Super Mario Bros. Movie

[JG]

High hopes for this. Not because I'm so into a movie featuring Mario or video game characters and stuff (didn't care much for the recent Assassin's Creed or Sonic movies) - but the teaser poster seems to give a lot of happy little details.

If this is any indication of the full movie, its shaping up to be one of those movies you have to pause every few seconds to catch some background detail, like hammers, music note blocks and P-switches in the antique shop, Delfino island fruit, a Toad carrying a cheep-cheep in a bag after winning a festival game, or the region patches on the back of Toad's backpack.

[Moge]

Had pretty low expectations for the movie, but I'm very pleased after watching the Direct. Jack Black absolutely stole the show with his Bowser performance. Chris Pratt was meh as Mario, but everyone expected that

Especially love the visual style they've gone with, that western Pixar/DreamWorks look mixed with the official Nintendo style.

[JG]

I didn't care much for either of the voices. Bowser's is, in the games, much deeper and growling. Seems like Jack Black's bowser will be a bit funnier, but he didn't seem as menacing as he really should have.
Chris Pratt's Mario though... ugh. It may be the anchor weighing it all down. (Could be worse though, since I can't get Dewey Duck out of my head when I hear Ben Schwartz's Sonic the Hedgehog.)

Given the general excellence Illumination has displayed in recruiting voice actors for previous works (Despicable Me series, Sing, etc.) the SMB movie trailer did not enthuse me. I didn't see anything in the trailer to make me go 'wow', but heard enough to make me go 'hrrmm'. Show me more Mario, more Luigi, and at least a peek of Peach: don't have Bowser and Toad monopolize it. Its called The Super Mario Bros Movie, not the Bowser and Toad Movie.

I am less interested in it now than I was before the trailer. And since that's the only goal a trailer has, I have to give it a failing grade.

[G-1]

I honestly do like the aesthetic in the Mario scene. I can see where the original anime movie had some influence.  Im really interested to see the Wrecking Crew part of the story though.

[Moge]

Even though Peach wasn't in the trailer, her look was leaked shortly before the trailer was released.



The growly Bowser voice from the games just isn't suitable for talking, and especially isn't suitable for singing since I hear there's gonna be some lyrical music.

I'm surprised that the visuals didn't impress you, JGOO.

[JG]

The visuals are fine. They didn't impress me, but didn't disappoint me either. And I'm not so disturbed by the lack of Mario's butt as many people seem to be (though for someone who butt stomps enemies, some "padding" back there does make sense)

I guess Bowser's breathing fire to melt down the penguin's fortress was impressive though. I was pleased to see a minor character like the Super Mario 64 penguins get their own kingdom to be the tee-shot enemies to set up Bowser and the Koopas invasion of the Mushroom Kingdom. (Though the Beanbean Kingdom would have been more on point.)

What I meant about seeing Peach is whether she's SMB 1/3/World/Odyssey style damsel in distress (which limits her role) or SMB 2/Sunshine/3D-World style side character (which would give her more to do). Generally movies aimed toward kids these days are adverse to present only males as heroes and females as damsels in distress. if Peach gets scooped up by Bowser early in the movie and waits around an hour for Mario to come rescue her, that's not going to sit well with some people. What was acceptable in video games in the 80s, just isn't as acceptable in movies now. Nintendo can continue to do it in video game space because they have strong female leads in other IPs (Samus Aran as example) but a movie that sort of exists on its own is a good deal harder to explain. If they already had a Metroid movie under their belts, they could stay true to the Mario Bros mythos and lock Peach away until Mario rescues her, but they don't so doing it first time out is probably not advised. My personal guess is that she's working on her own escape plan and doing quite well with it by the time Mario shows up, and together they find a way to take down Bowser. Doesn't really follow the majority of games but presents better to a movie audience. Also, mildly curious if she's still a head taller than Mario, or they are more even in height.

[JG]

The internet is blowing up over Charles Martinet's retirement as the official voice of Mario. Either people are asking to stick with Chris Pratt, or go with another name, or even go with an Italian or Italian-American, as if Mario has always had the same voice. News flash everyone: this isn't the first time the voice changed. Nor has he been voiced by someone of Italian descent in THIRTY-FOUR years. C'mon guys, get a clue.

1983: Saturday Supercade - Peter Cullen (Canadian)
1989: Super Mario Bros Super Show - Lou Albano (Italian-American)
1990: Super Mario Bros 3 & Super Mario World shows - Walker Boone (Canadian)
1993: Original Super Mario Bros movie - Bob Hoskins (English)
1996: Super Mario 64 and later - Charles Martinet (American)
2023: New Super Mario Bros movie - Chris Pratt (American)