Who hasn’t played Mario Bros or Donkey Kong? In the 1980s and 1990s, both were extremely popular games released by Nintendo. Even a live-action film was produced in 1993, although it turned out to be a flop. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a 3D animated film produced by Chris Meladandri, known for the successful Despicable Me and Minions series. This film was directed by the filmmaker duo Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic and features the voices of well-known stars, including Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Seth Rogen, Jack Black, Charlie Day, and Keegan Michael Key. So, how did this simple game adaptation evolve into a fictional story?
Mario (Pratt) and his younger brother, Luigi (Day), are a pair of unsuccessful plumbers, constantly undermined by their family and the citizens of Brooklyn. One day, while repairing the city’s pipeline network, Mario is sucked into the fantasy world of the Mushroom Kingdom. Meanwhile, Luigi is drawn into the dark land led by Bowser (Black). Bowser intends to rule the entire region, including the Mushroom Kingdom, and marry the queen, Peach (Joy). Peach then trains Mario to defeat Bowser and save Luigi. They also enlist the support of the Forest Kingdom led by King Kong. Thus, the adventure begins.
The story offers very little exposition, lacking in both character development and conflict resolution. Weak exposition weakens our sympathy for the characters. The story is too flat, and there is no significant threat from the antagonist, as the main target audience for this film is children. The Mad Max-style action moments in the second half fail to provide compelling entertainment. As a result, adult audiences may easily lose interest, apart from children. The film’s strength lies only in the visually stunning scenes and the visualization of the game action.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a perfect spectacle for its target audience, even though it may not appeal to all moviegoers. The message that can be inserted into the story, compared to Despicable Me, is also far off. At least, Minions can entertain through the ridiculous behavior of the characters. If you’re looking for more family entertainment, Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) can offer much more than Mario Bros. If you are a true Mario fan, it’s worth a watch, but personally, I’d rather watch D&D all over again.
