The trailer for The Super Mario Bros. Movie released in October was met with mixed reviews from fans. Many were dismayed that the iconic title character, Mario, sounded less like the Italian-American plumber from Brooklyn they had grown to love and more like Chris Pratt. The controversy surrounding the movie’s voice casting has rumbled on, prompting Pratt to address it in recent interviews. Despite the criticism, the beloved video game franchise has maintained a strong following since its launch in the ’80s, and Pratt reassured fans at the film’s L.A. premiere that their childhood memories remain intact.
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The difference between Pratt’s Mario voice and the thick Italian accent familiar from the video games is dealt with early on in the movie. In a TV ad for their family plumbing business, Mario and his younger brother Luigi (played by Charlie Day) speak in exaggerated accents that they don’t use in their everyday lives, presumably as a marketing gimmick. Although this seems like a clever touch, it turns out to be a red herring. As The Super Mario Bros. Movie progresses, it’s hindered by a perfunctory plot and some uninspired creative choices. Classic ’80s hits by A-ha and Bonnie Tyler are shoehorned into the soundtrack at random points, perhaps to add nostalgia to the enterprise.
During a plumbing job beneath the Brooklyn sidewalks, the brothers are inadvertently transported to another dimension. Mario finds himself in the Mushroom Kingdom, a friendly realm ruled by Princess Peach (played by Anya Taylor-Joy), while Luigi is trapped in the Dark Lands ruled by Bowser (played by Jack Black), a deluded turtle-like monster who is determined to make Peach his bride. With the Princess as his mentor, Mario embarks on a quest to find his lost brother, while Bowser becomes increasingly jealous of the bond that is forming between his would-be wife and the mustachioed human.
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Directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, who previously worked together on the animated TV series Teen Titans Go!, maintain a brisk pace as they follow the beats familiar to video game fans. There’s a clever duel between Mario and his longtime foe Donkey Kong (voiced by Seth Rogen) and a breathtaking Mario Kart sequence that showcases the movie’s most stunning visuals: a dazzling cruise down a rainbow road. Unfortunately, their initial creative spark soon becomes repetitive, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie begins to resemble a video game rather than a captivating movie.
Adapting the best-selling video game franchise of all time into an equally captivating movie is no easy feat. The 1993 live-action film starring Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo was a box office flop that has since gained a cult following. This latest adaptation seems to be faithful enough to entice existing fans to the theater, but lacks the creative depth to be analyzed and enjoyed repeatedly. To quote one of the title character’s catchphrases, is The Mario Bros. Movie super? Unfortunately, it’s merely mediocre.
