Featured Graphic by Destiny Mizell
Story by Larry Rincon
It’s always annoying to see movie trailers claim it is the movie of the year when it’s only
just released. However, I must say that “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is by far the movie of the
year.
Video game adaptations have a history of being crude, lackluster reimagining’s of beloved
games. However, ever since the release of “Detective Pikachu” there has been a rise of great
adaptations in the form of movies and television series.
Recently, Illumination and Nintendo teamed up to create what I believe to be the best animated
adaptation of a video game. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is by no means the first of its kind,
but it certainly has become a fan favorite since its release on Wednesday.
For fans of the older games to fans of the more recent games, there are many reasons to give
this movie a watch. Even those who aren’t fans of video games, you can find at least one aspect
of the movie you will enjoy.
The movie follows two titular brothers, Mario and Luigi, who run a plumbing service in Brooklyn, New
York. As much as I’d like to say that the characters had an Italian accent, it only lasts
about 30 seconds before we are hit full force with Brooklyn accent from Chris Pratt and Charlie Day.
This is by no means meant to be discouraging. In fact, while one of biggest controversies was
the casting of high profile actors, I think the audience can overlook this small fact and still enjoy
the movie for what it is.
The rest of the movie mostly takes place in the different kingdoms after Mario and Luigi are
sucked through a wrap pipe. Luigi ends up in the Dark Lands resulting in his capture by Bowser,
and Mario ends up in the Mushroom Kingdom resulting in him helping Peach fight against
Bowser.
I think the biggest reasons behind the enjoyment of the movie lies in the music, characters and
game references. I grew up playing many different games that are part of the Mario franchise,
so it was so much fun looking in the backgrounds and tuning my ears to unlock those childhood
memories.
The movie’s score was a mix between iconic Mario franchise songs such as “DK Rap” and fun
upbeat music like “Holding Out For a Hero”. The balance between the two was well done
leaving no room to cringe, which was a slight fear of mine. Illumination has a tendency to cater
their films towards the younger audiences, but thankfully “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” did not
suffer the same fate.
Obviously, a lot of beloved characters appeared on screen. The movie is called “The Super
Mario Bros. Movie” so it only makes sense that every character to appear in the games make an
appearance in this movie. The best performances are definitely Lumalee and Bowser.
Sure it was nice to see Peach break the stereotype as the damsel in distress and instead play a
major leadership role. However, something about two characters with a certain appearance having the
exact opposite personality that you’d expect really made me laugh.
The small blue Luma with all its cuteness was somehow the scariest character with all the
depressing comments she would make. When she was pretended from dying she was
disappointed, and I was both laughing hard and feeling mortified.
Bowser on the other hand was his typical scary and aggressive self, but Jack Black brought out
the best of Bowser’s soft parts. His musical talent was hilariously good, and his love for Peach
was kind of endearing. Maybe it’s the fact that I know it’s Jack Black, but somehow I couldn’t
see the evil villain Bowser was supposed to be.
There were many small easter eggs scattered throughout the film. If you played the original
“Super Mario Bros.” game you’ll recognize World 1-1’s construction site. Similarly a few minutes
later, when Mario and Luigi go down into the sewers they pass a sign labeled “Level 1-2” a
reference to the games World 1-2.
There are more obvious references like Mario’s yellow cape from “Super Mario World” or even
the Sunshine Travel Agency in the same font as “Super Mario Sunshine”. I loved seeing all
these small details be used creatively, and I will definitely be going back to the theater to spot
some more.
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” exceeded my expectations. It may only be an hour and a half,
but that hour and a half is full of so much fun and enjoyment.
If you do plan on watching it, make sure you stick around till the end. There may be a small
easter egg after the credits.
To contact Lifestyles Editor Destiny Mizell, email lifestyles@mtsusidelines.com. For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com, or follow us on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines or on Twitter at @Sidelines_News.
