The Super Mario Bros. Movie
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
A Brooklyn plumber named Mario travels through the Mushroom Kingdom with a princess named Peach and an anthropomorphic mushroom named Toad to find Mario's brother, Luigi, and to save the world from a ruthless fire-breathing Koopa named Bowser.
Manuel Frangis reviewedMarch 9, 2025
I just watched The Super Mario Bros. Movie and I would give it 5 out of 5 stars. This one actually delivered. Going into it I was a little skeptical because let’s be real we all remember that disaster from 1993. But this? This is the Mario movie we should have gotten decades ago.
The animation is top tier. Illumination completely nailed the look of the Mushroom Kingdom. Every single frame is packed with detail Easter eggs and nods to the games. Whether it is power ups classic level designs or even the way characters move it all feels like it was made by people who actually care about Mario. If you have played any Mario game you will constantly be pointing at the screen going hey I know that.
Now let’s talk about the voice acting. Yeah I had doubts about Chris Pratt as Mario but honestly he did fine. They did not try to make him sound exactly like the game version but they gave enough of a nod to the original voice to make it work. Jack Black as Bowser though? Absolutely perfect. He stole every scene he was in. Charlie Day as Luigi was also a great fit and while I wish he had more screen time he completely nailed the role.
The story is simple but exactly what it needed to be. Let’s be real this is Mario. Nobody is here for a deep emotional plot. They kept it fun fast paced and packed with action which is exactly the right move. And speaking of action the Mario Kart sequence was one of the best parts of the whole movie. They somehow made Rainbow Road feel just as chaotic as it does in the games and it was incredible to watch.
The soundtrack was mostly great especially when they used classic Mario themes in orchestral form. That is where the music really shined. But I could have done without some of the random pop songs. Did we really need Take on Me in a Mario movie? The game remixes were where it really felt right and I wish there had been even more of that.
If I had to nitpick I would say the pacing felt a little rushed at times. There were moments where they could have let things breathe just a little more. And Luigi kinda got sidelined. I wish they had given him more to do because Charlie Day was so good in the role.
But those are small complaints because overall this is exactly what a Mario movie should be. It respects the source material in a way that so many video game movies do not. It does not try to be something it is not. It just embraces the fun colorful world of Mario and makes it work on the big screen.
Nintendo did it right this time. Everything from the visuals to the action to the humor felt like it came straight out of the games while still working as a movie. It is packed with nostalgia without relying too much on it. It is just fun from start to finish. If you love Mario you are going to have a great time with this. It is the perfect mix of nostalgia and fun and I already cannot wait to watch it again.