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The Super Mario Bros Movie
Genre: Comedy
Release date: April 5, 2023
Run time: 1 hr 32m
Rotten Tomatoes score: 59% / Audience score: 96%
Emilee’s rating: ★★★★☆
Mario and Luigi are Italian-American aspiring plumbers living in Brooklyn, New York. When Brooklyn faces a huge plumbing issue, Mario and Luigi aspire to save Brooklyn but discover something odd underground. Both Mario and Luigi get sucked into a tunnel that leads them to a new world. On their way down, Mario and Luigi get separated, Luigi gets sent to Bowser’s home and Mario gets sent to Peach’s world, The Mushroom Kingdom. Mario, Peach, and Toad prepare to fight Bowser to save Luigi and stop Bowser from taking over the world.
Spoiler Warning!
Although this is a kid’s movie, I have some strong opinions considering I grew up playing the Mario games. I thought it was pretty funny and I liked how they incorporated other games into the movie as well. They included Mario Kart, Super Mario 3D World, and aspects of Super Mario Party. The Mushroom Kingdom is basically what Super Mario 3D World looks like. They also have the cat and raccoon power-up from that game, too. When Peach and Mario get Donkey Kong’s dad’s army, they get cars like in Mario Kart and they fight Bowser’s army on the rainbow road. From Super Mario Party, they had some of the mini games included, like when Mario fights Donkey Kong. It was also overall very nostalgic for me (and my friends who saw it with me) which I loved. The way the plot ties into the games is a favorite of mine as well. They showed that when Bowser blows fire onto a Koopa, they turn into a Dry Bones. Luigi even ended up in Luigi’s Mansion from Mario Kart and they include flashback scenes of baby Mario, Peach, and Luigi. I liked all of the little details like those the most.
There are a few things I didn’t like. For one, Peach’s backstory is very vague and I wish they said more. They said she came from the human world (there are no humans in this world) but they didn’t explain anything else. Does this mean there will be a second movie? Also, what does this mean for Princess Daisy (who was not even in the movie) if there are no humans in this world? Does she just not exist? Another thing that really bothered me is that in the Mushroom Kingdom there are only no Toadettes and Yoshi is not a main character in this movie. Yoshi is in the background of the movie for a few seconds and there is an island kingdom so he clearly exists but why not include him? They include these random penguins no one cares about but not the Yoshis? Maybe I am overthinking it because it’s a kid’s movie but Yoshi is one of my favorites.
Overall, though, people are hating on this movie for no reason. Despite a few flaws, its funny, nostalgic, and pretty entertaining.
