I’d like to start by saying that I was provided with a free copy to review by SMB Movie Archive. This is the official Twitter account for The Super Mario Bros. movie. They are currently working on restoring an extended version of the movie. I will talk more about this at the end of my review. I’ll be starting with a brief opening that summarizes my opinion of the movie then I will break my thoughts down into story summary, likes, dislikes, and other thoughts.
The Super Mario Bros. movie tries to adapt the most iconic Nintendo characters into movie format and unfortunately it does not work out well. I applaud the world building that was done to give the movie its story but I believe that questionable production decisions as well as certain story elements drag this movie down. Despite these short comings there are still good parts to this movie.
Story Summary
I’ve omitted certain parts from my summary as to not completely spoil the movie. I believe that this movie is one that should be watched to form your own opinion. There will be spoilers in the next sections so this serves as your spoiler warning.
Millions of years ago when a meteor strikes the Earth an alternate dimension is created where the surviving dinosaurs were sent. In this dimension they continued to evolve and form their own society. Twenty years before the story starts a women leaves her child at a cathedral, we later find out that this child grows up to be Daisy. We fast forward to modern day Brooklyn where Mario and Luigi get a call for a plumbing job. They arrive at the scene only to be beaten by their rivals Scapelli Construction, a company that also solves plumbing issues. After leaving the job and their vehicle breaking down Luigi meets Daisy at a phone booth. After various events they all end up at a dig site that Daisy has been working on as a university student where she is kidnapped and taken to the alternate dimension. Mario and Luigi go after her.
Likes
I’d like to start off with what I liked about the movie. One of the biggest things I liked about the movie was the setting that they created. Though they veered from the source material, you can tell that time was spent crafting their world. One such thing was the cars. They don’t run on fuel, instead they run off of electricity.
A view of Dinohatten, the main city in the alternate dimension 
An example of one of the cars
I also like that they gave Mario and Luigi some personality in the movie. It’s hard to see a lot of their personality through the games since they don’t really talk. One thing to note is that this movie came out in 1993 so the only Mario games that were out were:
- Super Mario Bros. – 1985
- Super Mario Bros. 2 – 1988
- Super Mario Land – 1989
- Super Mario Bros. 3 – 1990
- Super Mario World – 1991
- Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins – 1992
I liked that when the movie was coming on the Mario Bros. theme can be heard. I thought that was a nice addition. I also like the de-evolution machine that King Koopa has. I think it’s an interesting concept that helps explain how the Goombas were made.
Evolution machine switch 
Evolution machine settings
Dislikes
Now here are some of the things that I did not like about the movie. I still dislike the look of the Goombas. They’re really odd to look at because of their tiny heads and big bodies. Despite me disliking how they look they at least explain how one gets turned into a Goomba which I appreciate.
Another thing that I disliked was that Mario and Luigi randomly get their signature outfits from a locker. They get them with around forty minutes left in the movie and it just didn’t make any sense.
Another thing that I disliked was the sudden character shift of Iggy and Spike. I understand that they became smarter but what I don’t get is why they suddenly turn against King Koopa and declare that he is a tyrant. I also found it odd that they suddenly told Daisy that they always supported her. It just does not make sense and would have made sense if it was implied early on in the movie that they were never loyal to their cousin.
Other Thoughts
This section is things that are not likes or dislikes, but observations or things that I’m confused on. I am confused as to why Daisy was chosen instead of Peach. I don’t hate the decision, I just wanted to know the reasoning behind it. Another thing that I found confusing was the inconsistency with the Gombas. You had some that looked different from the others, unless they were something different entirely.
A Goomba 
This might be a lizard
Later in the movie when the two dimensions begin to merge Mario and King Koopa warp back to Brooklyn and King Koopa turns Scapelli into a monkey by de-evolving him in front of a huge crowd. They take time to laugh which I find odd considering that some dude with some tall monster looking creatures just appeared in front of me a turned a guy into a monkey.
Something else that I found confusing was one of the functions of the evolution machine. When King Koopa uses it on Iggy and Spike he makes them smarter by turning it to advanced. All that setting appears to do is make them smarter, does that mean that as a species they can no longer evolve?
Final Thoughts
I believe that for this movie to have been a truly faithful adaptation it would have needed to be animated. Though the story veers from the source material, they easily explain the new setting that they have created. Personally for me this movie has got to be a 5/10. I can’t bring myself to hate it but it does have it’s issues that I can’t ignore. This rating is nothing more than my opinion. I suggest that you watch it in order to form your own opinion. As always thank you for reading. Feel free to follow me on Twitter as well as follow my blog if you liked this content.
SMB Movie Archive
One again I would like to thank SMB Movie Archive for providing me with a copy to review. If you’re interested they are currently working on restoring an extended version of the film which they believe to contain about 30 minutes of extra footage. If you would like to keep track of their progress you can visit their website http://smbmovie.com/. There you can also find other information on the movie such as story boards, costumes, and set designs. I would recommend you visit when you have the time if you’re interested in the different parts of what makes a film.