There’s been a lot of buzz surrounding Nintendo and Illumination Entertainment’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and particularly Chris Pratt’s role as everybody’s favorite video game plumber. The actor has faced some backlash regarding his voice for the beloved character in the trailers and limited footage released so far, but he’s asked fans to “go see the movie” before making any final judgments. That opportunity is upon us, as the animated film is set to hit theaters on April 5. Now the reviews are in to help us know what to expect from the video game adaptation.
In addition to Chris Pratt, the movie boasts an impressive cast that includes Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong and other big names. The first reactions to the film were overwhelmingly positive, but now that critics have a chance to expound on their theatrical experiences, let’s dive a little deeper, starting with CinemaBlend’s review of The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Eric Eisenberg rates the movie just 2 out of 5 stars, saying despite the great animation, the characters come off as one-dimensional and bland. He continues:
I'm shocked by just how terrible this effort is: a new Nintendo cinematic embarrassment for a generation that isn't old enough to remember/know about 1993's live-action Super Mario Bros. It's pleasant to look at, with animators directly translating the wonderful aesthetics of the source material to the big screen, but it fails to exercise even one inventive or clever idea. Instead, it functions more like a checklist of nods to the games than a narrative feature.
Germain Lussier of Gizmodo agrees the movie is a mess, with characters who barely learn anything and stakes that don’t elicit any emotion. The critic wishes the filmmakers would have aspired to more with IP that is so beloved, saying:
As it stands now, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a visually striking, wholly uninteresting, and bland film that not even a few moments of magic can save. It’s not as awful as the 1993 live-action film, but that’s such a low bar, you don’t need a power-up to cross it.
Joshua Rivera of Polygon notes that The Super Mario Bros. Movie provides loads of nostalgia but feels built to capture screenshots rather than make memories in its own right. The critic argues that the film’s attempts to bottle the appeal of Mario end up mostly just referencing it. The review continues:
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. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a sermon for the Nintendo faithful and their children, and few others.
Not all of the reviews were so bleak, however. Owen Gleiberman of Variety joins the other critics in praising the animation but disagrees with the above critic's assessment that non-fans won’t respond to The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s energy. He also praises the fairy-tale story that provides a satisfying video game buzz, saying;
The movie, as directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic (from a script by Matthew Fogel), is a serious blast, with a spark of enchantment — that je ne sais quoi fusion of speed and trickery, magic and sophistication, and sheer play that…well, you feel it when you see it.
Tom Jorgensen of IGN rates the movie a “Great” 8 out of 10, calling it a “pipe dream come true” and arguing that the movie’s charm and energy make up for its paper-thin plot. The critic concludes:
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a fireball of animated fantasy. Mario, Luigi, and Peach’s adventure delights with its infectious energy and smart implementations of video game callbacks, and the top-shelf animation renders the Mushroom Kingdom as an Oz-like wonderland that begs to be explored in the inevitable sequels that will follow. The assembled voice cast puts a unique spin on each of their characters, but undercooked emotional arcs don’t get the same attention as the aesthetics, something not helped by a paint-by-numbers plot that bafflingly keeps Mario and Luigi away from each other for half the movie.
The critics seem to agree that the animation is impressive, while the plot is lacking. Their overall enjoyment of the film beyond that is varied, so time will tell if this goes down as one of Chris Pratt’s best roles. If you want to see Mario, Luigi and the rest of the classic video game crew on the big screen, you’ll have your chance starting Wednesday, April 5. And it’s never too early to start planning your next trip to the theater, so be sure to check out our 2023 Movie Release Schedule to see what else is coming soon.
