The Super Mario Bros. Film review – Otaku Princess
WARNING: Contains Spoilers
Here it is, the moment we have all been waiting for: The Super Mario Bros. film review is finally here! Fans of the iconic video game franchise have been eagerly anticipating this film adaptation for years, but does it live up to the hype? The only right answer is yes! Watching this film was a true delight for someone who loves video games and is a huge fan of the Mario Bros. games.
Prior to this unforgettable cinematic experience, I felt it only fitting to watch every single trailer, which completely fueled my excitement for months. My excitement could not be contained as I sat before the big screen in the theatre, eagerly anticipating the start of the film. As Mario’s number one fan, it was only natural for me to enjoy the film even before it began. Nothing was going to change my mind.
I was already smitten by the stunning visuals, captivating storyline, and amazing character designs. Watching this film was a core memory for me, and I could not wait to see it again and experience everything all over again. Seeing the relationship Mario and Luigi had, really brought me back to my childhood and reminded me of the countless hours I spent playing their video games. This nostalgic cinematic experience was truly unforgettable, and it left me with a newfound appreciation for the Mario franchise.
The film felt like a true representation of the beloved video game series, with Peach being her beautiful self, yet again and Bowser being the menacing villain we all know and love. The film’s hilarious humour propels it to the top and makes it a must-see for super fans, like myself. I was completely immersed in the world of Mario and his friends thanks to the attention to detail in bringing the beloved video game characters to life. Watching this film brought out the nerd in me, as I began to notice the different Mario Bros. games being referenced throughout the film, from start to finish.
Some references one can notice are;
The construction site layout in the beginning of the film, when Mario and Luigi are running across planks and jumping over fences on their way to their first plumbing job, is similar to the layout in Super Mario. 1-1 Bros level. Additionally, we see a fast food restaurant called “Castle” Burger as Mario descends the pole.
We also get to see Pauline, the Mayor of New Donk City in Super Mario Odyssey, appear during the news report.
Luigi carries his tools around in a manner similar to how he would carry his vacuum cleaner around in Luigi’s Mansion. This part in particular brought out the fan in me as it reminded me of how he carries his flashlight around.
In this scene from Super Mario 64, Mario uses two of the four cannons on the Bob-omb Battlefield to reach the island in the sky, which is the Bob-omb Battlefield’s third mission.
In this scene, Mario, Princess Peach, and Toad are seen walking through the Sand Kingdom, a region in Super Mario Odyssey.
As the trio crosses the bridge, they encounter Cheep Cheeps, which are pufferfish that appear as recurring enemies throughout the Super Mario franchise.
A herd of Yoshis passes the three as they walk through the lands beyond the Mushroom Kingdom. And, while we don’t get to see the green Yoshi throughout the film, as the credits roll, we get a hint that we might get to see our little green friend in action in the yet-to-be-announced sequel *fingers crossed.*
We don’t see Fiery Mario throughout the film, but we do see Donkey Kong and Princess Peach with the power-up after using the fire flower. Although seeing Mario with this power would have been incredible.
During the Mario and DK fight scene, Mario obtained the Cat Mario power-up, which is a form of Mario introduced in Super Mario 3D World.
I thought it was a well-considered and wise choice to base the Mario Karts on Donkey Kong Island. Mario and his friends were able to customise their karts and proceed to Rainbow Bridge, a level featured in the Mario Kart kart racing game series. We also see banana peels being thrown at opponents to cause their vehicles to spin out, as well as green Koopa shells and the most chaotic shell of them all, the blue shell.
Bowser’s white wedding outfit is taken from Super Mario Odyssey. And during this wedding scene in the film, he says to Peach, “I’ll be sacrificing them in your honour,” which was one of the funniest moments in the film, and we can’t deny that Bowser was a little romantic. I guess love really brought him out of his shell. *Ba Dum Tsss!*
King Bob-omb, the king of the Bob-ombs, first appeared in Super Mario 64. He guards the power star and will not surrender it without a fight. Later games featured King Bob-omb as a recurring boss.
As Mario and DK make their way to the rest of their friends at the end of the film, they race through a fraction of Bowser’s army and hit a few power-ups, where Mario finds the Super Leaf that transforms him into Tanooki Mario.
As Mario and Luigi defeat Bowser, they obtain the Super Star, the most powerful powerup, and become immune to all attacks. With their newfound invincibility, they easily defeat Bowser and his minions, saving Brooklyn and the Mushroom Kingdom.
Throughout the film, we also get to hear a few theme songs that we would hear throughout the game franchise such as; Luigi’s ringtone, just as the film begins, is the plinky GameCube startup fanfare, The “World 1-2” theme from Super Mario Bros. as soon as Mario gets transported to the Mushroom Kingdom, The “Underworld Theme” from the first Super Mario Bros. game is the small melody that Bowser plays on the piano while jamming with Kamek, The super Star theme song, at the end of the film, when the two Mario Brothers get the star etc…
A few things I found hilarious and ironic was how Mario hated mushrooms and just happened to land in Mushroom kingdom. Additionally, seeing Lumalee, a character originally from Super Mario Galaxy being its wonderful gloomy self was another thing I loved about this film because, in a way, we all relate to Lumalee.
This brings me to the end of my review, all this and more can be seen throughout the film. I hope you all love this film and watch it as many times as you can, like I did.
Sonile "Otaku Princess" Banda
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