When a major water line ruptures under the streets of Brooklyn, there is one plumbing duo you certainly do not want on the job: The Super Mario Brothers, Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day).  Well-intentioned, yet incredibly bumbling, the brothers stumble upon a pipe deep beneath the city which leads them to the incredible Mushroom Kingdom.  They are not the only strangers to the realm, however, as Bowser (Jack Black), the King of the Koopas, newly in possession of the Super Star, has plans to marry Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) and rule the world together; otherwise, he will destroy the Kingdom and rule the world by force. 

Thirty years ago, Nintendo first ventured into bringing their iconic brothers to the big screen in their own live-action film to infamously disastrous results.  Now, they have partnered with Illumination through Universal Pictures to deliver The Super Mario Bros. Movie from the directing team of Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, and Pierre Leduc working from a Matthew Fogel script.  The 92-minute animated feature is a speed run through Mario nostalgia more than lore as the side-scroller does not support much in the way of story.  Fogel keeps it simple, almost insultingly so, even when you consider it was targeted at the 2-11 demographic which makes it a tough watch for those who grew up with the series of games and are in possession of car keys to take the tikes to the cinema.  

With Pratt’s casting announcement came instant ire against the film given the lack of perceived effort in creating a character given that Mario simply sounded like Pratt was reading his lines without any affectation.  The final result is largely the same, and though the film did not need to lean too deeply into accent work, it would have been nice to see the title actor try.  Thankfully, though, Mario is a largely useless role in the film, almost comically so, as he gets beaten and thrown about the frame in the various iterations of gameplay from traditional side-scrolling, to Super Smash, and of course, Mario Kart. 

In place of the mustachioed hero saving the day, Peach takes a much more empowering and active role in the film than her NES counterpart is typically accustomed to.  She teaches Mario about all the iconic powerups that pop out from the Question Blocks, leads him to the Jungle Kingdom to meet with their king, Cranky Kong (Fred Armisen) and his son Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen), and takes a leading role in defeating Bowser during the final showdown at the Mushroom Kingdom; though notably there is still one more climactic battle to go when the film returns to the streets of Brooklyn. 

The wider world is what really helps the film justify its runtime as it is at its best when it is outside of the realm of the Mushroom Kingdom and the minion-esque toad people.  Unfortunately, though, in an effort to keep things moving at a breakneck pace – and also to keep the colors light and bright – the film does not spend too much time with Luigi, who finds himself transported to Bowser’s domain. After a brief stop at a haunted mansion, he is held captive for the remainder of the narrative in Bowser’s citadel en route to his hopeful wedding to Princess Peach.  Once Luigi is captured and thrown into his small cell over a pit of lava, The Super Mario Bros. Movie introduces Lumalee (Juliet Jelenic), a blue star with a morbid sense of humor and a death wish. Jelenic’srole is a scene-stealing character whose jokes land with total accuracy more than any other in the film and fills the cute and cuddly mascot role in a film comprised of already heavily capitalized characters.  

As with the games, Bowser’s influence looms heavy over the film. While he has the elements of being fierce and scary, the film makes him out as a more lovable creature. Leaning into Black’s musical ability, Bowser is often seen working on a serenade to win over Peach or practicing how to talk to her with his adviser, Kamek (Kevin Michael Richardson). The chemistry between the two is some of the most enjoyable of the film, and it is proof that Fogel has the capability to build up banter between characters when they are allowed to have an arc, but because the protagonist team is so stuck on the track moving ever forward, they are never given the time to develop or riff off of each other.

The bright colors, even in Bowser’s domain, are engaging and reminiscent of the game and the film does a good job of invoking the magic of imagination and immersion into the world of a video game. Coupled with the heavily inspired Biran Tyler score and plenty of references throughout, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is more a commercial for the games than a standalone film, but in its defense, it was never looking to break into the prestige realm. That being said, it still feels far more commercial and capitalist than Senga’s Sonic films which transport the blue hedgehog into a separate story and world from the game. It does, however, keep things bright and quickly moving for its youngest audiences, yet the story is incredibly elementary even considering the demographic and it would have been nice to see Fogel put a little more trust in his audience as well as give the parents and fans of the game a little more to latch onto. For what it is, though, the film serves its purpose, and while it may help open the rest of the Nintendo catalog to make the jump from the arcade screen to the silver screen; it is just hopeful that future endeavors will dig deeper into their IP to create a more developed story.