Review of Super Mario Bros. (1993) by Chad H — 06 Jan 2011

I could not believe how bad this movie was compared to the game. However I thought it was interesting, as in an interesting adaptation of the NES game. But the movie just could not hold up. It seemed to drag on for longer than it should have, and it seemed rushed. The intro is just wrong, it starts off as animated and the animation itself is jerky and scratchy. Then the film states that dinosaurs used to rule the world, which is true; but then it states the idea of the possibility of another dimension in which the dinosaurs thrived. Well that certainly was interesting, but it just did not feel like Super Mario Brothers.

But then again I had to watch this movie with an open mind. So as we all know Mario is the older brother, and Luigi is the younger brother. The movie brought a good adaptation of the two but then the movie progressed. I noticed how Mario wore a green jacket but had a red shirt, and also noticed that Luigi had a green hat, but a red shirt on. The colors just felt a little mixed to me.

So then we meet Princess Daisy...well wait a minute, wasn't the point of Super Mario Bros. to play as Mario and rescue Princess "Peach"? It just astounds me how they could have messed that up. So more useless plot filler happens and then Luigi winds up asking Daisy out on a date, but not just a date a double date with Mario. Now I reveal this little bit of the movie for one main reason...Daisy tells the two brothers that she never really knew her family after being questioned by the rock around her neck. She also states that she was abandoned and left at an orphanage. So then Luigi shocked goes into detail about how Mario has always been there for him and then he states basically that Mario had raised him and been his "Father", his "Mother", etc. It just blows my mind. So basically what this movie is claiming is that Mario and Luigi are not brothers, but Father and Son? This just is incredible.

Back to the overall movie, The Academy Award Winning Actor, Dennis Hopper played "Bowser" or King Koopa in this movie, and I have to say it was an interesting choice, but it just did not work for me. There is only so much Hopper could do to try to make the character work, but he just cannot accomplish this goal. Yoshi also makes an appearance but it was just a disappointment so I shall not go into that.

All and all this movie is just a disgrace, its interesting I agree, but other than that, its awful. The perspective is just odd, and the characters do not portray the characters in the game even half as good as they should have. It just seems rushed and half-baked. This movie should have given us insight into the Super Mario Brothers, this movie should have been for the fans, and yet its just another failure.

I do not recommend this movie at all, I do however recommend it for the fans, as they will be sure to get a kick out of it. Anyone else, just avoid this movie at all costs because it is certainly not worth your time.