The Super Mario Bros. Movie

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is exactly what you might expect from a modern Mario adaptation made by Illumination and Nintendo: color, pace, constant references, recognizable worlds, simple humor and the constant feeling of watching a very well-packaged brand. It is not a great film, but it is watchable. And it is certainly much better than that strange 90s version with John Leguizamo, which had its own accidental cult charm, but as a Mario adaptation was pure madness.

Here, at least, Mario looks like Mario. The Mushroom Kingdom, Peach, Luigi, Bowser, Donkey Kong, karts, blocks, pipes, power-ups and music are all where they should be. The film understands that a large part of its audience is not looking for a deep reinvention, but for seeing on screen what they have been playing for decades. In that sense, it delivers. It is colorful, fast and respectful of Nintendo’s universe.

The problem is that it also remains very much on the surface. The story is minimal, the characters have little depth and many scenes feel designed more as a succession of references than as real storytelling. At times, it feels less like a film and more like an animated theme park: everything is pretty, everything moves, everything sounds familiar, but there is not always much underneath.

Still, it has charm. Bowser is by far the best thing in it. Jack Black gives him an absurd and funny energy, and the song “Peaches” works very well because it understands the exact tone: silly, catchy and ridiculous in the best possible way. That mix of exaggerated villain and pathetic lovesick monster gives the film some of its most memorable moments.

It also helps that the film has the right length. It does not drag, it does not try to overcomplicate things, and it moves from one world to another as if clearing levels. That can be seen as a limitation, but also as a virtue: a Mario movie did not need two and a half hours of mythology. It needed to move, entertain and avoid becoming heavy. And it does that.

What it lacks is a little more soul. It has nostalgia, spectacle and visual fidelity, but not much emotion. For children, it can work perfectly, and for adults who grew up with Mario, there is the pleasure of recognition. But beyond that, it is hard to find a truly memorable film. It is fun while it lasts and fairly forgettable once it ends.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie does not jump to the very top of the flagpole, but it clears the level. It is a correct, likable and very carefully designed adaptation for fans and children, with Bowser stealing the show every time he appears. It is not especially inspired animated cinema, but it is effective family entertainment. And compared with the 90s version, this almost feels like a masterpiece of the Mushroom Kingdom.