Jack Black’s Bowser is the best part of The Super Mario Bros. movie

Our first view of the new building is finally here Super Mario Bros. MovieThe King of All Koopas, Bowser as voiced and narrated by Jack Black, is undoubtedly the best. Nintendo premiered the movie’s first trailer during New York Comic-Con. Along with other well-known voices, the movie stars Chris Pratt and Charlie Day as Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach. Super Mario Bros. MovieThe release date is April 7, 2023.

It’s no shock that Bowser is the best part of our first look at the movie, which is a co-production between Nintendo and Illumination (the studio behind Minions), considering he’s certainly the main character of the trailer. The trailer opens with Jack Black’s flying lava-castle that flies towards a kingdom made of ice. After he laughs at a few penguins, he burns down their empire. It’s fittingly both menacing and silly, but the real cherry on top is Jack Black’s voice work.

Black appears to be performing something that sounds almost like Macho Man Randy Savage was asked to voice Smaug in the Hobbit 2. He’s loud and full of bravado and cockiness, all without losing the edge that makes everything sound like a joke. Even better, Illumination seems to have managed to tap into some of Black’s signature facial expressions for the character.

Image: Illumination, Nintendo/Universal Pictures

Speaking of Jack Black’s special talents, the actor has also confirmed that he’ll be bringing a bit of his rock experience to Bowser in what could be a musical number.

Yet another reason we shouldn’t be shocked that Bowser is the standout of the first trailer is that Mario, frankly, is a little boring. On the one hand, he’s voiced by Chris Pratt, who doesn’t seem to have any accent or voice. But then, Pratt has a lot of work. Mario is an ordinary guy. He doesn’t have a giant spiky shell or breathe fire. He doesn’t even fight ghosts like his brother Luigi — who is voiced by Charlie Day in this movie and also shows up for a few fantastic seconds in this trailer.

Even though Bowser may be the true winner, Super Mario Bros. Movie’s first trailer, there will surely be plenty of other looks at the movie before it arrives in theaters next year.