do wish Luigi’s character was a little more included in the plot than, if anything, HE was the damsel in distress throughout the movie. It was entertaining to see a storyline following Donkey Kong. However, I never did give much thought to the origin stories of the side characters, and including this feat opened the door for the possibility of sequels, spinoffs, and more!
I will honestly say that Jack Black’s “Peaches” song now plays on a loop in my head, but the movie overall was a smashing success! According to the box office records of Illumination/Nintendo/Universal, the movie surpassed record ticket sales of other recent films with a total of more than $901.2 million!
The movie made me feel like it was less than an hour, which is a positive note. I felt there were no plot lags, nor too much overstimulation with the animations. I would say this is the perfect opportunity to watch a movie with the family, enjoy some nostalgia for the characters, and have the opportunity to admire Donkey Kong’s showboating. And if you don’t decide to give this movie a chance? All I would say to that is “Mamma Mia!”.
Photo Credit: Universal Pictures
