The return of the most famous plumber
Produced by Enlightenment entertainment (saga Me, despicable me), Super Mario Bros. the movie it’s a pretty cool idea, on paper. Indeed, rather than reproduce the error of Super Mario Bros. (1993), the animation option is ideal for adapting the adventures of the little plumber in the red cap. A favorable type to more visual and creative freedomwhich fits perfectly into the colorful world of video games.
And if we are far from the impact of a Spider-Man: New Generation, Super Mario Bros. The Movie Nothing to be ashamed of. It’s also quite enjoyable entertainment, if too calibrated. Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic (who worked on the excellent Teen Titans Go The Movie) obviously offer video game references in every way. Thus we find elements taken directly from the cult license, evident artifacts such as the star, mushrooms, platforms, bananas, etc… More or less expected cameos (Diddy Kong, the Maskass, Skelerex, etc.).
And also some references to side games like Louis Palace AND Mario Kart. We must also highlight the absolutely brilliant musical rearrangements, which derive the musical themes from the games with a certain mischief. As for Seth Rogen, he’s just as brilliant at voicing Donkey Kong!
Lack of creativity in staging
After a rather weak but quickly eclipsed first part in the human world, Mario plunges into the magical world of the Mushroom Kingdom. The opportunity to meet emblematic characters such as Toad and peach. The latter’s treatment is also a breath of fresh air. The young woman thus goes from endangered princess to competitive trainer and tough warrior who will train little Mario to become everyone’s hero. An expected change but which does not break the original universe in any way.
Unfortunately, the universe of Mario it is not fully distributed Super Mario Bros. The Movie. The cartography of the world is not sufficiently defined for the viewer to fully orient himself in space. And this ultimately underused open world is more reminiscent of the poor performance of The Trolls that the very generous universe of Mario Bros…
But above all Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic don’t play enough game codes. For example, the duo doesn’t put enough emphasis the platform game, where Mario originally came from. There is a passage in the first part of the film in which the two filmmakers have fun diverting the gameplay of the platform game with a side shot to pay homage to it. But it’s such a free and lazy illustration, it could (should?) have been a linguistic element for much of the feature film.
By the same token, the Mario Kart race doesn’t have enough impact to convince. Again, the game codes are missing to allow this sequence to reach its full potential. So much so that there aren’t even the traditional gifts to collect… The duo never grant themselves the right to derive and redefine the codes of the game. Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic have thus decided to move away from the game codes as possible to propose a work more cinematic than the video game. A commendable decision, but one that sometimes gives the impression that it does Super Mario Bros. the movie he didn’t understand his heritage…
A rhythmic and captivating proposal
Super Mario Bros. the movie he prefers to move away from the usual little meta references that punctuate modern Hollywood cinema. The film wants to position itself as a simple proposition, one that doesn’t try to be falsely intelligent, or to appeal to an expert audience. More oriented towards a young audience, Super Mario Bros. The Movie it is humble work that is not taken for what it is not. And finally, Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic’s film, while rather anecdotal, is an enjoyable and well-paced proposition.
Super Mario Bros. The Movie by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, in theaters April 5, 2023. Above the trailer. Find all our trailers here.
Source: Cine Serie
Ray Ortiz is a journalist at Gossipify, known for his coverage of trending news and current events. He is committed to providing readers with accurate and unbiased reporting, and is respected for his ability to keep readers informed on the latest news and issues.
