The Super Mario Bros Movie
Released in theaters on Apr 5, 2023
Released on Peacock on August 3, 2023
Runtime: 92 Minutes
Rated PG
At this point is there anyone who doesn’t know who Super Mario is? Nintendo’s legendary poster boy gets the CGI movie treatment that sees the hero and his brother, Luigi, get sucked into a pipe that transports them from Brooklyn to the Mushroom Kingdom (sound familiar?). Mario quickly gets enlisted in a fight to save multiple kingdoms from Bowser all while also trying to save his brother.
Themes:
Themes in the movie include family, brothers, plumbing, other worlds, good vs. bad, mushrooms, race karts, power, marriage, love vs. obsession, heroism, courage, dreaming big, trying new things, turtles, villains with delusional grandeur, kingdoms, teamwork, overcoming differences, prison, prisoners, death, taking over the world, power up blocks, cat suits, bullet bills, and Koopas,
Language:
The worse thing I caught (unless my ears deceive me) was Luigi referring to a mean dog as a hell hound. There is name calling such as: idiot in overalls, stupid mario brothers, nuts, insane, etc. There are some characters that make fun of one another and characters that threaten others. Some examples of these expressions: you call that flirting, you’re a joke, you’re a dead man, kill his bother, etc.
Stuff to be aware of:
There is cartoon fighting (no blood) and there will be some turtles stomped into their shells, just like the video game. Bowser does talk about ritualistically sacrificing his prisoners, which he tries to do. Normal bad guy stuff right?
There is a haunted house feeling scene with Luigi running from Dry Bones (Skellington koopa troopas) and then enters a scary castle with Shy Guys (little red guys with masks). There is also an invasion scene with lots of lava and a castle being burned down that I have been informed has scared some younger viewers.
The only other thing that some parents may want to be aware of is Lumalee (blue star guy) that says negatively humorous lines in a cute voice. He is pretty funny, but I bet there are going to be some little kids that hear the audience laugh at him and decide to quote him to be funny. He says things like, “There is no escape. The only hope is the sweet relief of death.”, “ohh, fresh meat for the grinder.”, and “there is no sunshine, only darkness.”
Overall:
In a world were lots of movies designed for children also try to appeal to adults, or include deep and heavy themes, it is nice to have some that are just fun and make you smile. The Super Mario Borthers Movie is the latter. Yes, if you grew up playing Mario games there are a ton of Easter eggs that will appeal to adults, but overall this movie feels like a Mario game which I think that is a good thing. Princess Peach becomes a first rate hero and helps Mario to become the hero he needs to be to save the Mushroom Kingdom and his brother. Outside of that positive change up from most of the Mario games, it really follows a pretty linear path. The set pieces change quickly, the story revolves around saving someone (and the world), there are a ton of power ups, kart racing makes an appearance, and the writers assume you have played a Mario game. They don’t take time to explain how things work or why Bowser is the way he is. There is no need, it’s a Mario video game movie. You have likely played the game if you are seeing the movie. I enjoyed it. Is it on par with Pixar’s early films? No, but it feels like a love letter to Mario fans and that was what I wanted and expected.
My only small complaint, and this is because Bowser is one of my favorite villains ever, is that some times Bowser was a little more Jack Black than Bowser. I liked the voice he did, but sometimes he went a little “too Jack Black” for me. Maybe its not a complaint, just a Travis preference?