The Super Mario Bros. Movie was released on April 5, and since then has gained much praise and critique from Mario fanatics and casuals alike. Since the characters’ roles were revealed, many had mixed feelings about the choices, and with the release of multiple trailers and now the movie itself, many remained worried about how the movie would handle certain aspects of the Mario brand and uniqueness, such as the exaggerated Italian accents. Having seen the movie twice, I can safely say that the movie is both entertaining and clever, to say the least.

The story, though simple, is easy to follow and amusing to watch. Mario and Luigi embark on an adventure akin to Super Mario Bros. (1993) and live a similar life as well. Mario and Luigi live in Brooklyn with their family, planning to popularize their plumbing business, “Super Mario Bros. Plumbing.” That all is thrown down the drain, however, when a magical pipe sends Mario to Princess Peach’s Castle in the Mushroom Kingdom and Luigi to Bowser’s Castle in the Darklands. Peach and Mario, along with his new “best friend” Toad, plan  to save Luigi and stop Bowser from destroying the Mushroom Kingdom, even resorting to getting help from the monkeys of Kong Valley. While I am upset with the simplicity of the movie’s story, it’s understandable why Illumination took this route. The movie, being made for children, should have a story simple enough for PG audiences to follow, including casual moviegoers. Not to mention that almost every Mario production ever made follows the same story: Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach and Mario has to run, jump, fight into Bowser’s Castle in order to rescue the Princess. While Peach isn’t kidnapped, I find it smart that Illumination took the route they did with the story, as it reflects the type of story in previous Mario theater and TV productions, like The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!.

Illumination, as always, delivers top notch visuals that are exciting to see on the big screen. The designs of every character are so vibrant and detailed that it makes it hard to go back to the more recognizable and widely used Mario character renders for video games, to say the least. The music of the movie also accompanies the visuals greatly, with wonderful recompositions of classic Mario themes made to fit the theme of any scene. While, of course, not every piece of music was a recomposition, said music still did its job in making one feel prideful, excited, or whatever the scene called for.

The characters are handled quite well and they all seem like themselves. Mario is confident and stubborn in brotherhood, Luigi is apprehensive and coercing, Bowser is malicious and threatening, Donkey Kong is boastful and self obsessed, and Toad is jumpy and in the way. The main character that seemed to have the biggest change is Peach, who goes from a damsel in distress character type to a skilled and confident character, one who will do anything to protect her mushroom citizens. This change works well for the story and gives her some significance apart from being Mario’s love interest, though that’s still touched upon in the film. The acting for every character is also well done and enjoyable. The best one for me was Jack Black is Bowser, who you sometimes forget is voiced by a comedic and raunchy musical comedian. Jack Black’s performance is believable and genuine, whether he’s being menacing, wholesome, furious, or awkward, and whether or not Bowser is being so intentionally. His widespread acclamation is deserved and his role is both wonderfully done and the most pleasantly surprising. This is especially considering recent memes of the film regarding Jack Black’s self-written, widespread, and hilarious movie single, Peaches, which he sings as Bowser.

All the side characters are also handled well, and if their cinematic counterparts are completely different, it’s done for tasteful laughs, which to me is justifiable enough. The ice-dwelling penguins are funny in their inability to fight, Mario and Luigi’s family have an amusing and relatable relationship dynamic, Bowser’s army is exciting to watch fight, and so on. My two favorite side characters are Lumalee and Kamek for their flawless acting and ridiculous humor. Lumalee the sentient blue star (also known as a Luma) is a nihilistic and depressing prisoner in Bowser’s Castle, whose deep cutting lines are made humorous by the fact that he sounds like a toddler. Kamek, also known as Magikoopa, is Bowser’s blue hooded advisor whose nasally voice works perfectly and sounds natural for his role. His best moments include having his fingers crushed by Bowser’s shuttable piano and dressing up as Princess Peach in order to help Bowser build up courage. 

The theme of the film deals with the importance of sticking together and never giving up, which though unsurprising and cliché, is nothing to look down upon for a movie mainly intended for children. This is most greatly highlighted in Toad and Peach’s dynamic and more importantly the dynamic between the Mario brothers. Whenever the two are in reach, they do their best to stick together and stay brave in spite of menacing, sometimes magical and mysterious threats. And still, when the two are apart, they do whatever they can to stay alive just to see eachother again. The two have their greatest moments when they help each other get out of danger, both from Bowser. As simple as a theme this movie has, it’s wholesome, and it works well for a kids movie.

The last and possibly most important feature of the film to discuss is its purity and knowledge of video game Mario and ‘80s concepts. These, in my opinion, were handled spectacularly. There are many easter eggs and references to past Mario games and ‘80s entertainment, with references to Super Mario Odyssey, the Mario Kart series, Duck Hunt, Punch-Out!!, and even Wrecking Crew. Illumination and its affiliates seemed to know their stuff when it came to including ‘80s video game knowledge. The Mario Brothers’ exaggerated Italian accents are also handled well, only being used by the Mario brothers as a marketing trademark (along with their white gloves) for Mario Bros. Plumbing. The film’s business even had a callable and textable phone number (929-55-MARIO) which would update fans on the movie’s progress and even promoted a website allegedly run by the brothers, smbplumbing.com. Not only that, but the phone number’s three digit area code is one of the ones that belong to New York City. However, one of my favorite aspects of the movie was its popular music. Every recognizable non-Mario song used in the movie was associated with the ‘80s as well, including A-Ha’s Take on Me, Beastie Boys’ No Sleep Till Brooklyn, and even Electric Light Orchestra’s Mr. Blue Sky at the very end of the film. The purity of the film is top notch, and the efforts made to promote and sell it are nothing to scoff at.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie  is a great watch for anyone who enjoys going to the cinema. For the average moviegoer, it’s a simple and entertaining watch that needs bare bones Mario knowledge to understand (and fortunately doesn’t include any toilet humor). For the purest of Mario fanatics, it’s a unique and fresh adaptation of the Mario universe that stays true to popular Mario concepts and general ‘80s culture. And for the parents, it’s something nice to let the children see on a night outside the home. The most important thing to remember when critiquing this movie is that the film’s story and theme are made for children, but all the references and easter eggs are there for the knowledgeable adults. Considering the movie’s positives, its $700M box office gross earnings just over a week after its release, and with it being the #1 Movie in the World, I don’t understand why anyone of any age wouldn’t watch this simply entertaining film. Its message can stick with anyone, its characters are memorable and funny, and the effort and work put into the film is nothing like I’ve ever seen from an Illumination production.