I’ve played video games for a long time. In my twenty-four years of living on this earth, video games have been something that I’ve always enjoyed, thoroughly. From the early years of Pokemon when I would also watch the television series, to my later years playing games like The Last of Us (which is getting a television show) and God of War. But the one game I’m pretty sure every kid played at least once as a child was a Mario game.
The franchise has been around for decades, and now, it’s finally getting an animated movie from Illumination – the same people who brought us hits such as the Despicable Me series, or The Secret Life of Pets. When this film was first announced, I was… less than excited. Then the first teaser came out, and now, the first official trailer has been released, slating its opener for April 2023.
And I have to say… it has me really excited. The Super Mario Bros. Movie feels like it’s going to be entertaining. And I’ll give you my reasons why.
Most Of The Voice Actors Sound Like They Fit The Characters
Okay, is it a tragedy that Mario’s voice actor, Charles Martinet, who has been voicing the role of Mario in games for years, is not playing Mario in the Super Mario Bros. Movie? Yes, it is. Jury is still out on whether I like Chris Pratt in the role or not because we didn’t really get much, ironically, from Mario in the most recent trailer. But I have at least some faith that he’ll do the character justice.
However, the rest of the voice acting cast is killer. From the moment I saw the first teaser and heard Jack Black as Bowser, I knew they had made a good decision in casting him, but then I saw him again in this trailer – alongside the rest of the cast, and everything felt like it molded together so perfectly.
I really like Keegan Michael-Key in general, but was hesitant about his casting as Toad – however, he’s able to pull it off wonderfully. Charlie Day’s voice as Luigi is something I never knew I needed until now. And Jack Black is still as menacing as ever as Bowser, arguably one of the most iconic video game villains of all time. It was like he was meant to voice this role.
The voice actors are a big reason I’m super excited for this film – something I was not expecting when the cast was first announced.
It Looks Like Peach Is Actually Going To Be A Character – And Not Just Kidnapped
Before I get those comments of people saying, “but Peach had her own video game,” I know she did. I played it. But come on – in almost every major Mario title, it is always about Peach getting kidnapped – either by Bowser or someone else – and Mario having to save her, with the help of others along the way. At this point, I’m starting to think that Peach wants to get kidnapped.
But that doesn't look like the case in the trailer for The Super Mario Bros. Movie. From the start, we don’t see Peach getting kidnapped (at least not yet). We see her going on this adventure with Mario and friends to stop Bowser – even seeing her with some badass weapon of sorts. It feels like Peach is really going to have a personality this time around instead of just serving as bait for Bowser and Mario’s fight.
That, added on with the talented voice of Anya Taylor-Joy, is going to make her an awesome character to watch. There was a reason why I always liked other Mario females within the Mario universe, because it always felt like they did so much more. Now, they’re finally giving Peach a story. And I’m eager to see it.
The Animation Looks Amazing
I mean, this isn’t that surprising. Illumination is a big animation studio and has done some awesome things in terms of animation, from the wonderful world of Sing to 2022’s Minions: The Rise of Gru. They’ve really knocked it out of the park with their animation in the past and I would expect nothing less. Maybe they aren't at the level of Disney or Pixar just yet, but they’ve been getting there in recent years.
I genuinely think that The Super Mario Bros. Movie is going to be the game changer in their catalogue. I think just from the trailer, the Mushroom Kingdom looks fantastic. It’s so vibrant and full of life that it made me smile from cheek to cheek, grinning like a little five-year-old me playing her Super Mario Bros 3 game on her GameBoy Color. It felt as if I was right in the kingdom alongside them, going on this crazy journey.
I haven’t been this excited about the animation for something since finding out about Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, and while these are two vastly different films, I feel the same amount of enjoyment for both.
The Music Already Sounds Awesome
I mean, how can you not love The Super Mario Bros. Movie theme that plays at the end of the trailer? We all know the Super Mario Bros. songs. From the main theme to “Jump Up, Super Star!” from Super Mario Odyssey to the “Underwater Theme,” it’s a very memorable gaming score that any player would recognize in an instant.
Obviously, we haven’t heard much of the score yet from the trailer, but I can already tell from the orchestrated version of the main theme at the end of the trailer that I am going to love it. I listen to orchestrated versions of songs from pixel games all the time (like Undertale) but this is already out of the park awesome.
This Feels Almost Like An Homage To All Mario Games With An Enjoyable Story
I think what I like the most about this trailer is that it almost feels like an homage to Super Mario Bros as a whole. The plot looks pretty normal, such as Bowser is going to be the villain and Luigi and Mario are going to be going on an adventure to stop him with some friends along the way, like most Mario games, but everything in this trailer brought back so many good memories.
From Mario Kart being at the very end to how the world looked to everything else, it really feels like this movie was made for the fans. The live-action film, Super Mario Bros. that came out in 1993 was sub-par (despite it having a cult following now), and the only other film adaptation we’ve gotten of the video games was an anime film released back in 1986. This trailer makes me believe that people who love the games made the film, adding in so many little Easter Eggs and much more that you can’t help but love it.
I was a little nervous about this film when it was first announced, but I have a good feeling that somehow, someway, it’s going to end up being awesome. The trailer looks great, and the voice cast feels right, and I’m really excited, and I hope that a lot of other people are now as well.
