The Super Mario Bros. Movie review: all nostalgia bait, no original hook

Mario can be counted on in the video game world. Nintendo’s mascot is a cheery plumber whose can-do attitude and penchant for jumping has made him an avatar for all kinds of family fun: charming games of skill where you hop over monsters and obstacles to reach a flag and save a princess, chaotic racing games where sabotage is more important than driving, and sports games that somehow appeal both to people who love sports and to those who would rather die than turn on ESPN. It isn’t that much of a stretch to say that there is no such thing as a bad Mario game. There’s a perfect Mario game for nearly every kind of person — which gives the little plumber and his endless incarnations the sort of magical appeal that every modern movie franchise is desperate for.

Illumination’s animated adventure Super Mario Bros. MovieThis attempt to capture the appeal of this film, however it often ends up being a reference to it. Director: Teen Titans Go! Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic were the creators, along with a script from Gru is on the Rise: Minions The Lego Movie 2 co-writer Matthew Fogel, Super Mario Bros. Movie feels like it’s made to be screenshotted more than watched. Every frame contains a staggering number of references and Easter eggs to Mario games, and other Nintendo franchises. The best way to enjoy the movie is to list them all. Because when it comes down to the more regular movie elements like plot and characters, everything gets blue-shelled to Hell. (If you got that reference, you’ll probably like this movie more than the average viewer.)

The portal dream (pipe vision) A portal fantasy (pipe dream) is a product aimed squarely at younger viewers. Super Mario Bros. MovieMario (Charlie Day), and Luigi(Chris Pratt), are two Brooklyn-based brothers that dream about starting their own plumbing business. Unfortunately, they haven’t bagged a single client yet, making them a laughingstock to the neighborhood and a disappointment to their family. Desperate to prove themselves, the self-styled “Super Mario Bros.” try to fix a neighborhood water main break, but get sucked through a strange green pipe that warps them both into the colorful world of the Mario video games.

Mario and Luigi end up in very different locations. Mario finds himself in the Mushroom Kingdom. There, Toads, the main voice of the mushroom-headed Toads, are there, and they’re led by Princess Peach (Anya Taylor Taylor-Joy). But Luigi warps right into the clutches of Bowser (Jack Black), the king of the turtlelike Koopas, who’s on a mission to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario, Peach and Cranky Kong join forces to help his brother.

Image: Nintendo, Illumination/Universal Pictures

It’s a breezy plot that’s mostly meant to take viewers on a scenic tour of Mario locales, with some slapstick along the way. Illumination’s rendering of Nintendo’s worlds and characters, as imagined by legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, is overwhelmingly gorgeous and painstakingly faithful, packing every corner of the screen with something interesting to look at. The movie’s rest is good, though there are a few moments that seem incredibly odd. Super Mario Bros. MovieYou will be more remembered for your film.

While the comedy is centered on cute and silly creatures, it includes the hilarious inclusion of Luma. A Luma is an adorable star-shaped creature who yearns for oblivion. The Luma gets big laughs with lines about despair, death, and other topics that kids will repeat. What? Super Mario Bros. Movie veers into action — which happens often — the scenes vacillate between generic superhero-style fights and dazzlingly inventive set pieces that blend ambitious CG animation with 2D video game homage.

Reverence is the goal here, haunted perhaps by the ghost of 1993’s Super Mario Bros., a legendary live-action boondoggle that pleased neither Nintendo, its fans, nor filmgoers with its weird, dystopian take on the plucky plumbers’ journey through the Mushroom Kingdom. Even though it slowly rose to cult-favorite status over the past 30 years. This new take on Mario is so faithful in its efforts to recreate iconography from four decades of video games that there’s almost no energy left to expend on reaching the unconverted. Super Mario Bros. MovieIt is meant to be a teaching tool for Nintendo loyalists, their children and few others.

Image: Nintendo, Illumination/Universal Pictures

There’s been a lot of anxiety about the vocal performances on display in Super Mario Bros. Movie, and it’s all ultimately for naught. Most of them — especially Chris Pratt as Mario — are serviceable, and frankly don’t make enough of an impression to linger in the mind or inspire children to imitate them, the way Charles Martinet’s iconic performance from the games has for years now. (Mario’s longtime voice actor has a few brief cameos easily spotted and heard by those looking for him.)

Jack Black’s portrayal of Bowser is the exception. Black is a fiery presence both on-screen and off-screen, and brings unmatched energy. Super Mario Bros. Movie, resulting in a take on Mario’s nemesis that reads as both faithful to the games and original to the film. It’s the only part of the movie that legitimately feels collaborative between Illumination’s animators, Nintendo’s source material, and an actor’s performance, creating something that feels both familiar and new. (It’s also the source of one of the film’s best gags, a moment that’s hard to imagine anyone other than Black pulling off.)

Image: Nintendo, Illumination/Universal Pictures

Super Mario Bros. MovieIt arrives in a film industry that desperately needs it. Major Hollywood studios are in search of a dependable IP that comes with a baked-in audience — one that may thrill at the sight of a Nintendo production card, for example. And cinemas are, as as ScreenCrush’s Matt Singer recently noted in a post that set off a major online kerfuffle, often bereft of theatrical releases for children. Mario with his impressive videogame track record and unbeatable overalls is the best person to rescue the day.

Mario has the ability to do almost anything. He’s a license to PlayWe live in an age that requires us to take many things very seriously. Mario finds reverence to be wrong. It is antithetical the feeling of freedom that comes from hearing his favorite themes through the speakers. There’s a bit of poetry to why Mario’s iconic movement is a jump: When you’re at play and your feet leave the ground, for the briefest moment, it feels like anything can happen. You just need a little imagination. Super Mario Bros. MovieNone.

Super Mario Bros. Movie Premieres at theaters for early screenings April 5.