‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Provides Nostalgia For Fans

By Anna Harman

I grew up playing the original Mario Bros. game as well as the spin-off games such as the new Super Mario Bros., Mario Sports Mix, and many others. This is a classic game for so many people, young and old, and so there was a wide range of people excited for this movie to come out. There were also many skeptics of this movie. People didn’t want the producers to ruin this beloved game or make it seem “cheap.”

This movie was very interesting to me for several reasons. It was a unique experience to see these characters, while they were already animated in the video games, come to life in this new and more realistic animation. So many elements of the movie depicted details from the various Mario Bros. games. Among these things were the Mushroom Kingdom, question mark boxes, fire flowers, blue shells, Bowser’s castle, the rainbow road, and the costumes of the characters. 

These beloved characters were depicted almost exactly how you would imagine them. There were some parts that were rather odd, such as the fact that Mario (Chris Pratt) did not sound like Mario from the games. Although, they did include a scene at the end that showed a plumbing commercial for the Super Mario Brothers where Mario and Luigi (Charlie Day) spoke as their original characters, alluding to their Italian heritage. 

All of the characters were fairly likable, even Bowser (Jack Black). Bowser was still depicted as a villain and monster, but in this adaptation, he was also a lover. He’s in love with Princess Peach and set out to win her over and gain her hand in marriage. It almost made you feel bad for him, but in the end, he still was a ruthless villain (but with a heart for the princess).      

There was definitely a sense of “girl power” in this movie with Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy.) She was portrayed as being very strong, confident, good at everything (and better than the boys) and she was the strong one who didn’t need a man. This is a common role included in many movies today.  

Overall, this film wasn’t disappointing. I thought it was hilarious to see Mario and Luigi in their family home in Brooklyn, struggling to get their plumbing business to take off and seeing them talk in these normal voices. It was like watching them on their day off from the video games. It had humor woven all throughout the film, and it included an impressive amount of visual detail. One of the best parts of the movie had to be the adorably twisted Lumalee that was included in the latter portion of the movie. It was a cute star with the voice of a young child, but it would say the most gloomy, dark things out of nowhere.  

I think people from many generations can appreciate how this film brings these characters to life. Even though the new generation will forever remember Bowser as a hopeless romantic, I think that this movie provided a sense of nostalgia for all who grew up playing the classic game. It’s a light-hearted film that is definitely worth the watch.    

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is now playing in theatres. 

Anna Harman is a junior Biblical Studies major and also a reporter for Cedars. She appreciates writing, peppermint tea, flowers, and going to concerts.

Images courtesy of Illumination