The Super Mario Movie...Impressions

So, the second trailer dropped for the upcoming Mario movie, and everyone has thoughts…

Me? Well, although more of the movie’s plot was revealed than in the first teaser, the overall story is still largely a mystery. It’s more speculation than analysis at this point.

The good news is that, at least to some degree, the games’ original mythos seems to be respected. Mario is still a plumber. And, with his brother Luigi, they both get sent to the Mushroom Kingdom (World?) from the “real” world. And in this new land, there’s a big turtle-dragon brute of a bully who wants to conquer the kingdom. Or, in this version at least, the entire realm. Donkey Kong and Cranky are also there, presumably as inhabitants rather than visitors (in the games, they come from the same world of origin as Mario). Yoshis are there. Princess Peach and Toad and the mushroom people are there. And yep, even Rainbow Road shows up for what appears to be a Mario Kart race/action sequence. This is all exciting for Nintendo fanboys, but maybe a little concerning for those fearing a film that will be overstuffed with characters and cameos. Indeed, other films based on popular franchises have fallen into this trap, treating the initial film as more a gateway into neighboring franchises versus just trying to tell a good story (as in the movie Scoob!).

More good news involves the animation itself, which is bright and vibrant and carries the fervent energy one would expect from playing the effervescent games. The voice work is also on point; Bowser sounds especially great, and Toad, thankfully, has ditched his gravelly yet high-pitched speech for something more natural and boisterous (more akin to his portrayal in Mario Kart 64, in fact). Mario, of course, sounds more subdued with Chris Pratt filling in for Charles Martinet. But this change, despite what some naysayers have said, was necessary. Pratt’s take is certainly passable, and is preferable to enduring Martinet’s falsetto squeals for 90 minutes. The Princess also sounds fine, even if her voice lacks that distinct intrinsic sweetness so iconic to her character.

The bad news? While some of that mythos is respected, other elements have been seemingly abandoned. Luigi appears to get kidnapped this time, not Peach. And instead of Mario marching into this foreign land heroically as he did in the earliest titles, here he’s portrayed as a somewhat incompetent fish-out-of-water. Too much so, perhaps. Conversely, but maybe not surprisingly, the Princess seems a little too headstrong, a little too battle-ready, for a lass who’s supposed to be the embodiment of everything good and holy. At one point, she even wields a halberd…which is both weird and contrary to her compassionate, peace-seeking nature.

But at least my boy Toad is receiving his overdue glory! Not since Super Mario Bros. 2 has the little guy received such a prominent role, and I’m glad to see him officially recognized as part of the core four. You go, Toad!

Either way, good or not, detractors or not, everyone will be seeing this film. The real discussion—the real dissection and debate— will come in the aftermath…--D