“BOWSER IS COMING”! Princess Peach must team up with Mario to prevent the Mushroom Kingdom from falling to Bowser’s rule. We had the pleasure of being invited down to review The Super Mario Bros. Movie. It is safe to say we were not disappointed. As a massive Mario Bros’ fan, the attention to detail that the team at Illumination, Nintendo and Universal Pictures put towards this film was nothing short of incredible.
As a review, i feel the need to refrain from any spoilers, but to say the film is simply AWESOME! Fun filled with references to everything we have grown to love about the Super Mario franchise. Filled with great humour, Jack Black as Bowser is brilliant. The casting is phenomenal, and the action sequences between Donkey Kong and Mario; to Bowser and Mario is nothing short of fantastic. Add onto that the end credits, which you need to stay to the end for.
The creatives at Illumination and Nintendo, have been very accurate in referencing key points within The Super Mario Bros Movie that pay homage to the Mario game, that span multiple eras.
Chris Pratt (who plays Mario) highlights how Mario [the game] has a multi-generational pull. From when he first played the iconic game for the first time, to his kids. Pratt explains that for his character [Mario], incorporating the catch phrases into this movie was quite complicated. Mario is the little guy, who likes to stick up for people he cares about. “He doesn’t give up, he never quits, he does not know how to quit”. A character who is incredibly loyal and loves his brother [Luigi]. With a belief that he should be doing something with his life.
For Jack Black, he sees Mario as the “everyman of the video game universe”. He goes onto mention how what he found quite cool was the film’s introduction around Mario and Luigi. Black highlights Bowser’s character as being insecure, a jealous creature, who himself has difficulty with communicating with other characters. Black goes onto reference one his most favorite scenes as being the Rainbow Road scene, which for the actor is “pretty impressive”. In addition to the Mario and Donkey Kong showdown. These two sketches; and most importantly everytime Bowser makes an entrance!
Charlie Day [who plays Luigi] continues by referencing how people love an underdog, and feels Luigi sadly does not have a huge amount going for him within the film due to the trouble he gets into.
Keegan Michael Key (who plays Toad) explains how when they were conceptualizing how to relay Toad’s voice on screen, it began by Keegan working with his partner and acting coach on channeling a friend of his, and how he views the world. How he sees the world in syntax. This was brought to the director [Aaron Horvath & Michael Jelenic]. Keegan explains how they were aware the voice [Toad] would be at a higher register. So he wanted to hit the syntax, but at the same time sound like he was “sucking a helium balloon”. For the actor, it was a very exciting challenge to get the character’s voice into rhythms that would be Toad, but at the same time offer a new version of Toad for the fans.
When it comes to Toad’s and Mario’s relationship, Keegan feels Toad’s character has been looking for an adventure in his life. To be the character that is able to stand up and be there to support Princess Peach with her pending dilemma. Keegan goes onto highlight when Toad and Mario first meet, Toad is pretty much on the perimeter of Mushroom kingdom, patrolling the wilderness. Pratt goes onto highlight how Toad’s inclusion showcases a character who is keen to save his world and his beloved princess.
Star rating 4.5/5
Book your tickets here:
https://www.cineworld.co.uk/films/the-super-mario-bros-movie/
