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on June 11, 2004
Most people tend to hate this film. I think, though, that they hate it because they're looking at it the wrong way. It's one of those movies that has a point, and if you miss that, you don't get any of it.
Their mistake is to watch this expecting a Mario movie. I know, it sounds like the right thing to expect, but hear me out. Fans of the game know what Mario is all about - powerups, angry mushrooms, winged turtles and flying blocks. If you watch this movie expecting that, you'll be disappointed, as you'll find NONE of it. But that's not to say it isn't worth watching.
Picture the scene: a couple of directors are asked to make a Mario movie by Nintendo, and they want it to be live action. That was the flavour at the time - take cartoon characters and make them real. Now, these directors know about Mario. They say "No way can that be done. Mario is all about being a cartoon. Jumping on little angry animals, everyone's a mushroom... It's a great game, and it'd make a good cartoon, but a live action version would just be moronic." "Oh, don't worry about that," says Nintendo, "just so long as you get the main elements in, do it how you want."
The directors go away, rubbing their chins, trying to think of a way to do that but still do justice to the games. And then they have a fascinating idea.
What if they don't do a Mario film, exactly. What if they do a sci-fi film, but fill it to the brim with Mario references, for the keen-eyed game fans?
That's what this movie is. If you watch it with that in mind, you will enjoy it. I've tested this theory out already on a friend who thought the film was a bit stupid when he saw it as a kid, but watched it yesterday with my little thesis in mind and he loved it.
What you get here is a quite serious (despite the light-hearted script) sci-fi flick about the nightmarish world ours may soon become: crowded, filthy, choked with pollution and overrun with a hate-filled populace who will fight you, yell at you, even try to shoot you if you pass too close. Run by a demonic well-dressed dictator politician (played to amazing effect by Dennis Hopper) who has let this world become the dark horror it is through neglect: there is no water any more, only sludge, and a slimy infestation of fungus has grown over everything, draped in great loops like one gigantic, chaotic spider web. Into this world come Mario and Luigi, similar to their game counterparts but more human, a pair of plumber brothers from Brooklyn who grew up together as orphans. They are trying to save a girl, who has been kidnapped and dragged here, and along the way they get wrapped up in something really horrifying: the president and his people are human, but human descended from dinosaurs instead of apes. He's found a way to revert his citizens back to their prehistoric roots, and with his army of lizard lackeys he's going to bridge the split between worlds (that formed when the meteorite that "killed" the dinosaurs hit) and take over our own.
And through all this we find references of the sort that Mario's biggest fans will drool over, so long as they are watching this in the way I suggest. These prove that the film has been put together not by someone ignorant of the games, but by someone very well versed in their lore. A large woman called Big Bertha, dressed all in red, is named in reference to a large red fish enemy from Mario 3. She wears mechanical boots named "Thwomp-Stompers", after the classic ice block enemies, and they are powered by capsules that look exactly like Bullet Bills, from Super Mario Bros 1. Shops are apparently owned by people with the same names as characters from the games (Hammer Bros and Bullet Bill), a protest singer is named after Toad, the happy little mushroom from the games, but his hair is shaved into the pattern on the shell of Lakitu, a fan favourite since day one. These references go on throughout the film and shape its world - the fungus, which turns out to be a conscious entity, helps the brothers in every way it can; they are saved on more than one occasion by mushrooms, in what has become a literal mushroom kingdom.
It's all in here if you keep your eyes peeled. Go in ready to watch not a Mario film, but a film that references Mario, and you will love it. It doesn't "change" anything from the games, because it is not any kind of filmed version of them, but it nods to them constantly.
Viewed in this light, it is a treat to watch, and a rare treat, because no other film has ever crammed in so many references to videogaming before. Simply put, a live action Mario film could never be made, and the directors asked to make one did a brilliant job at trying something new and original. Well worth the ten dollars for the DVD.
Their mistake is to watch this expecting a Mario movie. I know, it sounds like the right thing to expect, but hear me out. Fans of the game know what Mario is all about - powerups, angry mushrooms, winged turtles and flying blocks. If you watch this movie expecting that, you'll be disappointed, as you'll find NONE of it. But that's not to say it isn't worth watching.
Picture the scene: a couple of directors are asked to make a Mario movie by Nintendo, and they want it to be live action. That was the flavour at the time - take cartoon characters and make them real. Now, these directors know about Mario. They say "No way can that be done. Mario is all about being a cartoon. Jumping on little angry animals, everyone's a mushroom... It's a great game, and it'd make a good cartoon, but a live action version would just be moronic." "Oh, don't worry about that," says Nintendo, "just so long as you get the main elements in, do it how you want."
The directors go away, rubbing their chins, trying to think of a way to do that but still do justice to the games. And then they have a fascinating idea.
What if they don't do a Mario film, exactly. What if they do a sci-fi film, but fill it to the brim with Mario references, for the keen-eyed game fans?
That's what this movie is. If you watch it with that in mind, you will enjoy it. I've tested this theory out already on a friend who thought the film was a bit stupid when he saw it as a kid, but watched it yesterday with my little thesis in mind and he loved it.
What you get here is a quite serious (despite the light-hearted script) sci-fi flick about the nightmarish world ours may soon become: crowded, filthy, choked with pollution and overrun with a hate-filled populace who will fight you, yell at you, even try to shoot you if you pass too close. Run by a demonic well-dressed dictator politician (played to amazing effect by Dennis Hopper) who has let this world become the dark horror it is through neglect: there is no water any more, only sludge, and a slimy infestation of fungus has grown over everything, draped in great loops like one gigantic, chaotic spider web. Into this world come Mario and Luigi, similar to their game counterparts but more human, a pair of plumber brothers from Brooklyn who grew up together as orphans. They are trying to save a girl, who has been kidnapped and dragged here, and along the way they get wrapped up in something really horrifying: the president and his people are human, but human descended from dinosaurs instead of apes. He's found a way to revert his citizens back to their prehistoric roots, and with his army of lizard lackeys he's going to bridge the split between worlds (that formed when the meteorite that "killed" the dinosaurs hit) and take over our own.
And through all this we find references of the sort that Mario's biggest fans will drool over, so long as they are watching this in the way I suggest. These prove that the film has been put together not by someone ignorant of the games, but by someone very well versed in their lore. A large woman called Big Bertha, dressed all in red, is named in reference to a large red fish enemy from Mario 3. She wears mechanical boots named "Thwomp-Stompers", after the classic ice block enemies, and they are powered by capsules that look exactly like Bullet Bills, from Super Mario Bros 1. Shops are apparently owned by people with the same names as characters from the games (Hammer Bros and Bullet Bill), a protest singer is named after Toad, the happy little mushroom from the games, but his hair is shaved into the pattern on the shell of Lakitu, a fan favourite since day one. These references go on throughout the film and shape its world - the fungus, which turns out to be a conscious entity, helps the brothers in every way it can; they are saved on more than one occasion by mushrooms, in what has become a literal mushroom kingdom.
It's all in here if you keep your eyes peeled. Go in ready to watch not a Mario film, but a film that references Mario, and you will love it. It doesn't "change" anything from the games, because it is not any kind of filmed version of them, but it nods to them constantly.
Viewed in this light, it is a treat to watch, and a rare treat, because no other film has ever crammed in so many references to videogaming before. Simply put, a live action Mario film could never be made, and the directors asked to make one did a brilliant job at trying something new and original. Well worth the ten dollars for the DVD.
on March 5, 2005
Like a lot of kids of my generation, I grew up anticipating every new Super Mario Bros. game. And like a few other people in the country, I went to see the movie when it came out in theaters. I was almost 15 at the time, but I actually liked the movie.
Nowadays, it doesn't stand up. It bombed at the box office, is the source of constant scorn, and is often blamed for starting the "movies based off of video games always suck" phenomenon.
But to be quite honest, this isn't a terrible film. If you were to watch it objectively, you'll probably find something in it to appreciate. Sure, to begin with, the casting is off. Though I think John Leguizamo is capable of just about anything (he's played a fat, demonic clown, a character in Romeo and Juliet, a midget, a charismatic boxer, and a sneaky gangster (Benny Blanco from the Bronx!!). His roles have been met with mixed reviews, but say what you will, the guy has range. But here he is playing the taller, mustached Italian brother of the most famous plumber around, yet he's shorter, no mustache, and not at all Italian. Bob Hoskins being british doesn't do great for Mario either.
Someone else mentioned that the dinosaur adversary of the game, King Koopa, is played here as a sleazy, suited businessman. Yes, this is strange as well. Come to think of it, a lot of this stuff is just plain bizarre. But therein lies the problem.
Super Mario Bros, when taken at its most serious, is a game about a plumber who travels through pipes, beats up turtles with fireballs that he gets from a flower, and hits invisible blocks in the sky all while romping around in the mushroom kingdom while attempting to save a woman named Princess Toadstool. So, how would you film a plot such as this?
The filmmakers tried. They really did. And in my opinion, they came up with quite an intruiging world. Somewhere in between Blade Runner and Twin Peaks, the world in this film is flashy, colorful, populated with lots of strange creatures, and almost always with something unique or interesting to look at. That it's packaged inside this strange film is disappointing.
But that, again, is almost impossible to avoid. Some may argue that this film should've just played it straight, such as Mortal Kombat- meaning that the things in this film just are. You accept them, their rules and parameters, or you don't. Partly where SMB fails is in trying to make the completely absurd world of the videogame into something acceptable. See, this mushroom kingdom is just an alternate reality, where time flows differently and where prehistoric creatures roam about. Wouldn't you know it, two hapless plumbers stumble in, and boom- now we have a reason to accept the premise of the game.
Sure there's lots to complain about. This movie is very silly. But at the same time, I can respect what they tried to do. Dennis Hopper as Koopa is an inspired choice, since he's such a (expletive) all the time anyway. To see him run around, firing guns at everything while screaming "PLUMBERS!!!!!" is a hoot, akin to his freakout at the end of the (more) bizarre Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2.
That's the thing. You have to just accept this movie for what it is- tongue in cheek, self-aware goofiness. The movie doesn't try to be accepted as a serious entry into the medium of high art, it's just a silly trip into this land populated by characters who are in a video game that was, at the time, 8 years old. And in my opinion, there's lots for fans of the game to look for. Many references are there, from obvious things such as the dinosaur character Yoshi (who is played straight, strangely enough) to much more obscure references such as the character "Big Bertha", who was a fish in SMB3 but here a large african american woman who holds a key central to the plot. Yes, it's strange. But I mean come on, the game's far out to begin with. This movie may very well have been better served as a direct play on the game, such as the successful cartoon series. But instead, we're left with a sort of "alternate take", a slightly more adult and realistic one, on the Super mario landscape. Many view it as a complete failure, and I can easily see why. But for myself, I think it's no worse than any number of video game movies (and better in some cases, such as the film rape of the Resident Evil games).
In Super Mario Brothers, there's a lot to make you groan or wish better upon the participants. But if you just accept that the premise of the game is so thin to begin with, and then just accept the movie as a genuine attempt to breathe life and character into this game world, I think at the very least you can gain a new respect for what the movie is.
Nowadays, it doesn't stand up. It bombed at the box office, is the source of constant scorn, and is often blamed for starting the "movies based off of video games always suck" phenomenon.
But to be quite honest, this isn't a terrible film. If you were to watch it objectively, you'll probably find something in it to appreciate. Sure, to begin with, the casting is off. Though I think John Leguizamo is capable of just about anything (he's played a fat, demonic clown, a character in Romeo and Juliet, a midget, a charismatic boxer, and a sneaky gangster (Benny Blanco from the Bronx!!). His roles have been met with mixed reviews, but say what you will, the guy has range. But here he is playing the taller, mustached Italian brother of the most famous plumber around, yet he's shorter, no mustache, and not at all Italian. Bob Hoskins being british doesn't do great for Mario either.
Someone else mentioned that the dinosaur adversary of the game, King Koopa, is played here as a sleazy, suited businessman. Yes, this is strange as well. Come to think of it, a lot of this stuff is just plain bizarre. But therein lies the problem.
Super Mario Bros, when taken at its most serious, is a game about a plumber who travels through pipes, beats up turtles with fireballs that he gets from a flower, and hits invisible blocks in the sky all while romping around in the mushroom kingdom while attempting to save a woman named Princess Toadstool. So, how would you film a plot such as this?
The filmmakers tried. They really did. And in my opinion, they came up with quite an intruiging world. Somewhere in between Blade Runner and Twin Peaks, the world in this film is flashy, colorful, populated with lots of strange creatures, and almost always with something unique or interesting to look at. That it's packaged inside this strange film is disappointing.
But that, again, is almost impossible to avoid. Some may argue that this film should've just played it straight, such as Mortal Kombat- meaning that the things in this film just are. You accept them, their rules and parameters, or you don't. Partly where SMB fails is in trying to make the completely absurd world of the videogame into something acceptable. See, this mushroom kingdom is just an alternate reality, where time flows differently and where prehistoric creatures roam about. Wouldn't you know it, two hapless plumbers stumble in, and boom- now we have a reason to accept the premise of the game.
Sure there's lots to complain about. This movie is very silly. But at the same time, I can respect what they tried to do. Dennis Hopper as Koopa is an inspired choice, since he's such a (expletive) all the time anyway. To see him run around, firing guns at everything while screaming "PLUMBERS!!!!!" is a hoot, akin to his freakout at the end of the (more) bizarre Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2.
That's the thing. You have to just accept this movie for what it is- tongue in cheek, self-aware goofiness. The movie doesn't try to be accepted as a serious entry into the medium of high art, it's just a silly trip into this land populated by characters who are in a video game that was, at the time, 8 years old. And in my opinion, there's lots for fans of the game to look for. Many references are there, from obvious things such as the dinosaur character Yoshi (who is played straight, strangely enough) to much more obscure references such as the character "Big Bertha", who was a fish in SMB3 but here a large african american woman who holds a key central to the plot. Yes, it's strange. But I mean come on, the game's far out to begin with. This movie may very well have been better served as a direct play on the game, such as the successful cartoon series. But instead, we're left with a sort of "alternate take", a slightly more adult and realistic one, on the Super mario landscape. Many view it as a complete failure, and I can easily see why. But for myself, I think it's no worse than any number of video game movies (and better in some cases, such as the film rape of the Resident Evil games).
In Super Mario Brothers, there's a lot to make you groan or wish better upon the participants. But if you just accept that the premise of the game is so thin to begin with, and then just accept the movie as a genuine attempt to breathe life and character into this game world, I think at the very least you can gain a new respect for what the movie is.
on January 2, 2012
Super Mario Bros the Movie manages several well-known things - firstly it's the first ever mainstream Video Game Movie adaption, and secondly star Bob Hoskins has stated it as the worst film he's ever made.
So how can I review this film so highly, despite the main star's objections to the quality of it?
The truth of the matter is that this film isn't actually as terrible as the hype states it is. Being the first Hollywood adaption of a video game series, and being extremely different from it's source material, there wasn't really anything to compare it to. If you were hoping for a genuine conversion of the game's storyline into a movie, then you are going to be highly disappointed - but then you've made a rather rash assumption that the basic story of the game series would work as a film to begin with. Movies need to be like epic events, a major moment of the character's lives catalogued within an hour and a half (minimum). The game's theme of 'Bowser has the Princess, run into castle and have toad say "Your Princess is in another castle" 7 or 8 times before the end' doesn't make for a good film.
Excuses aside, the film does succeed in the way it intends to. It is extremely fun. Unlike other films with it's reputation, the Super Mario Bros Movie is genuinely enjoyable and even more so thanks to the few downfalls in it's script. Bob Hoskins cracks me up as Mario "Get Your Belt on Kid! We're goin' in!", and Dennis Hopper is clearly the inspiration for Doctor Evil from Austin Powers "See you later, Alligator". The movie manages to do something few films manage - it improves with age. I'm not going to state that it's as superb as Blade Runner (As stated on the box), because they're from two very different worlds. Blade Runner is a classic in terms of being a thought-provoking high-calibre sci-fi drama, Super Mario is a classic in terms of being a cheesy fun-fueled thrill-ride. The only reason these two were compared in the first place was the similarity of a run-down ugly futuristic city, both of which were furnished with surprisingly high quality set design and standards. I would love to see a full Blu-Ray restoration of this movie because there is so much intricate work done on the backgrounds and in the details that the additional quality Blu-Ray affords would allow us even more joy. There are some good jokes in here, the pace is good and never slacks, and while there are some bad script-writing problems the enjoyment should allow most people to gloss over those issues without much problem (Look at Star Trek 2009, horrific script, plotholes and some truly terrible Hollywood writing but because it was so fun and full of action, it is hailed as a great film). This makes it more closely related to being the Star Trek 09 movie of its day, with special effects that were (at the time) really impressive and a mixture of family humour and more adult action (Bob Hoskins sticking his face in a black woman's chest - golden).
I would love to see a restored Blu-Ray of this movie, as it is a great fun movie. It is more fun than a lot of more recent video game based movies (The Resident Evil series is stale, the Degeneration movie was missable, the Final Fantasy films were badly directed, the Japanese even got it wrong with Yakuza: Like A Dragon...), which are mostly bland (Something nobody could say about Super Mario Bros, whether they like it or not) or outright horrific, especially if made by Uwe Boll.
Super Mario Bros is not the best movie ever made by a long margin, but it never intended to be. It was not supposed to be a movie epic like Blade Runner or 2001: A Space Odyssey, nor was it supposed to be a direct translation of the game, which in itself would have been far worse and less enjoyable. It was intended to stand on its own two feet as a fun, family-oriented action movie with darker sci-fi undertones and while it never accomplishes them to perfection, it certainly succeeded well enough to continuously provide a fun and entertaining movie experience.
Some ideas are quite cool, others are a little childish, but that tends to come with the territory with family-friendly Hollywood movies. Again, now more than ever, Nintendo are family-oriented and their Wii console is centred around allowed the kids in as much as the teens and adults - another sign of this film being more accurate now than it was even at the time of its release.
As for possible Blu-Ray extras, I would adore an audio commentary by Bob Hoskins with him just hating on the film and getting irate. You can imagine that would be a funny commentary. Such things have been done before, the Raw Deal Blu-Ray has an HD extra of a movie critic slagging off the movie. He-man DVDs have fan-commentaries ragging on the quality of the episodes while still speaking fondly of the series they adore. If the extras on these don't harm the sales, then the same thing for Super Mario Bros would only raise the sales of this film as people would be keen to hear what he has to say since his outbursts on the movie in the media. Other extras can include original script outlines and differences, several deleted scenes (Which have been spotted in promotional media and found in shooting scripts and screen tests) and the possibility of a re-cut to lose elements which lost this film it's deserved acclaim - such as the bad animated sequence at the start which can be replaced with the original footage of Koopa chasing Daisy into Brooklyn.
Hope to see a decent Blu-Ray release of this movie soon. They've got Blu-Ray releases of Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and other video game movies of the era, Super Mario deserves at least the same.
So how can I review this film so highly, despite the main star's objections to the quality of it?
The truth of the matter is that this film isn't actually as terrible as the hype states it is. Being the first Hollywood adaption of a video game series, and being extremely different from it's source material, there wasn't really anything to compare it to. If you were hoping for a genuine conversion of the game's storyline into a movie, then you are going to be highly disappointed - but then you've made a rather rash assumption that the basic story of the game series would work as a film to begin with. Movies need to be like epic events, a major moment of the character's lives catalogued within an hour and a half (minimum). The game's theme of 'Bowser has the Princess, run into castle and have toad say "Your Princess is in another castle" 7 or 8 times before the end' doesn't make for a good film.
Excuses aside, the film does succeed in the way it intends to. It is extremely fun. Unlike other films with it's reputation, the Super Mario Bros Movie is genuinely enjoyable and even more so thanks to the few downfalls in it's script. Bob Hoskins cracks me up as Mario "Get Your Belt on Kid! We're goin' in!", and Dennis Hopper is clearly the inspiration for Doctor Evil from Austin Powers "See you later, Alligator". The movie manages to do something few films manage - it improves with age. I'm not going to state that it's as superb as Blade Runner (As stated on the box), because they're from two very different worlds. Blade Runner is a classic in terms of being a thought-provoking high-calibre sci-fi drama, Super Mario is a classic in terms of being a cheesy fun-fueled thrill-ride. The only reason these two were compared in the first place was the similarity of a run-down ugly futuristic city, both of which were furnished with surprisingly high quality set design and standards. I would love to see a full Blu-Ray restoration of this movie because there is so much intricate work done on the backgrounds and in the details that the additional quality Blu-Ray affords would allow us even more joy. There are some good jokes in here, the pace is good and never slacks, and while there are some bad script-writing problems the enjoyment should allow most people to gloss over those issues without much problem (Look at Star Trek 2009, horrific script, plotholes and some truly terrible Hollywood writing but because it was so fun and full of action, it is hailed as a great film). This makes it more closely related to being the Star Trek 09 movie of its day, with special effects that were (at the time) really impressive and a mixture of family humour and more adult action (Bob Hoskins sticking his face in a black woman's chest - golden).
I would love to see a restored Blu-Ray of this movie, as it is a great fun movie. It is more fun than a lot of more recent video game based movies (The Resident Evil series is stale, the Degeneration movie was missable, the Final Fantasy films were badly directed, the Japanese even got it wrong with Yakuza: Like A Dragon...), which are mostly bland (Something nobody could say about Super Mario Bros, whether they like it or not) or outright horrific, especially if made by Uwe Boll.
Super Mario Bros is not the best movie ever made by a long margin, but it never intended to be. It was not supposed to be a movie epic like Blade Runner or 2001: A Space Odyssey, nor was it supposed to be a direct translation of the game, which in itself would have been far worse and less enjoyable. It was intended to stand on its own two feet as a fun, family-oriented action movie with darker sci-fi undertones and while it never accomplishes them to perfection, it certainly succeeded well enough to continuously provide a fun and entertaining movie experience.
Some ideas are quite cool, others are a little childish, but that tends to come with the territory with family-friendly Hollywood movies. Again, now more than ever, Nintendo are family-oriented and their Wii console is centred around allowed the kids in as much as the teens and adults - another sign of this film being more accurate now than it was even at the time of its release.
As for possible Blu-Ray extras, I would adore an audio commentary by Bob Hoskins with him just hating on the film and getting irate. You can imagine that would be a funny commentary. Such things have been done before, the Raw Deal Blu-Ray has an HD extra of a movie critic slagging off the movie. He-man DVDs have fan-commentaries ragging on the quality of the episodes while still speaking fondly of the series they adore. If the extras on these don't harm the sales, then the same thing for Super Mario Bros would only raise the sales of this film as people would be keen to hear what he has to say since his outbursts on the movie in the media. Other extras can include original script outlines and differences, several deleted scenes (Which have been spotted in promotional media and found in shooting scripts and screen tests) and the possibility of a re-cut to lose elements which lost this film it's deserved acclaim - such as the bad animated sequence at the start which can be replaced with the original footage of Koopa chasing Daisy into Brooklyn.
Hope to see a decent Blu-Ray release of this movie soon. They've got Blu-Ray releases of Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and other video game movies of the era, Super Mario deserves at least the same.
on December 22, 2011
The live action Super Mario Bros. movie is 1990's camp. I remember spending Christmas of 1989 playing Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System! The video game was fun, colorful, and it had some good music. The film does justice to the video game. Italian-American plumbers Mario(Bob Hoskins) and Luigi(John Leguizamo) travel to a parallel dimension to rescue Princess Daisy(Samantha Mathis) from King Koopa(Dennis Hopper). Alan Silvestri's music score for Super Mario Bros. is very loud, epic, and jumpy! Five seconds of the Super Mario Bros. video game music plays over the opening credits. We do have to face some facts. Bob Hoskins considers this one of the worst movies he ever acted in. The late Dennis Hopper felt the same way. Directors Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel(Max Headroom) insisted on adding a dark, gritty, dystopian feel to the movie.
It's difficult to make a movie out of a video game. There is so little source material to work with. Siskel and Ebert gave thumbs down to this film and they thought Tron(1982) was a better movie. There were characters named Mario and Luigi in the 1956 French film The Wages of Fear. William Friedkin remade that film in 1977 as Sorcerer.
We do get to see familiar Super Mario characters such as Toad(Mojo Nixon), Yoshi, and a B-Bomb. Mario and Luigi's Devo Guns are actually Super Scope Guns for the Super Nintendo. John Leguizamo does give a sincere performance as Luigi and he keeps his wild brand of humor to a minimum. Samantha Mathis is quite good as Princess Daisy. Dan Castellaneta(The Simpsons) is the film's narrator. Super Mario Bros. is flavored with pop/rock songs that were popular in the 1990's. A Roxette song recorded for Hocus Pocus(1993) is used in this film. Super Mario Bros. (1993) was a critical and commercial failure, but it has gained a cult following.
It's difficult to make a movie out of a video game. There is so little source material to work with. Siskel and Ebert gave thumbs down to this film and they thought Tron(1982) was a better movie. There were characters named Mario and Luigi in the 1956 French film The Wages of Fear. William Friedkin remade that film in 1977 as Sorcerer.
We do get to see familiar Super Mario characters such as Toad(Mojo Nixon), Yoshi, and a B-Bomb. Mario and Luigi's Devo Guns are actually Super Scope Guns for the Super Nintendo. John Leguizamo does give a sincere performance as Luigi and he keeps his wild brand of humor to a minimum. Samantha Mathis is quite good as Princess Daisy. Dan Castellaneta(The Simpsons) is the film's narrator. Super Mario Bros. is flavored with pop/rock songs that were popular in the 1990's. A Roxette song recorded for Hocus Pocus(1993) is used in this film. Super Mario Bros. (1993) was a critical and commercial failure, but it has gained a cult following.
on January 13, 2012
As someone who viewed this movie as a kid (in theaters and on VHS) and as a fan of the video game series, I think this is a great and fun movie.
The cast is cool and funny. The visual effects and set design are impressive for the time this movie was made. And the action and humour is very enjoyable.
Many people have said this movie is horrible. I can somewhat agree that this movie is anything but perfect however I am able to understand what the filmakers were trying to accomplish with this film. After all this was the first time a movie was made based on a videogame. Also the game itself didn't have too much of a thick story so the filmakers did the best they could with what Mario material was made available at the time.
All in all I watch this movie every now and then for nostalgia and for a good time (especially the former). And I highly recomend this to anyone curious about it!
The cast is cool and funny. The visual effects and set design are impressive for the time this movie was made. And the action and humour is very enjoyable.
Many people have said this movie is horrible. I can somewhat agree that this movie is anything but perfect however I am able to understand what the filmakers were trying to accomplish with this film. After all this was the first time a movie was made based on a videogame. Also the game itself didn't have too much of a thick story so the filmakers did the best they could with what Mario material was made available at the time.
All in all I watch this movie every now and then for nostalgia and for a good time (especially the former). And I highly recomend this to anyone curious about it!
on December 23, 2011
For years after its release, "Super Mario Bros." has been slammed as one of the worst video-game-to-big-screen adaptations, if not the worst. Yes, it does have its problems, the biggest of which is its identity crisis. It has plot, characters, motivation, and all the other good stuff a movie should have, but it doesn't know what it wants to be half the time. Is it a light-hearted action/adventure comedy? A dark cyberpunk thriller? A biting social satire? It's all of these and more in places, but never has that one, single, unifying catalyst to complete the reaction.
And yet...that's part of its charm. It's all over the place, but it has something for everyone. As other reviewers have said, eagle-eyed viewers will spot countless references to the games, like a nightclub called "Bullet Bill's", and of course the infamous Bob-ombs. There are many, many more, but...let's not ruin the surprise, shall we? (Side note: Some people have complained about the current release's picture quality. A restored and remastered print may yet bring all of the details out into the open.)
There is also more to be discovered about SMB. Over the past few years, a small but steadily-growing group of fans has been doing research into the behind-the-scenes aspects, conducting interviews with cast and crew, collecting rare unproduced scripts and deleted scenes, and piecing the puzzle together. There should be a future 2-disc release with all of those treasures on it, because the bare-bones version that's currently out on the shelves just doesn't do it justice.
Soon, "Super Mario Bros.: The Movie" will be twenty years old. That's twenty years of an unfair reputation, and it's an excellent opportunity for Disney to bring out a new edition with extra features so that film fans and gamers alike can see the truth about this hidden gem of a cult classic. As the review on the front of the box says, "it's a blast!"
And yet...that's part of its charm. It's all over the place, but it has something for everyone. As other reviewers have said, eagle-eyed viewers will spot countless references to the games, like a nightclub called "Bullet Bill's", and of course the infamous Bob-ombs. There are many, many more, but...let's not ruin the surprise, shall we? (Side note: Some people have complained about the current release's picture quality. A restored and remastered print may yet bring all of the details out into the open.)
There is also more to be discovered about SMB. Over the past few years, a small but steadily-growing group of fans has been doing research into the behind-the-scenes aspects, conducting interviews with cast and crew, collecting rare unproduced scripts and deleted scenes, and piecing the puzzle together. There should be a future 2-disc release with all of those treasures on it, because the bare-bones version that's currently out on the shelves just doesn't do it justice.
Soon, "Super Mario Bros.: The Movie" will be twenty years old. That's twenty years of an unfair reputation, and it's an excellent opportunity for Disney to bring out a new edition with extra features so that film fans and gamers alike can see the truth about this hidden gem of a cult classic. As the review on the front of the box says, "it's a blast!"
on January 27, 2012
I think that SMB is a great movie...campy & fun! I have never seen or played the video game, so I saw the movie with no prejudice as a gamer. Besides, the game has no plot or character development, so how could you even compare it!
Full disclosure, I was a member of the film crew; but it wasn't always the most pleasant production (oy, the strife!), so any fondness because of my participation is negligable.
However, having had that behind-the-scenes view and knowing the technical scope of this film (not to mention the A-list crew involved) makes the movie quite impressive. I suggest that people take a peek at the production research*, then re-watch the movie with fresh eyes and without a prejudicial gamer attitude for fuller enjoyment of the film. Bonus: watch it with your kids!
* I don't believe that a full "the making of" documentary was ever produced, but some video doc clips do exist. You can find them (and lots of juicy tidbits) here: [...] ...If you want the scoop on the location selection and cement factory transformation, you can read "The Making of Super Mario Bros: It Ain't No Game!", here: [...] or on the SMB Movie Archive site.
Full disclosure, I was a member of the film crew; but it wasn't always the most pleasant production (oy, the strife!), so any fondness because of my participation is negligable.
However, having had that behind-the-scenes view and knowing the technical scope of this film (not to mention the A-list crew involved) makes the movie quite impressive. I suggest that people take a peek at the production research*, then re-watch the movie with fresh eyes and without a prejudicial gamer attitude for fuller enjoyment of the film. Bonus: watch it with your kids!
* I don't believe that a full "the making of" documentary was ever produced, but some video doc clips do exist. You can find them (and lots of juicy tidbits) here: [...] ...If you want the scoop on the location selection and cement factory transformation, you can read "The Making of Super Mario Bros: It Ain't No Game!", here: [...] or on the SMB Movie Archive site.
on January 20, 2006
Some people say they loved this movie when they were a kid but they hate it the older they get and why is that? it's because this movie is for kids. When this film came out I was 5 and I saw it over 30 times when I was that age, now I'm 17 and in the past few years I've seen it 0 times. It's like some sort of peter pan thing because it's something about adults that blocks their imagination and makes them say classic KIDS movies like Super Mario Brothers is a horrible movie. There are things that you laugh at and love in this movie but you see them funnier as a child. Bottom line is this is a classic and I agree with the last reviewer your kids don't deserve to miss out on this amazing action adventure.
on December 19, 2011
This remains one of my favorite movies and I am sad that it never gets appreciated in a way that it should. I was so excited to see when it was finally available to DVD and then immediately disappointed that there were NO special features on this film. It's a special effects classic and not even a small feature on the making of? Or at least storyboards or pictures of production??? At the very least maybe a character profile or something... It would really help sell this DVD I think if it at least had some special features on it. Still, ultimately I do love this movie and I hope it will one day get the cult classic revision that many other movies have seen in the recent years. :)
on December 29, 2011
I saw this movie a few years ago, and I loved it! It wasn't what I expected to find in a Mario Bros. movie, but in a good way. I've played Mario video games throughout my life and watching this live-action film based upon them was very interesting, if not a bit funny. Bowser being a person, and Mario and Luigi's full names being Mario Mario and Luigi Mario was great. If you're a Mario fan of any kind, you should watch this. :)
I hope they make a re-release for this soon. I'd love to see it in better quality. With every other movie getting a Blu-ray re-release, I can't imagine why they haven't given the same treatment for this!
I hope they make a re-release for this soon. I'd love to see it in better quality. With every other movie getting a Blu-ray re-release, I can't imagine why they haven't given the same treatment for this!
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