Super Mario Bros. Movie (1993)

[Bartmanhomer]

Hey everybody. Today I'm going to throw another oldie which happens to be the 1993 movie of Super Mario Bros. Movie and I'm going to tell you my thoughts about it.

Spoiler: My Thoughts On Super Mario Bros. Movie (1993)

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This movie is based on the Nintendo iconic video game. It's about two plumber brothers rescuing a princess from King Koopa and his Goombas from dinosaur world. This movie shows some dark adaption based on a children video game. When I first saw this movie I actually like it. But as time goes by I feel like this movie is decent with some potential in it. So I'll give this movie 3.5 out of 5 stars.

[Rogar Demonblud]

The only good thing about this movie is that it got John Leguizano some exposure. Hopper and Hoskins wouldn't even talk about.

[Peelee]

The only good thing about this movie is that it got John Leguizano some exposure. Hopper and Hoskins wouldn't even talk about.

I don't even care how bad that movie is, I love it and I love Hoskins and Leguizamo in it.

[JadedDM]

I was 11 when this film came out, and I remember being so very, very confused by all the stuff they changed, but overall was just happy that there was a Super Mario movie at all.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Nah, for a good Hoskins movie you need Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

[Bartmanhomer]

I was 11 when this film came out, and I remember being so very, very confused by all the stuff they changed, but overall was just happy that there was a Super Mario movie at all.

I was 8 when it came out.

[Kitten Champion]

Personally, outside of whatever other issues the movie has, my chief problem is that it's ugly to look at for no good reason. It's clearly inspired by Blade Runner, but why? What part of the whimsical and fantastical adventures of the Mario Brothers leads you to Scott's Philip K. Dick-esque neo-noir dystopia? It just becomes this uncomfortable, visually murky, and terribly lit ambience for a tonally confused mess of a script. I just don't fathom the thinking process.

For some reason the married pair who were chosen to direct the movie really wanted to do this, and despite everyone else involved fighting them tooth and nail in what's universally considered a hellacious production the duo stuck to it like barnacles on a hull. Which, again, confuses me. Artists fighting for their vision I can respect in principle, but why go to war and invite a year of stress and potentially push yourself out of the whole industry over a bloody Mario movie?

[Rogar Demonblud]

Probably for the same reason a lot of other video game movies get made. People see them as providing the keys to the mint for some reason.

[Kitten Champion]

Probably for the same reason a lot of other video game movies get made. People see them as providing the keys to the mint for some reason.

It's not that a movie was made - though it was entirely new territory at the time and I don't know what kind of expectations Hollywood actually had for it and opening across Jurassic Park would've killed it regardless - it was that it was made with such an explicitly un-Mario-ish artistic vision in mind and yet somehow maintained it through whatever Nintendo and the studio wanted from it originally.

If they just wanted to make a Mario movie on the cheap and assume they'd succeed on the enormity of the brand at the time I'd easily accept that. It's mostly what the Mario and friends television show was really. Super Mario Bros. wasn't that though, it was two creators trying to do something with the property for reasons that confuse me, and that they were allowed to go so far at every stage of the production is even stranger to me.

[Bartmanhomer]

It's not that a movie was made - though it was entirely new territory at the time and I don't know what kind of expectations Hollywood actually had for it and opening across Jurassic Park would've killed it regardless - it was that it was made with such an explicitly un-Mario-ish artistic vision in mind and yet somehow maintained it through whatever Nintendo and the studio wanted from it originally.

If they just wanted to make a Mario movie on the cheap and assume they'd succeed on the enormity of the brand at the time I'd easily accept that. It's mostly what the Mario and friends television show was really. Super Mario Bros. wasn't that though, it was two creators trying to do something with the property for reasons that confuse me, and that they were allowed to go so far at every stage of the production is even stranger to me.

I agree. The movie was very unrealistic what I had in mind. Obviously, they never play a Super Mario Bros. game in their life and if they have what were they thinking?

[JoshL]

It's worth noting that the directors were previously known for Max Headroom, one of the defining works of 80s cyberpunk/dystopian sci-fi. It's not a surprise that there's a lot of that style in SMB.

I was a teenager when it came out, and my first impression was the same "what does this have to do with SMB?" It grew on me pretty quickly though, and I still enjoy it every once in a while. It's a shame it soured Nintendo on the idea of films for a long time, because I've always wanted a Zelda film. I think we're to the point where video game movies capture the spirit of the games better than they did then.

On the other hand, we likely won't see one this weird again, and that's a shame

[Lord Torath]

As I understand it, the movie was planned (and possibly written) and then the requirement that it be a Super Mario Bros movie was added. So they went back to the script, changed a few things, added a few references to the game, and went with that. It wasn't originally intended to be SMB. Which really explains a lot about it.

[Bartmanhomer]

As I understand it, the movie was planned (and possibly written) and then the requirement that it be a Super Mario Bros movie was added. So they went back to the script, changed a few things, added a few references to the game, and went with that. It wasn't originally intended to be SMB. Which really explains a lot about it.

A few? You mean a lot.

[Celestia]

It's worth noting that the directors were previously known for Max Headroom, one of the defining works of 80s cyberpunk/dystopian sci-fi. It's not a surprise that there's a lot of that style in SMB.

I was a teenager when it came out, and my first impression was the same "what does this have to do with SMB?" It grew on me pretty quickly though, and I still enjoy it every once in a while. It's a shame it soured Nintendo on the idea of films for a long time, because I've always wanted a Zelda film. I think we're to the point where video game movies capture the spirit of the games better than they did then.

On the other hand, we likely won't see one this weird again, and that's a shame

I really don't see how a Zelda movie would work without changing so much as to defeat the purpose. Now, a Zelda series could certainly work. In fact, I would love a series based on Majora's Mask. Have each episode be a self-contained three day cycle that starts over at the beginning of each episode. The ending theme could even be a full version of the Song of Time for added aesthetic. The finale of each season could be Link tackling one of the dungeons. I think it would really work, especially if they delved into the darker themes of the game to give it an edge and pathos.

[Annehn]

Great movie..

[Willie the Duck]

As I understand it, the movie was planned (and possibly written) and then the requirement that it be a Super Mario Bros movie was added. So they went back to the script, changed a few things, added a few references to the game, and went with that. It wasn't originally intended to be SMB. Which really explains a lot about it.

A few? You mean a lot.

Clearly they put in plenty of references to SMB issues (mushrooms, princesses, an antagonist named Koopa), but it was very much an already existing script for a sci-fi story about alternate dimensions that the repurposed into a SMB movie.

And that's why I view this movie through a number of different lenses. Do I think it was a good Super Mario Brothers movie? No, it captures neither the tone nor the feeling of the games and in general is a poor fit. Do I think it was a good movie overall-- honestly, still no, but I can see a good movie in there amongst the problems. So, that leads me the my real point, do I think the script they repurposed into this was probably a worthwhile movie that could have been something good in its' own right?-- Yes. That could have been a good movie. Honestly, if you take the broad synopsis of that movie (vying to merge alternate realities and maybe travel back and forth) and the broad synopsis of the Matrix (vying between the importance of two realities -- one a simulacrum within the other, but two realities nonetheless -- and some travel back and forth), it's hard to predict which one would have become a hit movie and the other a box office bomb.

As to a Super Mario Brother movie, it makes the same mistake as the Masters of the Universe movie did--takes the heroes out of the fantastical fantasy milieu in which we* fell in love with them. The first SMB movie (and yes, there could have been multiple) should have been them being sucked into the magic kingdown, and their high-flying mushroom-men-stomping adventures therein.
*well, I was a little old for He Man when it came out, and certainly by the time the movie was made, so not me specifically, but I was definitely playing video games as a college freshman in 93.

[JoshL]

Wait, so the SMB movie was a re-skinned different movie? In that case, it is a 100% accurate SMB2 movie! This is the perspective I shall take forever more!

I really don't see how a Zelda movie would work without changing so much as to defeat the purpose. Now, a Zelda series could certainly work. In fact, I would love a series based on Majora's Mask. Have each episode be a self-contained three day cycle that starts over at the beginning of each episode. The ending theme could even be a full version of the Song of Time for added aesthetic. The finale of each season could be Link tackling one of the dungeons. I think it would really work, especially if they delved into the darker themes of the game to give it an edge and pathos.

That is an amazing idea, and I'd love to see that! I disagree that you couldn't do Zelda in 2 hours though. Retelling a game story wouldn't work, but if you identify what makes a story feel like Zelda (sense of exploration, 3 intertwined fates, recognizable monsters, dungeons, etc), I think you could do it justice. I'd love a big budget series, or a series of films, and the great thing about Zelda is how you can tell different stories and still be tied to the same concept.

[cobaltstarfire]

I loved this movie, I don't care how far away from Super Mario Bros it is, or how completely nonsense it is. Probably helps that I was7 when it came so nostalgia glasses are on, but it was just so weird and quirky and silly to me.