The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) is directed by Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Pierre Leduc, and Fabien Polack, featuring a script by Matthew Fogel. It stars Chris Pratt, Anya-Taylor Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogan, Fred Armisen, Kevin Michael Richardson, Khary Payton, Eric Bauza, Juliet Jelenic, Charles Martinet, Sebastian Maniscalco, Rino Romano, John DiMaggio, Jessica DiCicco, and Scott Menville. The film follows brothers Mario (Pratt) and Luigi (Day), two down-on-their-luck Brooklyn plumbers who unintentionally transport themselves to the Mushroom Kingdom, a magical land ruled by the benevolent Princess Peach (Taylor-Joy). Before the two can return home, Luigi is captured by the evil Bowser, who plans to use him as bait. Alongside new allies, Princess Peach and a brave little local named Toad (Michael-Key), Mario sets out to save not only his brother, but the entire Mushroom Kingdom.

On the surface, this appears to be yet another case of a big-budget animated film using A-list names to fill out its cast, whether or not they fit the roles. However, despite not presenting themselves as authentic Italian-Americans, Pratt and Day ultimately bring the proper animated, upbeat energy these two iconic characters are known for (among other things). The brotherly love they display for one another is palpable and honest. Thus, it’s easy to care about them. Sure, their dynamic isn’t complex or even particularly realistic (brothers typically aren’t this over-the-top nice to one another), but it’s sweet and optimistic in a way that emulates a sort of childhood innocence. This helps bring you back to the times when you spent hours grinding through your chosen Mario game on the Gameboy or N64, something most video game movie adaptations struggle to achieve.

The story and humor aren’t particularly impressive, but neither are they a boon to the overall experience. The story’s simplicity feels appropriate considering its target audience, and the jokes are more likely to make kids laugh, but that doesn’t mean adults will be rolling their eyes. Older audiences won’t often find it laugh-out-loud funny, but they’re likely to find it, at the very least, worth a grin for its cute-factor alone. Even if it doesn’t engage the viewer in terms of humor or story, the animation quality is top-notch, and unlike so many other expensive animated films, it feels like its massive budget is on full display. As a pure visual recreation of the games, fans should be completely satisfied. This alone will likely cause them to look back at the overall experience fondly, because it’s something most video game films fail to get right. 

The standout element here is easily Jack Black as Bowser, who does a fantastic job of blending his iconic schtick with the traits fans have long associated with the villain. Yes, this is a very comedic take on the traditionally intimidating character, but the risk pays off, resulting in some of the film’s more memorable sequences. For example, the emotional rock ballad about his one-sided love for Princess Peach is still something I quote to this day. 

Overall, this is a fun, faithful, and well-animated film that doesn’t take many risks but delivers where so many other video game adaptations fail. It’s clearly targeted at kids, but adult fans of the franchise will still find a lot to appreciate. There’s an abundance of visual easter eggs, cute characters, and sharply animated action sequences–what’s not to enjoy? It’s not exactly original or intelligent, but I don’t think Super Mario Bros. needs to be. Even on a second viewing, this is a lot of fun. B