FILM REVIEW: " The Super Mario Bros. Movie" is a vibrant exercise in judicious brand management
Is it the second time’s the charm for Mario’s foray on the silver screen? I don’t count myself a devotee of the hugely beloved Super Mario franchise. Yet even I know the moustachioed Italian plumber and his brother Luigi were done dirty with the so-ugly-it-borders-on-a hate-crime 1993 flick ‘Super Mario Bros’.
But such is the strength of the Nintendo franchise that its wretchedness couldn’t taint them for long. Thirty years later, Illumination Studios and directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic have produced a vibrant animated do-over in the ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ .
For the uninitiated, ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ follows two Brooklyn plumbers, Mario and Luigi, who are having a tough go of launching their plumbing business. It’s here where the movie is at its most charming and engaging. But there’s great gobs of Nintendo lore to splay out over a bare-bones plot and not much time to do it, so soon enough Luigi and Mario stumble upon the magical Mushroom Kingdom, which is threatened by Bowser (Jack Black). Heroics, familiar video game characters abound, a few energetic comedic set-pieces, you get the gist.
On the surface, ‘The Super Mario Bros Movie’ has a few things going for it. It’s decently acted, gorgeously animated, and made with a huge amount of respect for the source material; fans will certainly find a lot to be tickled by here.
Beneath the surface, though? There isn’t much there. It’s a movie aimed squarely at kids, but the proceedings play out like a judicious exercise in preserving the Nintendo brand rather than an inspired or inventive bit of fun. Is it a multi-layered family movie that will hold up to fond adult revisitations, ala Toy Story? Anything is possible, but I doubt it.
Nevertheless, ‘The Super Mario Bros’ movie convinced me Mario and Luigi have the potential to be an endearing duo. Now I know they are a bit more than silly video game caricatures, I look forward to seeing them star in a more adventurous sequel.
