Early reviews for Illumination’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie are mixed, with critics being divided over the film’s story, abundance of Nintendo references, and general audience appeal. Based on the popular Mario video games and franchise, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is the first major CGI film adaptation of the beloved Nintendo characters and stories, although a live-action movie starring John Leguizamo and Bob Hoskins premiered in 1993 to disappointing critical and commercial responses. In the 2023 animated movie, Mario bands together with allies like Princess Peach and Toad to save Luigi and foil Bowser’s plans for world domination.
Ahead of its April 5 theatrical release date, The Super Mario Bros. Movie holds a mixed 53% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Considering March 2023’s major franchise films like Creed III, Scream 6, John Wick: Chapter 4, and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves each received generally positive reviews, the debut critical response to Universal’s Super Mario Bros. Movie is disappointing. While the film is still expected to be a massive hit at the box office, The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s mixed reviews keep it from being a complete success. Here’s a breakdown of why critics are so divided about The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
5 Critics Can’t Agree On The Impact Of Mario’s Thin Plot
While the reviews for The Super Mario Bros. Movie generally agree that the film is lacking in plot and has a derivative story, critics can’t agree on how important this is to the movie’s general quality. Some critics note that The Super Mario Bros. Movie is expected to have a thin plot that simply takes audiences through a cinematic version of various video game levels, while other critics disagree and suggest that the quality is worsened by its basic story. Considering the plot is the basis for the entire film, it does make sense that this would be the biggest source of division for The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s mixed reviews.
Tying into the split response to The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s generic story is the film’s lack of enticing character development. While the film did manage to subvert some characterizations from the video games, such as Anya Taylor-Joy’s Princess Peach avoiding the damsel in distress trope, critics are remarking that the Super Mario Bros. adaptation is too simplistic in its character work, which negatively impacts its already lacking story. Many of the negative reviews for The Super Mario Bros. Movie note that the missing character development significantly hinders the movie’s success, whereas some positive reviews indicate that the characters being faithfully adapted from the video games is both expected and enjoyable for fans of the franchise.
4 Super Mario Bros Movie’s Fan-Service Is Being Praised & Criticized
Another reason why The Super Mario Bros. Movie is dividing critics is that the film features an overabundance of Easter eggs, references, and callbacks to the Mario franchise. The bulk of the division appears to be between those who are big fans of the franchise and those who have general knowledge or interest in Mario. This calls back to one massive source of contention for Space Jam: A New Legacy, which was filled to the brim with Easter eggs and references to the Looney Tunes franchise and Warner Bros. properties. Many reviews are noting that the film will make audiences more eager to play Mario games at home rather than return to the theater for second viewings.
Negative reviews for The Super Mario Bros. Movie are criticizing the film for being an unabashed cinematic Nintendo advertisement, with numerous nods to various Mario games and other properties from Nintendo like Donkey Kong. Additionally, such criticisms remark that the movie’s focus on continuous nods to characters, games, worlds, and franchise-specific details stands in the way of a more engaging narrative. On the other hand, positive reviews for The Super Mario Bros. Movie celebrate the abundance of self-advertising Easter eggs by stating that it’s what major Mario fans are expecting and enjoying from the film. All aspects of Mario are seen on-screen as anticipated, so some believe that the fan service is what makes the movie work.
3 Super Mario Bros’ Reviews Are Divided About Its Video Game Immersion
The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s reviews are also mixed because of the critical division over the feeling of audiences being immersed in a video game. Rather than feeling like audiences are embarking on a mission with a compelling motivation and story, negative reviews suggest that The Super Mario Bros. Movie‘s classic video game immersion feels flat and unoriginal. The film comes off to some as being a cinematic video game walkthrough in which one is watching others play a Mario game, whereas other critics with more positive reviews note that The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s video game immersion is a fan’s dream come true.
Many positive reviews are repeating negative reviews’ comments about the 2023 film being more akin to nostalgic jumps through Mario games than a great new story, but the difference lies in whether critics believe this hurt or helped the movie. The action sequences and visuals are largely better on-screen than in Mario video games, so seeing a heightened version of these familiar worlds and goals is exciting for fans to experience. However, many critics note that The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s generic video game immersion tactic works better for kids than adults, especially those who aren’t massive fans of the franchise.
2 Criticizes Are Split About Super Mario Bros’ Comparisons To The 1993 Movie
The mixed nature of The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s reviews also applies to the 2023 adaptation’s comparison to the 1993 live-action film. While the original 1993 Super Mario Bros. failed with critics and at the box office, it’s become more popular over the years and has achieved a cult classic status. Negative reviews for The Super Mario Bros. Movie indicate that the 2023 animated feature either can’t live up to the 1993 film or fails to improve upon its poor quality. However, more positive reviews suggest that The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a refreshing step up from the 1993 live-action film, with some praising it for being the first successful Super Mario movie adaptation yet.
1 Super Mario Bros Movie’s Reviews Are Mixed On Its Appeal To General Audiences
Critics are also divided about The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s appeal to general audiences, as the wealth of Nintendo Easter eggs and nods appeal far more to Mario die-hard fans than casual viewers. However, some indicate that the film can be enjoyed by all due to its spirit, dazzling visuals, and sincerity. Since both negative and positive reviews have noted that The Super Mario Bros. Movie prioritizes its Easter egg count over plot and story, this makes it far less enticing for audience members who can’t play along with spotting the references. According to both sides of The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s critical division, this was a movie made for fans of Mario, though most children will still be entertained throughout the 90-minute runtime.
