Review: The Super Mario Bros. Movie

The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Cert: PG / 92 mins / Dir. Aaron Horvath & Michael Jelenic / Trailer

It feels distinctly odd given the perennial popularity of the character that it's taken three decades for Nintendo to go anywhere near another Mario movie, and even moreso that it feels like this has only been accelerated by Sonic's cinematic success. But here we are.

And for the very most part, The Super Mario Bros. Movie works. This time. Steering clear of live-action, this world-establishing animated affair comes from Illumination studios, penned by Matthew Fogel and directed by Aaron Horvath & Michael Jelenic. This might give a tingling impression of overcrowding, but the storyline is - without wishing to damn with faint praise - refreshingly basic. Everything is set up clearly for viewers unfamiliar with the Mario-verse, but not hammered home to the point where veterans will be rolling their eyes.

HISTORY

Setpieces give transparent nods to various iterations of the game history, and while that canon includes far more than can be effectively covered in a 92 minute film, glaring omissions are being saved for the sequel*¹. For obvious reasons, an animated movie retelling established origins does a far better job of showcasing the actual game-mechanics (both as Easter eggs and direct features) than something broader like Dungeons & Dragons. This is one of the rare occasions where a film being like watching someone playing a game is still supremely enjoyable.

On a technical level Illumination have excelled themselves, although you get the impression that Nintendo insisted on this. The texturing, lighting, physics and heavily stylised character models all look gorgeous throughout (even if there are entire sections where the film intentionally feels like a Haribo-induced migraine). The voice-work is largely solid, yet it's notable that Illumination have once again gone for recognisable credits-friendly A-listers over actual dedicated voice actors. Luckily, their enthusiasm papers over the cracks.

THE DAY

While there's plenty in here for a young audience, the judiciously retro jukebox soundtrack lets slip the film's real target audience: 30-40 something parents with disposable income. Brian Tyler's score itself doesn't fare quite so well however, by turn generic and insipid. The orchestral arrangements themselves aren't particularly strong*², and a necessary insistence on including stings and riffs from the games makes this feel more like musical fan fiction. This is the Glowing Nostalgia Market of course, and if it can't be thoroughly wrung-out for a product like Super Mario then there's no point in anything.

By this point Illumination know their strengths and weaknesses, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie is - like its central characters - small but perfectly formed. The film doesn't leave the audience with much to ponder, but then it also demands nothing more than the admission fee and an enjoyment of slapstick. I spent far too much time throughout grinning like an idiot to award the film any less than the following...

*¹ Because of course there'll be a sequel, this is a globally established character property with a nailed-on fanbase. Although the sequel won't be quite as good because the film won't have the structure of the introductions, world-building or origins-story conventions to fall back on. cf. Sonic 2. ^{[ BACK ]}

*² And I say this as a fan of Tyler's work, because I know he can certainly achieve a big sound when it's needed. ^{[ BACK ]}

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