A Look Back at Super Mario Bros. (1993)

 

In celebration of the upcoming release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, I review the previous theatrical release Mario Bros. movie.

Super Mario Bros. is a fantasy adventure movie based on the Nintendo video game series Super Mario. It was produced by Hollywood Pictures, Lightmotive, Allied Filmmakers, and Cinergi Pictures and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. Super Mario Bros. was written by Parker Bennett, Terry Runte, and Ed Solomon and directed by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel.

The story is two Brooklyn plumbers named Mario and Luigi seem to think the world is as normal as it gets. But they soon get the shock of their lives when they find descendants of the dinosaurs in a parallel dimension. They soon discover a plan to take over the world, now these two unlikely heroes must save the day.

• Negatives

One major problem with this was the tone. While our heroes and villains are wacky, and the music is also wacky and can get whimsical, the setting is the polar opposite. The dino dimension is dark, gritty, and almost looks like Gotham City or Blade Runner. So there's definitely a clash going on.

Then we have the movie's biggest problem, the lack of source material. The only thing that connects the movie to the games is the Mario theme at the beginning and a Bob-omb. Other than those two, nothing. I already mentioned the dark city setting as suppose to the colorful kingdoms. But then there's also characters. Let's compare,

Game Bowser

Movie Bowser

Then there's,

Game Goomba

Movie Goomba

And there's many more things like this. Things that are from the game are either unnecessarily redesigned or resorted to a cheap easter egg.

• Mix

The only mix bag I had was with the cast. Bob Hoskins is a perfectly cast Mario. Dennis Hopper, while not looking at all like the villain we know and love, was still really entertaining. But then you have John Leguizamo as Luigi, no. Even if you picture him with a mustache, you still don't see it. Don't get me wrong, the cast is definitely trying, it's just that some of them were miscast.

Then there's the special effects. The CGI is odd, to say the least in some areas, other times it's okay. Practical effects wise, it's really good. I actually liked what I saw with that part of the movie.

• Positives

Now, despite all of the clearly bad things going on with this movie, somehow, in someway, ya just can't help but watch from beginning to middle to end. It's still not good by any stretch of the word, but I certainly wasn't bored.

Super Mario Bros. isn't a good movie, but it's such a strange enigma. But that's probably why it has a strong cult following. So strong in fact, that it has a dedicated website that's still being updated to this day. I would say that's insane, but you're reading a review from a guy who campaign for the Snyder Cut, and also supports other fan campaigns.

My final rating is, Bad But Harmless.

Well that's all for now. Come back on Friday Apr 7th, for my review of The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.