The Super Mario Bros. Movie 3D Theatrical Review

MOVIE REVIEW

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a 2023 animated film adaptation of the game of the same name created for the 30th anniversary of the 1993 cult classic movie Super Mario Bros. that starred Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo. This version, starring Chris Pratt and Charlie Day as the two main leads, Mario and Luigi, follows our two favorite Italian plumbers in Brooklyn trying to make a name for themselves in the plumbing business. But during an attempt to stop a massive leakage below the city, both brothers end up discovering a green pipe that transports them both into an entirely different world. But while Mario ends up in the safe hands of the Mushroom Kingdom, Luigi finds himself in the hands of Bowser, a giant, powerful snapping turtle set on conquering the Mushroom Kingdom, and subsequently, the world. Discovering what is actually going on, Mario joins Princess Peach on an adventure to set out and stop Bowser's devastating plan, and hopefully rescue his brother Luigi in the process.

This movie rendition of the classic Mario game is a very interesting movie to talk about and one that in all honestly, needs two different reviews. One for the nostalgic fans of the Mario franchise, and one for the critics and common moviegoers. I don't do that sort of thing as oftentimes, both audiences seem to be virtually in the same boat with films like The Angry Birds Movie and Sonic the Hedgehog. But with The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it seems like where you stand on the movie depends on how much you're devoted to the original source material. Personally, being a Mario fan myself, I notice there are certainly plenty of things that deserve praise and attention. But also being a critic, it would also be unfair for me to downplay some of the film's less than noteworthy elements for the casual moviegoing audience. Rather than trying to agree with one side and commit, I'm going to give you my personal opinions and examinations of the film and let you decide ultimately whether or not this is film worthy of good "Wahoo".

Now, video game movies have gotten quite the reputation over the years, mainly, not a very good one. However, recent years have seen the likes of Sonic the Hedgehog and The Angry Birds Movie 2, movies that haven't exactly broken financial or critical records but did prove that video game source material could be adapted to the big screen in an entertaining way. Still, people nowadays are a bit on the ball about whether or not the video-game movie curse has finally been "broken." So where does the new Mario movie fit into all of this? Well, in my opinion, looking at the movies above, and considering that a movie about an Italian plumber has gotten this good of a cinematic treatment, I think I can say that video game movies have more to look up to these days than "Mortal Kombat."

So what exactly is good about Mario? I'll start with answering that question from a Mario fanatic standpoint, as that will probably be most of this film's audience. Well for starters, the adaptation of the source material is done pretty excellently. The attention to detail, the thoughtful depictions of the characters, and the integration of the video games's story and elements into film are all executed in a tasteful, light-hearted, and even at time, clever manner. Even elements such as the classic power-ups that seem like they would be hard to translate into film in a sensical way make their way into the movie anyway without seeming weird or out of place. For those who love the games, almost every scene has some sort of Easter egg or reference to the Mario franchise that either play for a good funny moment or work into the story in a meaningful manner. And if you're on the lookout, you'll even notice a voice cameo by Charles Martinet. Nintendo obviously had a big hand in getting the film made, and it was made very clear that they wanted to appease the long-time followers of the franchise. In that regard, The Mario movie does pretty much succeed.

And even from a moviemaking standpoint, Mario does really stand out. The animation is bright, colorful, and detailed while still remaining faithful to the games. The orchestral score is wonderful, and once again, adapting the music from the games the movie's based on. The tone of the movie is pretty light, but not afraid to get as dark as it needs to (as dark as a fire-breathing snapping turtle burning down ice-castles can be). The action is well choreographed and fun. The voice acting is all around, pretty spot on. Jack Black was a surprisingly great choice for Bowser. Unless you were told ahead of time, you wouldn't even recognize it was him. With other characters like Charlie Day as Luigi, Seth Rogan as Donkey Kong, and Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, you can hear the celebrity voices for sure. But they fit the characters so well you don't even really care. Of course, enough has been said about Chris Pratt playing the lead character, Mario. True, he maybe wasn't an amazing choice. However, I found the longer the movie went on, the more Chris's voice tended to actually grow on me. And when he does do the Mario voice, he can actually do it very well. The 80s pop songs may have been a little bit much. But even then, I thought it fit in with the 80s nostalgia the movie was trying to convey. And all of this comes from Illumination no less. I know Nintendo probably had many of the main executive decisions when it came to this movie. But still, the fact that an animated Mario movie can come out of the same company behind Minions and The Secret Life of Pets with this much respect for the games without resorting to kiddie pandering and lowbrow bathroom humor is a miracle.

Now all of the praise out of the way, here comes the movie's issues. Granted, these aren't by any means huge issues. But in my opinion, they prevent the movie from being the video-game masterpiece that all the pieces were there for. The main problem I run into with the Mario movie is the plot itself. Now the story itself isn't bad. The deviations it has from the original games I felt were handled the best way possible. For example, making Princess Peach a tough girl instead of the damsel in distress could've easily been a vehicle for some bland feminism. But Peach actually is made to be a very likable character who's supportive and works together with the other protagonists to accomplish her goals while also "carrying a big stick" when necessary. The movie actually starts out promising adding a fresh new take on all the Mario IPs we grew up to know and love, with only a few areas in terms of pacing that could've been improved. But in the late second to third act, although the plot still functions well enough on its own, you start to feel as if the intent is starting to lean more into putting in Mario IPs and less trying to do something brilliant and creative with them. Couple this with some dialogue that starts to dwindle, a slight reliance on movie cliches, and a disrupted flow around this time, and the movie's finale starts to feel ever so slightly underwhelming. And it's a bit of a shame too because quite honestly, it seemed like the movie was building to something truly remarkable. But eventually, with all the video game references they throw in and the seeming lack of anything truly innovative much to do with it in the third act, it starts to become believable that maybe the balance has been a bit tipped to far to one side.

I hesitate to call the new Mario movie a mixed bag because like I said before, there is much to praise the film for. But eventually, the abundance of style and lack of substance in the latter half of the film makes the overarching product a little less than the some of its excellent parts. I'm a little on the ball on how to rate this movie. As a Mario-fanatic crowd pleaser, this movie would get a great 4/5. But as a standalone movie, the score dampens to a decent 3.5/5. Is it still a solid movie? Yes, I think anyone not familiar with the Mario franchise entering the movie might still have an overall fun time with it. But as a Mario fan myself, and with the knowledge of how big the Mario fanbase is, I was honestly expecting just a little bit more. Maybe if I went into the film blind without having seen many of the pretty over-explanatory trailers, this could've gotten a surprisingly good but slightly flawed 4/5. But who knows? As it is, the Mario movie is still far from one of the worst things you could be watching. And frankly, the fact that Nintendo put plenty of passion put into the making of this movie in an age where 90% of everything is a soulless rehash is something that in and of itself makes the film worth watching. As a Mario movie, you'll get exactly what you want from it. As a video-game movie, it's unquestionably one of, if not the best one out there. As an Illumination movie, it's clearly their best film in the last decade. As a movie in general? I think it still works well. Exactly how well? Well, like I said, I'll leave that up to you.

OVERALL FILM RATING: 3.5/5

3D REVIEW

If I am not mistaken, this is the first time Mario has stepped into the third dimension since 2011's Super Mario 3D Land. And this time, he's on a much bigger screen, and from the hands of the 3D masters at Illumination. So I think it's fair to say that Mario already comes out of the gate with some potential 3D glory. Does it play out as well as you'd think? I'm happy to say yes. Mario's new 3D presentation is something that will have you saying "Let's a go!"

The depth on display is absolutely astounding, something that Illumination is always keen on doing. Even in the modest of places such as bathrooms, an apartment, and a pizza shop, the image makes everything very deep and makes everything feel like it should in real life. And that especially plays out well when it comes to the bigger, grander locations. In long distant shots of Peach's castle on a mountaintop, Bowser's flying castle in the sky, or the Rainbow Road, you actually feel like you're looking far off at Peach's castle on a mountaintop, Bowser's flying castle in the sky, or the Rainbow Road. Oh, and yeah. Can't forget Donkey Kong's enormous arena.

However, it's oftentimes on the ground where the 3D really sticks out and brings out the finer details of Mario surreal world. In Brooklyn, there might not be too much to look at. But even still, water, pipes, Mario and Luigi's rush through a construction zone, sewer lines, and character designs all look great with the 3D added. There's always a sense of space between characters and each other, and their environment. And when Mario and Luigi head into the sewers, the 3D start to kick up. Long views of the bottomless pit in the sewers are interesting, and so are shots where Mario and Luigi enter a green pipe and get sucked into a white cloudy vortex that takes them through a pink sky.

Once through the pipe, the 3D is given ample detail to work with. On Mario's end, everything from mushrooms to Toads to coins to networks of pipes to flying bricks and platforms all provide much to take in with the 3D experience. And once again, everything is in it's own separate space due to how deep and well-handled the 3D is. Shots involving crowds of toads, Peach's training course, Mario getting sucked in through a pipe, and mushroom valleys all strongly benefit from the depth. On Luigi's end, things take a dark turn, but the 3D viewing remains just as interesting. The dark and barren forest features giant trees with ample limbs going every which way. Luigi eventually gets captured and placed into a cage over a pit of lava next to other cages full of Bowser's prisoners. The top down shots over a pit of lava in this scene are staggering and the distance between the cages really exemplifies the feeling of helplessness. Whenever Bowser himself is in the scene, we still get good crowd shots consisting of Koopas, Goombas, and whatever these things are. Also made interesting by the magic of 3D are a couple of scenes involving pianos that help to enhance the length of the giant instrument. Rounding out the highlight scenes, there are some good top down shots in Donkey Kong's arena and the Mushroom Kingdom, a traveling montage featuring several different locations that look big and vast, and the MarioKart scene offers great space between carts and those riding them.

When the action starts is where the 3D is really taken advantage of. When Bowser moves in to invade the Ice Kingdom, we get a giant flying castle moving in and destroying buildings in the process. Every time Bowser breathes fire, you feel it coming right at you. Donkey Kong and Mario's fight allows for some slick camera movements that immerse you in the action. One shot in particular I found interesting was a shot which showed Mario from a distance and the camera was placed right in between donkey kong's arms. Whenever a character is sliding through a pipe, you feel right there with them. Even something as simple as a dog chasing two men in a bathroom feel slightly more intense in 3D. The Mario Kart scene was certainly a standout, featuring cars getting destroyed this way and that way all the while the camera steadily keep track of everything as the road twists and turns into unexpected places. One scene even has Mario jumping out of his car while its upside down, falling onto a Koopas bike, knocking him out of it, and using his shell to knock down a vehicle. This clip is easily accessible in the trailer and you can bet it look amazing in 3D. Peach's training course also looks great in 3D with these similar camera movements being applied when Peach or Mario are navigating the dangerous and layout of the course.

And you'll also be glad to hear that nothing is scared to protrude the screen when it comes to the new Mario movie. The opening scene of the penguin's castle invasion features some of the best in the movie with destruction of ice buildings, anchors falling into your lap, falling snow, penguins charging, fire, and even Bowser himself with his spiky back and all. Of course, that's just the tip of the iceberg. We get plenty of Bowser, albeit mainly in talking scenes. But we do also get to dodge his fire when it comes. Everything from mushrooms, MarioKarts, cages, characters, floating platforms, blocks, rain, and water all have their fun protruding the screen. More jumpy moments, though, include a mad dog, some streams of water, Donkey Kong charging, Donkey Kong punching, a Bullet Bill, piranha plants, Dry Bones, explosions, and more.

If I had anything to complain about with this movies 3D, it would probably be some distracting ghosting in two main places: the Nintendo logo and the movie title. It's a pretty darn shame considering how these two moments are very unique to the movie, especially in 3D. And ghosting virtually never appears anywhere else throughout the film.

Is The Super Mario Bros. Movie a film that would convert anti-3D people to the side of 3D? Absolutely not. But for those who are already fans of the format, this movie reminds of the reason we love 3D so much, when it's done right of course. The depth on display is some of the best I've seen in a long time. The pop outs, while not constant, are still very much a part of this movie's fun factor. And all around, distracting are very minimal. When Mario leaps into the third dimension at your local theater, be sure to buy a ticket and experience the world of Mario like you've never it before (assuming you haven't played Super Mario 3D Land).

3D RATING: GREAT

Other sources that review this movie's 3D:

Tommy Boy 3D's Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3bXdgK2csE

Real Future Picture's Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8tPsCEOul0

FINAL THOUGHTS

I think maybe if it went through another draft or two, The Super Mario Bros. Movie would have been the film to "break" the video-game curse once and for all. It's a fun, nostalgic time for the young and the young at heart that pays tribute to the old classic Mario games while also properly updating it for modern cinema. Was it all certainly worth the effort? The short answer is yes. Still, I wish they had some of the movie's flaws regarding flow, especially in the second and third act, ironed out. As it is though, it's still a decent crowd pleaser and I can with a good conscience recommend. And who knows, maybe I can be a bit more forgiving of its errors on a second viewing. We'll see. And if you're looking to see it in 3D, I say definitely go for it. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is another example of Illumination using 3D to their full advantage and another reason IMAX 3D needs to be more commonplace in cinemas across the nation. The stereoscopic team behind this film wasted no expense in making this a great 3D trip. Is it as deep as Despicable Me? No. Does it have as much fun with pop outs as Despicable Me 2? Still no. But still, the 3D does only so much to deepen the world of Mario and make it pop that to miss out on it would certainly be a shame. So whether you're looking for a solid family outing, a top-notch video game adaptation, or either type movie as long as it's in 3D, The Super Mario Bros. Movie should have you grabbing your mushroom pizza and jumping to the local theater.

DID YOU LIKE "THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE" IN 3D?

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  0%Yes
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  0%No. It was a waste of money