The Super Mario Bros. Movie – A Successful Video Game Adaptation

By 1993, Nintendo had almost single-handedly turned the concept of video games from a technological curiosity, into one of the most successful forms of entertainment. From Donkey Kong, to The Legend of Zelda, to of course their tentpole series, Super Mario Bros., Nintendo has built an impressive roster of franchises pushing the medium forward and selling out store shelves world wide. With the SNES console making its way into people’s homes just a few years earlier, Nintendo were on top of the world. Perhaps they let their ambitions get the best of them when they decided to expand past video games and adapt their most popular series into a live action film. Super Mario Bros. was the very first video game adaptation, and often cited as one of the worst, which is saying a lot considering the quality of most video game adaptations. The film set a negative precedent for video game adaptations going forward and stopped Nintendo’s aspirations of producing movies… until now.

Between HBO’s The Last of Us series and now The Super Mario Bros. Movie, this year has shown us that it is possible to make quality video game adaptations. Nintendo has worked with Illumination Entertainment to assemble a team of directors, writers, voice actors and animators, that clearly all have an investment in this franchise and want to do it justice. The film is a lovingly crafted and infectiously nerdy tribute to the Mario franchise and its many spin-offs, chocked-full of references that will certainly put a smile on the face of any longtime gamer.

Set in Brooklyn, New York, Mario (Pratt) and Luigi (Day) are down-on-their-luck plumbers who decide to start their own business after leaving The Wrecking Crew. When a disturbance in the sewers causes a flood in Brooklyn, the brothers use the situation as an opportunity to make a name for themselves. While attempting to find the cause of the problem, the brothers stumble across a mysterious pipe that sucks them into another world, but amidst a fork in the road, the two get separated. Mario lands in the Mushroom Kingdom, while Luigi ends up in Bowser’s (Black) lair. Mario befriends Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) and Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy), who accompany him on his journey to save his brother, and the Mushroom Kingdom.

The Mario games are heavily focused on gameplay rather than narrative, so writer Matthew Fogel had the unique challenge of crafting an entire story based a very loose premise. While the storytelling is simplistic, it does a great job at fleshing out its beloved characters and their world. The film delves deeper into the most compelling elements of the game, from Mario & Luigi’s strong brotherly bond, to the blossoming relationship between Mario and Princess Peach. It also makes some necessary changes, most notably giving Princess Peach her own character arc and making her one of the heroes of the story, instead of someone for Mario to save.

One major topic of discussion immediately after the The Super Mario Bros. Movie was first announced, was the voice cast. Fans particularly took issue with Pratt’s casting as Mario, especially after it was revealed that he was straying away from the vocal inflections that Charles Martinet utilizes in the game series. While Pratt’s interpretation may catch some fans off guard at first, he makes the character his own and strikes a nice balance between the exaggerated Italian accent that Mario is known for, and a Brooklyn accent that makes the character feel more modern and grounded. It works for the film, and it’s clear that Pratt had a lot of fun recording his lines. Regarding the other performances, Black is certainly the stand-out. His heavy-metal/ballad loving interpretation of Bowser is equally menacing and hilarious. Another stand-out is Day, who also delivers a very entertaining performance as Mario’s younger and timider brother Luigi.

The most impressive element of the film is without a doubt the animation. Illumination outdid themselves, crafting a colorful and visually striking film that beautifully emulates the mechanics of the video games. Seeing these iconic characters rendered in high definition, and the various game locations to the big screen, is a magical experience for long-time fans of the games. From high speed kart chances, to exhilarating brawls between Mario and Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen), the film is packed to the brim with extremely well-animated action sequences that do a stellar job at recreating the many gameplay styles of the many Mario spin-offs.

While The Super Mario Bros. Movie will please gamers, those who aren’t as familiar with Nintendo and the mechanics of the games, may find themselves lost. It is so filled to the brim with nods to other Mario games and Nintendo IP’s, that sometimes it can feel overwhelming and distract from the story. While the film works as a standalone venture, it’s clear that Nintendo are attempting to set up a shared universe, and at points place way too much of an emphasis on setting up the building blocks for later entries into the franchise.

In the end, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a fun time for both kids and adults, as long as they are familiar with the franchise. While it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it’s still a beautifully animated and thoroughly engaging film that reveals the possibility of Nintendo branching out and making more films based on their other IP’s.

still courtesy of Universal Pictures

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Tristan French