The Super Mario Bros Movie Review

Illustration by: Graylan Wake

The new Super Mario Bros film had a very successful premiere week with a worldwide opening of $355.5M, the biggest opening in animated history! Fans love the gorgeous visuals, music, and characters of this film, but then again, who doesn’t like Mario and Luigi? These loving characters in the movie really hit nostalgia, which I believe is one of the main reasons this film has been so successful. It has a predictable but heartwarming plot aimed mostly at young audiences, with voice performances from great actors like Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Jack Black. In this article, I will review my favorite part of the film and the one I believe succeeded the most: the animated visuals.

Main Poster for Illumination’s Super Mario Bros Movie 

Illumination Paris was responsible for bringing this story to life with its beautiful aesthetics and animation design. One of the best things about these particular characters is that the artists at Nintendo have always been careful in upgrading the characters throughout the years. In this film, they take them to another level, along with Universal Pictures and Illumination. They enhance a semi-realistic appearance with minimum squash and stretch. Their style is a mix of cartoony yet semi-realistic. There are moments where we can see a more fantastical approach, particularly in the Mushroom Kingdom world. On the other hand, the first setting where the characters of Mario and Luigi come from has a more realistic urban look.

Photo Courtesy of Illumination

That sense of realism throughout the film helped the audience be more engaged and immersed in the world of Mario. The crew wanted to sell an adventure movie with the Super Mario Bros film with stakes to the point that the viewers believe they can die, unlike the game. Compared to other animated films, the characters from this film are of consistent volume to make them feel more grounded. Apart from the character, we can see many realistic details in shots, like the dinner table at the beginning of the film and the cityscapes of the initial setting. When looking at these realistic cityscapes without any context, you wouldn’t believe you are watching a Mario movie. That is, until you see the characters with their signature attire.

Photo Courtesy of Illumination

On a different note, the fantastic world of Mushroom Kingdom was filled with a very bright and saturated color palette. Even the dark scenes of this film had very saturated yet darker greens, blues, and reds. These colors enhanced the typical Super Mario Bros style and reinforced that it is an animated film for children. Each scene enhanced a world from the multiple Mario games; they all had their unique color palette. One of my favorite scenes from this movie is the showcase of Princess’s Peach Fire Power. This scene is simplistic yet cinematic, with the beautiful bloom and lighting on each flower in the film. It really enhances the visuals of the story.

Overall, the Super Mario Bros film had a gorgeous aesthetic and design. The movie’s most significant success was the visuals; however, I wish these beautiful visuals went along with a much deeper story. Yet it is important to keep in mind that this is a children’s film, and Illumination might be trying to move away from the modern-day approach of deep adult thematics in animation. If you wish to watch this film, go buy the tickets and enjoy it at your nearest cinema!