It’s weird going to movies these days. In the days of old, we might have known what Siskel and Ebert thought about the film prior to going, but that was generally all the public knew about stuff before setting off for a family outing. At best, your dad or mom would have seen all the other kids’ parents talking about taking their children and decided you wouldn’t be the only child at school who hadn’t seen the film, at worst she decided you would. But now we practically know everything about a film prior to its release thanks to the media and marketing.
So, when I saw a bunch of critics saying the new Super Mario Bros. movie barely had anything resembling a plot, my brain began to spin. My first thought was about how the games have never really had a plot, but then my second thought was that maybe, somehow, they managed to take that one thing and screw it up. I mean, we are talking about video game movies here. That sort of thing is possible and within the standard realm of possible outcomes. So, as I settled in my IMAX theater for the debut last night, I expected this film would have ZERO plot and everything would just be a jumbled mess. That’s what the critics were saying.
Imagine my surprise when the plot of the movie pretty much matched the exact plot of Super Mario Odyssey for the Nintendo Switch. I don’t feel like I’m giving anything away here, but avert your eyes if you don’t want any plot spoilers. The plot was Bowser wants to marry Princess Peach and rule the Mushroom Kingdom. I know, I know. You’re probably shocked right now. You know, unless you’ve ever played a Mario game before in your life. The plot of the movie was the same as the game, and for some reason people were expecting… more? I don’t understand why, but apparently there were people expecting whatever “more” happens to be for them.
I’m going in the opposite direction. I think Nintendo purposefully stuck to having as little plot as possible because they want to keep the movie within the spirit of the game. That might sound like a wild theory, but hear me out. For a movie with a minimal plot, absolutely everything in this film effortlessly moved from sequence to sequence, without anything feeling out of place or forced. They managed to take over 30 years of memories and slap as many of them in there as they could while still keeping the simplistic spirit of the game at the forefront of their endeavors.
Illumination Studio, the brains behind Despicable Me and the Minions franchises, led the way with the animation on the film and every single aspect shows. From the gorgeous stitching on Mario’s cap to the question blocks to Luma — side note: Luma might be the best character in the entire movie, but that’s for another article — Illumination understood the assignment and passed with flying colors. Nintendo absolutely nailed it when they selected them to animate the film.
This segues nicely into the cast tasked with bringing this simple film to life. For a movie with “no plot,” it probably has more heart and soul than half the films I’ve been sent to review lately. I am not saying that as a criticism, either. A lot of those films had a ton of heart and soul, but this film was on another level. It’s clear that every performer knew they were going to be judged on every aspect of their performance and there wasn’t a performance that I didn’t love. They were all so good, I keep changing my favorite character by the hour.
Chris Pratt took a lot of crap when he signed on to play Mario. I absolutely loved his performance as the plucky Italian plumber. He delivered a truly memorable performance alongside Charlie Day as Luigi. Luigi is so much different than his brother and Day was just a perfect choice to play the perpetually timid and afraid Luigi. His performance was so damn good that you find yourself cheering for his eventual discovery of self-worth. It was also a joy to see the ever-vigilant Mario have to overcome some personal odds with the aid of Anya Taylor-Joy’s Princess Peach, who is absolutely my new queen.
Aside from the tremendous stars, I think what truly has made Mario iconic has been the supporting cast of characters that people love and find endearing. Whether it’s the Bullet Bills or Kamek or Blue Shell, Mario shines when it’s bolstered by the supporting cast and the film is no different. Nintendo did a fabulous job of rounding out the cast with plenty of cameos and fan-favorites from the franchise, and did so while laying the foundations for more down the line.
Keegan Michael Key’s Toad might be one of the funniest and most likable characters in the entire film. If you’re on Team Toad, which I am and have been since Super Mario Bros. 2, you’ll recognize everything from his early years to his own stand-out puzzle title Captain Toad’s Treasure Tracker; it’s all there. Seth Rogan also provides a worthy performance as Mario’s old rival-turned-ally, Donkey Kong. With Fred Armisen playing Donkey’s father Cranky Kong, there is a hilarious dynamic that adds an additional layer to Mario’s growth.
I could go on and on about the characters and cameos within the film, but I truly don’t want to ruin these moments for you. Everything I’ve discussed here is either so blatantly obvious and general that it could smack you in the face or has been a part of every Mario game since the dawn of time, thus preventing it from possibly being a spoiler. If Mario stopping Bowser from trying to kidnap and marry Peach while taking over the Mushroom Kingdom is new for you, I would like to send you a welcome! This must be your first Mario product ever and you’re in for one of the best franchises of your entire life with memories you’ll be sharing with your kids and their kids. As for this film, don’t hesitate. Go see it immediately, especially if you grew up with this stuff and especially if you have kids who you’re wanting to share these moments with as they grow up. It’s that kind of movie.
BSO Rating: 10/10
