mario bros movie review 2023

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I can vividly remember playing the first Nintendo version of “Super Mario Bros.” when I was just a boy in the ‘80s. It was at a friend’s house, my first buddy to get an NES, and I went home and had a dream about the game. The goofy, jumping plumber has been a part of my entertainment life ever since. I’ve passed my love for the franchise down to my boys, who have all played the stunning “Super Mario Odyssey” to completion more than once. Mario has come a long way since the notoriously awful 1993 version of his adventure starring Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo , but the new “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” doesn’t reflect the franchise's creativity in the slightest. The latest animated blockbuster from Illumination is their most soulless to date, a film that feels like ChatGPT produced it after data and imagery from the games were fed into a computer. It is “The Chris Farley Show” of family entertainment, mistaking making references to something that was “awesome” for actually making a movie. And it is one of the most drenched-in-desperation animated films I’ve ever seen. “Remember this?!? Remember how much you liked it?!? Please like it again!” I so desperately wanted to see something that sparked the imagination of the kid in me, like that first game, or spoke to the fun I’ve had playing installments across multiple Nintendo platforms. Instead, I got a movie that's as hollow as a trailer, something that willfully avoids anything creative or ambitious. Mario and Luigi deserve so much better.

“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” opens in Brooklyn with the plumbers Mario ( Chris Pratt ) and his brother Luigi ( Charlie Day ) trying to get their new business off the ground. Some Nintendo easter eggs in the background of these initial scenes should produce a small smile from people of my generation, and there's a bit of inspiration structurally, like a clever early shot in which Mario and Luigi race through the city in a side-scrolling manner that mimics the earlier games. There’s also a nod to The Odyssey on a bookshelf in Mario’s room, implying that we’re about to watch a hero’s journey and a reference to the incredible Switch game. What follows doesn’t live up to either inspiration.

In a way that makes little sense, Mario and Luigi find a massive chamber of pipes under Brooklyn, get sucked into one, and end up in the Mushroom Kingdom, which is being threatened by the villainous Bowser ( Jack Black ). The notorious bad guy has found the Super Star he needs to make his final assault on Princess Peach ( Anya Taylor-Joy ) and the residents of her kingdom, including Toad (Keegan-Michael Key). Bowser doesn’t just want power; he wants to make the Princess his bride, singing some truly uninspired songs about his love for her. How on Earth a film like this gets a rock talent like half of Tenacious D and doesn’t let him unleash a few clever Bowser tunes is one of this film’s many mysteries.

Although Luigi lands in the pipeline that drops him immediately in the dark lands and makes him Bowser's prisoner—a dumb decision that sidelines him for an hour—Mario meets Princess Peach, who introduces him to power-ups. And so all the question-mark cubes get a chance to shine as Mario grows, shrinks, and even turns into a raccoon. They eventually recruit Donkey Kong ( Seth Rogen ), race down Rainbow Road, and save the day. That’s not a spoiler if you’ve ever seen a movie.

Fans of this movie will shout from the rooftops that the scripting for something called “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” doesn’t need to be a strength. And, to be fair, there are a few strong settings in terms of design. I enjoyed the choices made by the team in the structure of Donkey Kong Country, and the Rainbow Road “Super Mario Kart” sequence is well-directed. But I would ask why fans of a franchise that has inspired so much love for generations must be satisfied with the absolute minimum regarding storytelling. 

There are so few actual decisions made in the construction of this film. It’s just a collection of visual and character references cobbled together to form a 92-minute movie. Take a risk. Just do something . Anything. It got me thinking about the fun spin-offs that could exist, like a “ Mad Max: Fury Road ” version of the “Mario Kart” sequence that gets energy out of non-stop motion. Or a version that unpacks like “The LEGO Movie” that's more sharply aware of its references and world-building—something that even incorporates the player like that movie does in the end. I swear that almost everyone who has played a game like “Odyssey” could come up with something more inventive. Heck, almost any ten minutes of that game is more creative.

It doesn’t help that the voice work is uniformly mediocre too. Chris Pratt can be charismatic with the right material, but it sounds like he pounded this out in three hours in a voice studio. Charlie Day has such an expressive voice, but the movie barely uses him. Seth Rogen is always a welcome presence, and he at least seems to be having some fun. I wish I was too.

With the nostalgia craze merging with the power of Nintendo and Illumination, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” feels too big to fail. That means we’ll get a sequel, and I expect another cycle of the debate of “critics vs. fans.” I am both. And I want a world where the people who made films for a fan base as devoted as this one don’t take that fandom for granted. This is far from over. I suspect we will get a ton of films from the NES universe, including “Donkey Kong Country” and “The Legend of Zelda” (and let’s not forget “Kid Icarus”). But we need creators who don’t just see these games as products to be referenced but as foundations on which new ideas can be built. That ‘80s kid who dreamed of Mario deserves it.

In theaters today .

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

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The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

Rated PG for action and mild violence.

Chris Pratt as Mario (voice)

Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach (voice)

Charlie Day as Luigi (voice)

Jack Black as Bowser (voice)

Keegan Michael Key as Toad (voice)

Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong (voice)

Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong (voice)

Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek (voice)

Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike (voice)

Charles Martinet as Giuseppe (voice)

Khary Payton as Penguin King (voice)

Eric Bauza as General Toad (voice)

• Michael Jelenic
• Aaron Horvath
• Matthew Fogel
• Eric Osmond

Composer (original Nintendo themes by)

• Brian Tyler

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• Movie Review
• The Super Mario Bros. Movie is the new gold standard for video game films

From its cheesy nostalgia plays to its breathtaking and imaginative visuals, Universal’s new Mario movie is everything a video game adaptation should be.

By Charles Pulliam-Moore , a reporter focusing on film, TV, and pop culture. Before The Verge, he wrote about comic books, labor, race, and more at io9 and Gizmodo for almost five years.

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The most delightful part of Nintendo’s entire Mario franchise is how — despite all their decades of conflicts in various video games — Mario, Bowser, Peach, and the rest of their crew have really always been a troupe of actors putting on whimsical stage plays for a captive audience. That idea alone isn’t exactly what defines Universal and Illumination’s new The Super Mario Bros. Movie from co-directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic. But much in the same way Super Mario Bros. 3 ’s ending invited players to think about and appreciate it as being more than just a video game, The Super Mario Bros. Movie plays like a magical celebration of how this franchise has evolved.

For years after Nintendo’s first live-action Super Mario Bros. movie debuted in theaters and immediately bombed at the box office, it seemed as if the studio wanted nothing more than to leave the entire endeavor in the past and steer clear of trying to make movies. But one of the more intriguing things about Universal’s new feature — a co-production between Nintendo and Illumination — is how effectively it manages to weave together so many iconic elements from the franchise’s bigger outings, like the ’90s movie, Mario Kart , and the Donkey Kong games, into a story that’s equal parts nostalgic and reflective of the franchise’s future.

In addition to being generally good guys who know a thing or two about pipes, The Super Mario Bros. Movie ’s Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) are also introduced as Brooklynites and small business owners trying to make a name for themselves in the film’s opening scenes. As adults and the two youngest members of their surprisingly large family, both of the Mario bros. know how crushing it can be to come home every day to nothing but incessant criticism. But at the heart of Mario and Luigi’s bond is also the mutual understanding that, so long as the two of them stick together, there’s little they can’t accomplish.

That attitude’s what gets the brothers up every morning and inspires them to go out into the world in search of bill-paying gigs. But it’s also why they’re both so game when they unexpectedly get sucked into the adventure of a lifetime by way of a mysterious green pipe hidden somewhere deep in New York City’s sewer system.

Because it’s so dense with painstakingly crafted details meant to spark joy from the jump, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when The Super Mario Bros. Movie ’s intangible magic — the general feeling, rather than the movie’s actual magic — first kicks in. But as the Mario bros. jump, flip, and twirl their way across town on foot in an early action sequence styled after the classic Mario side scrollers, you can immediately get a sense of just how serious the movie is about translating the essence of its source material into something that feels familiar but also like its own distinct quantity.

This ends up being the case with most of The Super Mario Bros. Movie ’s complex set pieces, which doesn’t come as a surprise given Illumination’s track record and Nintendo’s reputation for being extremely protective of its brands. What does come as something of a shock, though, is how genuinely inoffensive (which is to say “not off-putting”) Pratt and Day’s takes on Mario and Luigi are — a concern the movie addresses head-on with some solid gags and a textual explanation as to why Mario occasionally sounds like he might have spent some time in Pawnee, Indiana.

As much information about the Mario bros. as the film lays out before they’re isekai-ed across the galaxy, it’s far, far more reserved about others like Bowser (Jack Black) and his sorcerer Kamek (Kevin Michael Richardson), who serve as hammy villain foils to the Mushroom Kingdom’s Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) and her loyal subject Toad (Keegan-Michael Key.)

If you’ve played through games like Super Mario World or Super Mario Odyssey , then the general shape of The Super Mario Bros. Movie ’s plot will be obvious from the moment you first hear why Bowser’s so hell-bent on getting his hands on a certain star-shaped MacGuffin. The movie works, though, because as it’s building toward its logical and very traditional Mario kind of ending, it uses every possible opportunity it has to make its various fantastical worlds feel like living, breathing, organic places that you’d want to spend hours exploring if they were parts of an open-world video game. It’s cool as hell every single time someone’s outfit transforms after they ingest mushroom power-ups, but it’s things like being able to see each of the individual seeds on a fire flower’s face flicking like a candle that really make you appreciate how hard the movie’s working to get things “right.”

At times, it almost feels like Illumination might have gone overboard in terms of dotting its i’s and crossing its t’s for a movie that moves incredibly fast and consistently has the air of something that’s been crafted with children prone to rewatching the same thing in mind. But it’s just as easy to interpret those things about the film as signs of how much more immersive and engaging Nintendo plans for its Mario theme park and future games to be.

Watching The Super Mario Bros. Movie , it’s impossible not to imagine what it might be like to one day play a game as visually rich running on hardware that puts current-gen Nintendo Switch to shame. That’s probably (part of) the reason the movie exists. But as big-budget commercials for video games and consoles go, The Super Mario Bros. Movie ’s going to be undefeated for quite some time.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie also stars Seth Rogen, Fred Armisen, Sebastian Maniscalco, and Charles Martinet. The movie’s slated to hit theaters on April 5th.

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‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Review: This Ain’t No Game

A famed video game character side-scrolls once again to the big screen in this bland, witless and flagrantly pandering animated comedy.

• Share full article

By Calum Marsh

One thing every great Mario game has in common, from 2D classics like Super Mario World to seminal 3D installments like Super Mario 64 or the recent Nintendo Switch masterpiece Super Mario Odyssey, is a certain effortless charisma. No convoluted backstory, no sardonic attitude, no pretension whatsoever: just easy, straightforward video game fun, elevated by splashy visuals, tight controls and an attention to detail that borders on perfectionism.

Illumination and Universal’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” the second attempt at a big-screen adaptation of the game franchise after the woefully unsuccessful “ Super Mario Bros. ” (1993), gets many things about Mario right, often painstakingly so. The Mushroom Kingdom, the magical land in which the film is largely set, looks pretty much exactly like the Mushroom Kingdom of the games. Fireflowers, super stars and question mark boxes all look, sound and function like they’re supposed to, and when the notoriously vexing blue shell makes a fan-baiting appearance, it spins, crashes and explodes in a way precisely faithful to the source material. Even Mario (a grating, unctuous Chris Pratt), who doesn’t sound like the Mario of the games, still manages to invoke trademark catchphrases like “it’s a-me” and “let’s a-go.”

But while the details are meticulous, the attitude is all wrong, trading the simple, unaffected charm that has served the character so well since his introduction in 1981 for a snarky and fatuous air that leans hard on winking humor and bland, hackneyed irony. This is Mario in the Marvel mold: every line a punchline, every gag an arcane meta reference for the nerds who can’t get enough of that sort of thing. Served some spaghetti with mushrooms, Mario winces and says he hates mushrooms. Because in the game he’s always eating mushrooms, you see. Sound like fun yet?

In this rendition, directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, Mario and his cowardly younger brother, Luigi (Charlie Day), are upstart plumbers from Brooklyn who, for reasons that feel both unnecessarily complicated and curiously underexplained, are zapped into the fantastical world of Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy), Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) and the nefarious Bowser (Jack Black). Much of what transpires has some basis in the original games, in a way that often feels oppressively pandering, and the movie’s commitment to fan service frequently results in baffling decisions in the context of the film. When Mario recruits Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen) to take on Bowser’s army, they elect to travel via go-kart. Are go-karts inherently interesting or compelling? No. Is there any logical reason why they would use go-karts? No. But there are go-karts in the video game Mario Kart, so in karts they go.

Every level of the original Super Mario Bros. ends with an apology that has become one of the game’s most enduring catchphrases: “Our princess is in another castle.” In “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” it’s deployed as a flat, mirthless inside joke — another pat reference, unfunny and predictable, charged with a yawning desperation to please. It doesn’t seem right that the spirit of such a pure and exuberant character should be reduced to something so flippant and basically cynical. And though every conceivable effort has been taken to make this “Mario” as Mario-like as possible, the attitude is antithetical to exactly what the franchise so wholesomely represents.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie Rated PG. Running time: 1 hour 32 minutes. In theaters.

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The Super Mario Bros. Movie Reviews

Boasts terrific animation and eventually feels as exciting as watching someone else play a video game.

Full Review | Original Score: C+ | May 27, 2024

Is The Super Mario Bros. Movie a great film? No. Is it worth going to see? Yes. Younger gamers will embrace it but older gamers maybe looking for a little more of a plot.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Dec 22, 2023

Scientifically designed in a lab for the broadest possible appeal and the least offense that could possibly be made.

Full Review | Dec 19, 2023

I would have liked a story, but loosely connected action set-pieces within Nintendo's sprawling Mario-adjacent universe is still fun. This is an advertisement for new generations to board the bandwagon.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Dec 8, 2023

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a homage to the most relevant Nintendo saga... [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Sep 29, 2023

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a DREAM COME TRUE for lifelong Nintendo fans and PERFECT DOWN TO THE LAST PIXEL. With gorgeous animation and unforgettable music, Nintendo and Illumination have made a delightful family film filled with heart.

Full Review | Sep 20, 2023

Its action, color, and silliness will appeal to kids while adult fans of the franchise will enjoy all the nostalgic connotations. It manages to tell a coherent, albeit forgettable, story with ample charm, thrills, and humor.

Full Review | Aug 23, 2023

Simple but effective for anyone who grew up with Mario in their lives.

Full Review | Aug 16, 2023

It is obvious that in an effort to appeal to a wide demographic, the movie fails on all counts because of a weak script, an over dependence on elements lifted directly from the video game and several voice casting mistakes.

Full Review | Original Score: C- | Aug 8, 2023

Packed with fantastic references that will warm the hearts of those who lived and still live with Nintendo and Mario up close. Along with energetic action, dazzling animation and world-building, and iconic music.

Full Review | Original Score: A- | Jul 25, 2023

If folks grew up playing the games (or still do), and already treasure everything Mario, this is a must-see movie. For everyone else, the mileage in their kart will vary.

Full Review | Jul 25, 2023

PHENOMENAL ANIMATION! Short & Simple (too short if I’m honest) Chris Pratt is honestly PERFECT as MARIO (yes I’m as shocked as you) Jack Black might steal the show as BOWSER. But Brian Tyler’s SCORE is so GOOD

Full Review | Original Score: B | Jul 22, 2023

A rather forgettable affair.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Jul 11, 2023

This fun, visually gorgeous adaptation does the world's most famous plumber justice.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 8, 2023

The voice cast did a good job and the movie has some colorful, eye-popping visuals but overall it's pretty forgettable.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 3, 2023

This second big-screen adaptation of the popular video game series (after the ill-fated 1993 film) is vibrantly colored, speedily-paced (and not too long), and pleasantly diverting, if rather unremarkable in the long run.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jul 1, 2023

Harmless and charmless.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Jun 27, 2023

Overall, The Super Mario Bros. Movie feels aimed squarely at kids and fans driven by nostalgia and fan service. Too desperate to pack in game references, too frenetic and too amped up; the film operates at a 10 the whole time. Not bad, just not for me

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Jun 13, 2023

If you are a parent or guardian dragged to see The Super Mario Bros. Movie, be like Lumalee and abandon yourself to a nightmarish experience.

Full Review | Jun 3, 2023

Sometimes I get the feeling that the adventure of Mario and Luigi never goes beyond the routine level. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | May 24, 2023

‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Review: Sheer Animated Fun, and the Rare Video-Game Movie That Gives You a Prankish Video-Game Buzz

The second time's the charm for Mario on film, as Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy and a delectably villainous Jack Black voice a digital fairy tale that connects.

By Owen Gleiberman

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Mario just wants to rescue his brother, but then he meets Princess Peach ( Anya Taylor-Joy ), who rules over the Mushroom Kingdom’s denizens, who have spherical mushroom heads and the faces of airbrushed babies; they’re led by Toad (Keegan-Michael Key), a cuddlebug with attitude. Mario then teams up with Princess Peach to save her kingdom from Bowser, a fire-breathing beastie who commands a vast army of Koopas, who are turtles. Bowser is a turtle too, if a rather monstrous one — he’s like a fusion of Lionel Barrymore, the Wayland Flowers puppet Madame, and, a T. Rex plushie made for toddlers.

Jack Black , who voices this horny demon, gives a stupendous performance. Bowser is in love with Princess Peach, even as he’s planning to attack her empire, and Black, conjuring something very different from his usual hipster-stoner vibe, makes Bowser a domineering but deeply insecure romantic, like the Phantom of Opera as a neurotic troglodyte. Having a villain who’s a vulnerable ogre you’re at once appalled, amused, and fascinated by makes this a very different sort of kinetic kiddie fantasia. When Bowser is onscreen with his flaming red eyebrows and S&M arm bands, his gap-toothed reptile leer, his Meat Loaf-meets-Axl Rose soft-rock odes to Peach, and his nerd’s megalomania, the audience is in heaven.

There’s a way that mainstream animation, not to mention my own taste in it, has been evolving. So much of it has become rote, with an empty fractious dazzle that doesn’t ultimately sustain interest. And the Pixar brand, much as it saddens me to say it, has in recent years lost some of its humanistic luster. The animated movies I’ve been most drawn to have been off the Pixar grid — movies like “Trolls” and “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” which merge a kind of kinetic virtuosity with an emotional flair that sneaks up on you. I’d put “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” in that camp. It’s going to be a huge, huge hit, but not just because of its beloved gamer pedigree. (That didn’t help “Super Mario Bros.” in 1993.) It’s because the movie, as directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic (from a script by Matthew Fogel), is a serious blast, with a spark of enchantment — that je ne sais quoi fusion of speed and trickery, magic and sophistication, and sheer play that…well, you feel it when you see it.

There have been approximately 50 movies based on video games, and most of them are terrible. I’ve had limited patience even for the ones that “work,” like the coolly depersonalized “Resident Evil” series or that first “Lara Croft” film. It’s not that I’m hostile to video games; it’s that the game and film mediums are so different. Then again, not all video games are the same — the funky nihilist hellscapes of Grand Theft Auto couldn’t be further removed from the interactive innocence of the Mario franchise. Mario presides over a digital playground that lifts the spirit to a place of split-second wonder, and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” stays true to that. Its ingenuity is infectious. You don’t have to be a Mario fan to respond to it, but the film is going to remind the millions who are why they call it a joystick.

Reviewed at AMC Lincoln Square, April 3, 2023. MPA Rating: PG. Running time: 92 MIN.

• Production: A Universal Pictures release of an Illumination, Nintendo, Universal production. Producers: Chris Meledandri, Shigeru Miyamoto.
• Crew: Directors: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic. Screenplay: Matthew Fogel. Editor: Eric E. Osmond. Music: Koji Kondo, Brian Tyler.
• With: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, Fred Armisen, Sebastian Maniscalco, Charles Martinet, Kevin Michael Richardson.

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Widely considered to be one of the greatest video game franchises ever, Super Mario Bros . is an iconic, generation-spanning success that has taken on many iterations to always keep up with the times. One area in which it failed miserably was the 1993 live-action film version that starred Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo as Mario and Luigi, Brooklyn-based plumbers who go on a fantastical adventure. It was a critical and commercial flop, though it managed to find some bit of a cult following in the ensuing decades.

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A Japanese anime version of Super Mario in 1987 was perhaps the first, or at least one of the first, movie adaptations of a video game, however modest that hourlong effort was. This time all the bells and whistles are there with a star voice cast that includes Chris Pratt as Mario and the irrepressible Charlie Day as younger brother Luigi, two New York Lower Borough-based plumbers from an Italian family that perhaps doesn’t appreciate their talents as much as they should. Stumbling into a crisis situation that requires a quick fix on bursting water pipes in the street, they instead are swept throughout the labyrinth of those pipes and spilled out into another world, much like when Alice went down the rabbit hole.

While Mario finds himself landing in the colorful and friendly Mushroom Kingdom, brother Luigi is in for something completely terrifying as he has been swept into the Dark Lands, where ruling King of Koopas, fearsome giant turtle Bowser ( Jack Black ), enlists him, by threat of death, in his quest to marry Princess Peach ( Anya Taylor-Joy ) in order to capture her Mushroom Kingdom and rule the world. Fortunately, Mario is on the case and helped by the cheerful resident Toad (Keegan-Michael Key), who befriends him and introduces him to the princess. They team up to stop Bowser in his tracks and rescue Luigi. Joining them eventually is Donkey Kong (of course), voiced amusingly by Seth Rogen , an enthusiastic and skilled citizen of the Jungle Kingdom and Kong Army run by his weary father Cranky Kong (Fred Armisen). In a battle to the death, Mario has to prove his worth to all before they will team for the ultimate battle that is a staple of this sort of entertainment these days.

All of this is immensely likable and loaded with laughs, if not raging wit. Having the likes of Black and Rogen in the voice cast definitely ups the ante of some stabs at subversive humor, and all seem to be enjoying this stint, which definitely is set up for sequels as Mario and Luigi are about to start a new act in their long careers. The CGI animation goes big for bright colors juxtaposed with the ominous Dark Lands, and the film is helped immensely by a zippy and lilting musical score from Brian Tyler. As proof of the filmmakers’ attempts to be true to their source, there is even room for Charles Martinet, original voice of Mario and Luigi video games for the past three decades.

Producers are Illumination’s Chris Meledandri and Mario creator and Nintendo’s Representative Director and Fellow Shigeru Miyamoto. Universal releases it Wednesday in theaters.

Title: The Super Mario Bros. Movie Studio: Universal/Illumination Release date: April 5, 2023 Directors: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic Screenwriter: Matthew Fogel Cast: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, Fred Armisen Rating: PG Running time: 1hr 32 min

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Critics’ consensus on ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’? It’s a-mixed

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Opening weekend, here we come.

Reviews are officially in for Nintendo and Universal Pictures’ “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which hits theaters Wednesday and has generated quite a bit of buzz leading up to its Easter-weekend release.

The animated film based on the cherished video-game series of the same name boasts a star-studded voice cast, including Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong and Chris Pratt as Mario.

When the family flick was announced back in 2021, fans and social media users immediately questioned the decision to cast Pratt — who has been racking up credits in blockbuster movie franchises like item boxes in Mario Kart — as everyone’s favorite Italian plumber.

Review: ‘Wahoo!’ isn’t quite right for mildly amusing, hectic ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’

‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie,’ starring Chris Pratt, is mildly amusing, swift, noisy and unrelentingly paced.

April 4, 2023

In her review for Tribune News Service, film critic Katie Walsh deemed Pratt and Day’s vocal performances as sibling duo Mario and Luigi “so unremarkable that it could have been anyone at all.”

“Fortunately, this loud, hectic movie doesn’t overstay its welcome, but it wouldn’t have the material to last a second longer,” Walsh writes .

“It’s bright, busy, inoffensive and exactly the opposite of the weird, dark, edgy 1993 movie adaptation. That may be better for the business of Mario, but it’s not exactly terribly interesting either.”

Here’s a sampling of reviews of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” ranging from “Oh, no!” to “Wahoo!”

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“There are also plenty of Easter eggs to be enjoyed by gameplayers as well as humor that can be appreciated by adults ... and kids alike,” KiMi Robinson writes .

“Much credit goes to the cast for having so much fun with their characters; Charlie Day, for one, manages to infuse as much Charlie Day into Luigi as he does in any live action role. ... ‘The Super Mario Bros.’ is family-friendly movie theater catnip over the Easter weekend, and it’s sure to be an enjoyable watch for the average viewer.”

Associated Press

“It makes you ... want to play Mario,” Jake Coyle writes .

“As nice as it is to look at ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie,’ it’s not anywhere near as fun as it would be to play it. It’s a-him, Mario, but it’s no a-masterpiece. The storyline is only a touch above the interstitial bits of plot you usually get between gameplay. With the exception of Jack Black’s grandly lovesick Bowser ... there’s nothing here that deepens these characters beyond their usual 2-D adventures. Mario may be a modern-day Mickey Mouse but his kingdom is on the console.”

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“It’s all quite fun, with a good sense of humor and a consistent computer-animated aesthetic — plus, at 90 minutes including credits, it’s short, sweet, and over before anything can get annoying,” Christian Holub writes .

“But it’s hard to escape the feeling, especially during the ... Rainbow Road sequence, that you would probably be having more fun just playing a game together instead.”

Hollywood Reporter

“After the debacle that was the 1993 live-action Super Mario Brothers movie adaptation, the creators of the new animated version clearly felt the need to restore the faith of the wildly popular video game’s legions of fans,” Frank Scheck writes .

“While devoted players will weigh in on whether the film fulfills that goal sufficiently, The Super Mario Bros. Movie feels like a labor of love that should easily weather any nitpicking from purists. It should also prove a major cash cow for co-producers Nintendo, Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures, with sequels and spin-offs virtually guaranteed. While Matthew Fogel’s screenplay won’t win any awards, it builds a reasonable framework for the 90 minutes of nearly nonstop mayhem that ensues.”

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“The movie’s mostly excellent use of its source material does contrast with some ill-advised blockbuster animation tropes which can occasionally be grating,” Tom Jorgensen writes .

“Moments like this — as well as the frequent use of slo-mo to highlight jokes — are a bit too cute, and hint at how easily The Super Mario Bros. Movie could’ve slipped into ‘generic animated movie’ territory had it given way to more of these low-hanging stabs at making sure Uncle Jack has his ‘I understood that reference!’ moment, too.”

Independent

“The Super Mario Bros. Movie ... is nothing more and nothing less than what you’d expect from a Mario film,” Clarisse Loughrey writes .

“Its comfortable mediocrity is no better captured than in its choice to cast Chris Pratt — the current face of generic, easy-to-market heroism — in the starring role. Pratt, it should be said, is perfectly capable of the sort of outsized performance Mario needed, having previously turned in himbos of equal, puppyish élan in The Lego Movie and Guardians of the Galaxy. But the Pratt called upon here is of the blandly sincere, hire-a-hero variety, delivering lines like ‘let’s-a-go!’ and ‘mamma mia!’ with all the vigour of a contractual obligation and not a trace of Italian.”

“From the decision to cast the onetime Least Offensive Actor on the Planet Chris Pratt in the titular role to the production design that seems to be an exact replica the Wii-era Mario games, ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ largely plays things by the book, which is exactly what the assignment called for,” Christian Zilko writes .

“Co-directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic have delivered a perfectly serviceable movie that is going to make a lot of kids very happy and a lot of adults very rich.”

New York Times

“While the details are meticulous, the attitude is all wrong, trading the simple, unaffected charm that has served the character so well since his introduction in 1981 for a snarky and fatuous air that leans hard on winking humor and bland, hackneyed irony,” Calum Marsh writes .

“This is Mario in the Marvel mold: every line a punchline, every gag an arcane meta reference for the nerds who can’t get enough of that sort of thing. Served some spaghetti with mushrooms, Mario winces and says he hates mushrooms. Because in the game he’s always eating mushrooms, you see. Sound like fun yet?”

“There’s a perfect Mario game for nearly every kind of person — which gives the little plumber and his endless incarnations the sort of magical appeal that every modern movie franchise is desperate for,” Joshua Rivera writes . “Illumination’s animated adventure The Super Mario Bros. Movie attempts to bottle that appeal, but mostly just ends up referencing it. ... The Super Mario Bros. Movie feels like it’s made to be screenshotted more than watched. Nearly every frame is packed with a dizzying number of Easter eggs and references to Mario games and other Nintendo franchises.

“Cataloging them all might be the most enjoyable way to watch the movie, because when it comes to regular movie things like plot and character, well, all that gets blue-shelled to hell. (If you got that reference, you’ll probably like this movie more than the average viewer.)”

Screen Rant

“Black’s performance is truly what makes Bowser sing, ensuring every scene featuring the villain is one of the movie’s highlights. Beyond Black, Day is also pitch perfect as Luigi and Rogen is extremely fun as Donkey Kong. Taylor-Joy and Key are good, if unmemorable as Peach and Toad,” Molly Freeman writes .

“Pratt, whose casting as Mario was met with skepticism, doesn’t make a strong case for why he was a good choice to voice such an iconic character. He’s simply fine — not so bad as to be distracting, but not strong enough to be at all interesting either, which is about the same as The Super Mario Bros. Movie as a whole.”

“It’s going to be a huge, huge hit, but not just because of its beloved gamer pedigree. (That didn’t help “Super Mario Bros.” in 1993)” Owen Gleiberman writes .

“It’s because the movie, as directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic (from a script by Matthew Fogel), is a serious blast, with a spark of enchantment — that je ne sais quoi fusion of speed and trickery, magic and sophistication, and sheer play that … well, you feel it when you see it.”

Washington Post

“The artistry is enough to keep children and adults watching. It may help that Mario gains power by eating mushrooms — a good message about healthy eating, on the one hand, yet one with an obvious psychedelic resonance at the same time,” Pat Padua writes .

“At its 8-bit heart, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is ultimately about family. (You know, the people you spend time with when you’re not playing video games.)”

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The Super Mario Bros. Movie Review

07 Apr 2023

The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

The last time Mario — the lovably high-voiced moustachioed Italian plumber, and the most iconic name in video games — starred in a film, it bombed so badly that Nintendo waited 30 years before giving their mascot another crack at the big screen. Now something of an oddball cult classic, the 1993 Bob Hoskins -starring live-action version was both a strangely realistic take on the game (Mario is fixing broken dishwashers and worrying about paying rent)  and bafflingly outlandish (it is partly set in a dino-steampunk parallel dimension), bearing only tangential resemblance to the source material. This lively new animated version, on the other hand, is deeply faithful — to a fault.

This is exactly what you might expect from a Super Mario Bros. movie. It’s like a greatest hits parade of the franchise: there’s the rainbow road from  Mario Kart , the spooky house from  Luigi’s Mansion , the New Donk City level from  Super Mario Odyssey , the moons from  Super Mario Galaxy , and more obscure Easter Eggs besides (listen out for the GameCube start-up sound). The story borrows mechanics and terminology from the game, too: there are power-ups, blue shells and a side-scrolling mission. Brian Tyler’s score never misses an opportunity to borrow some of Koji Kondo’s gloriously recognisable musical motifs, either.

It’s-a-gonna win many box-office gold coins, no doubt. But the Bob Hoskins version is far more imaginative.

It’s all laser-designed to tickle the nostalgia adenoids of Nintendo nerds. But it ultimately never feels more than just a very high-definition, feature-length video game cutscene – the bit you sit through while waiting to play the actual game. While a training montage sequence hints at the repetitive trial-and-error of the original NES title, what follows only confirms that the real joy of these games was, first and foremost, the gorgeously designed, addictively satisfying gameplay.

Without that here, we’re left only with the characters, which are as thin as an 8-bit image file, and, with the possible exception of Jack Black (who brings a Tenacious D energy to his Bowser), entirely miscast. There’s an admirable attempt to explain this away, but in a world where everyone already knows exactly what Mario sounds like — the movie itself even reminds us, in a cameo from long-standing voice actor Charles Martinet — Chris Pratt ’s take simply doesn’t sound like Mario. (The Mario family as a whole, incidentally, are the most egregious Italian stereotypes to be seen this side of a Dolmio advert; how many “Mamma Mia!”s does it take to constitute a hate crime?)

This comes from Illumination, a studio that never quite earned the critical cred of rivals like Pixar or Cartoon Saloon, but through their  Minions  and  Sing  franchises have certainly figured out how to make millions of family-friendly dollars. You feel that half-term hymn sheet being sung from in the endless peril, the bright colours, the largely unfunny gags, the empty sentiment (“Nothing can hurt us as long as we’re together!”). The studio brings experience and talent; the standard of animation, crisply rendered and richly art-directed, is undeniably high. It’s-a-gonna win many box-office gold coins, no doubt. But the Bob Hoskins version is, if nothing else, far more imaginative.

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Metacritic reviews

The super mario bros. movie.

• 83 Collider Ross Bonaime Collider Ross Bonaime The Super Mario Bros. Movie captures the spirit of the games, the deep history, and the incredible possibilities that these games have presented for decades, all in one of the most fun animated films in years, with a team behind it that you can feel loves these characters and this world.
• 75 Consequence Liz Shannon Miller Consequence Liz Shannon Miller For any parents reading this — it might not be the best film of the year, but you're going to be able to watch The Super Mario Bros. Movie more than once without losing your dang mind.
• 70 The Hollywood Reporter Frank Scheck The Hollywood Reporter Frank Scheck Directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, creators of the Teen Titans Go! series, deliver a reasonably faithful big screen adaptation that, while it features plenty of juvenile humor, wisely doesn’t lean toward broad satire.
• 60 Screen Rant Molly Freeman Screen Rant Molly Freeman The Super Mario Bros. Movie is chock-full of Nintendo Easter eggs—to the detriment of the story and its characters, which lack any real substance.
• 60 Total Film Total Film While it could use a few banana peels to slow its relentless pace, this adaptation is a faithful introduction to the Mushroom Kingdom.
• 40 The Guardian Peter Bradshaw The Guardian Peter Bradshaw The second film adaptation of the phenomenally successful video game is a disappointment to rival the first.
• 38 Slant Magazine Slant Magazine The film feels like it’s content to check off to-do notes and scratch the viewer’s nostalgia itch.
• 25 Movie Nation Roger Moore Movie Nation Roger Moore The few laughs kind of die of loneliness, in what is allegedly a children’s animated comedy. And without laughs, all this ill-conceived animated replacement for one of the most infamous live-action flops of the ’90s has to offer is nostalgia for a simple game of a simpler time. The eight-and-unders this is aimed at are way too young to get that.
• 25 Original-Cin Original-Cin As is often the case with a not-so-great film, I can report that I wanted to like it more than I did. But I just couldn’t.
• 25 San Francisco Chronicle Zaki Hasan San Francisco Chronicle Zaki Hasan Occasionally amusing but rarely engaging, it leaves one feeling like they’re standing to the side and watching someone else play a video game.
• See all 53 reviews on Metacritic.com
• See all external reviews for The Super Mario Bros. Movie

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The Super Mario Bros. Movie review: a weightless adventure

“The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a visually stunning animated adventure film that, unfortunately, suffers from several notable pacing and casting issues.”

• Visually stunning animation throughout
• Several memorable set pieces
• An unrelentingly fast pace
• A weak first act
• Uneven comedy throughout

It’s fitting, in a way, that The Super Mario Bros. Movie  feels so much like a side-scrolling, 2D video game. Not only are there multiple instances throughout the 92-minute film in which directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic literally adopt a side-scrolling perspective, but the film also bounces from one story beat and location to another with the same sense of dimensionless expediency. Penned by Matthew Fogel, The Super Mario Bros. Movie doesn’t want to spend too much time exploring its locations or characters — no matter how beautifully they’re rendered. The film, instead, feels like it’s being operated by a competitive gamer who wants to progress through each level as quickly as they can.

That doesn’t mean The Super Mario Bros. Movie is without its pleasures. Animated by the artists at Illumination (the studio responsible for Despicable Me and Minions ), The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a visually sumptuous film from beginning to end. Every frame feels carefully and lovingly polished (Rainbow Road has, perhaps, never looked better). The film’s script, direction, and voice performances, unfortunately, fail to evoke the same level of care and commitment. The resulting film is, like all the most disappointing video games, technically impressive but flavorless and dramatically unengaging.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie wisely introduces its villain, the nefarious Bowser (Jack Black), before its heroes. The film’s opening scene follows Bowser just as he and his army of evil turtles launch an all-out assault on a kingdom of peaceful penguins in order to capture their coveted Super Star. Bowser’s attack rides the line between epic danger and comedy well, but his acquisition of the penguins’ Super Star plays out, like much of The Super Mario Bros. Movie , far too quickly to make much of an impact.

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From there, the film cuts to — of all places — Brooklyn, New York, where a pair of Italian brothers, Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day), are in the midst of trying to launch their new, family-run plumbing company. Despite their clear passion, however, both Mario and Luigi meet resistance and mockery from some of their closest family members and their former employer, Spike (Sebastian Maniscalco). Desperate to prove himself, Mario leads Luigi one night on a mission to fix a broken Brooklyn water main. After a series of unexpected events leads them into a hidden chamber in the New York City tunnel system, though, Mario and Luigi find themselves sucked into a magical green pipe that leads to other worlds.

Along the way, Mario and Luigi get separated from each other. The latter ends up a prisoner of Black’s Bowser in the “Dark Lands,” while Pratt’s Mario finds himself stranded in the Mushroom Kingdom, which is ruled by the formidable Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy). Upon learning about Luigi’s situation, Peach lets Mario and his companion, Toad (Keegan-Michael Key), join her on her journey to convince the Mushroom Kingdom’s neighboring Kong army to join them in their crusade to defeat Bowser once and for all. Little does Peach know that Bowser not only wants to conquer the multiverse but also turn Peach into his bride.

Peach, Mario, and Toad’s adventure features a fair number of memorable moments, but The Super Mario Bros. Movie ’s lean 92-minute runtime forces it to speed through all of its plot beats at such a breakneck pace that many of them are rendered weightless. That aspect of the film is made worse by its decision to spend a large portion of its first act exploring Mario and Luigi’s unexciting lives in Brooklyn. On paper, that might not seem like a terrible idea, but Mario and Luigi’s origin story ultimately doesn’t add much to The Super Mario Bros. Movie . As a matter of fact, it delays the film from getting to its more exciting fantasy worlds and set pieces and, consequently, forces The Super Mario Bros. Movie to compensate for its New York detour by only speeding even faster through its second and third acts.

The film’s performances are, much like its story, a bit of a mixed bag. While Chris Pratt’s voice isn’t nearly as irritating as some of The Super Mario Bros. Movie ’s trailers may have suggested, he still feels miscast throughout the film as Mario. The same goes for Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong and Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, the crotchety father of Rogen’s himbo gorilla. Rogen brings little to his performance except his usual on-screen persona — rendering Donkey Kong as just yet another one of his stoner characters. Armisen, on the other hand, takes a big vocal swing as Cranky Kong that doesn’t totally connect, which results in a vocal performance that isn’t funny as much as it is purely grating.

Some of the film’s other cast members fare better. Anya Taylor-Joy makes Princess Peach a likable warrior by turning in a fairly committed, if low-key, performance. Charlie Day, conversely, gives a performance as Luigi that rides the line between cartoonish and human well, while Juliet Jelenic steals several scenes as the joyfully nihilistic Lumalee. No one, however, makes quite as lasting of an impression as Black, who brings his usual, over-the-top energy to Bowser, an insecure warlord who can suddenly bust out a pathetic power ballad about his undying love for Peach as easily as he can blast a deadly ray of fire from his mouth.

As rushed as it is, The Super Mario Bros. Movie does make space for several visually stunning and genuinely thrilling action sequences. A Super Smash Bros. -esque arena fight between Pratt’s Mario and Rogen’s Donkey Kong lands particularly well, though, no sequence in the film is quite as gorgeous or engaging as the Mario Kart -inspired race down Rainbow Road that caps off its second act. As much as it is an instance of blatant nostalgia bait, the set piece is so visually engaging and propulsively paced that it’s impossible not to wish that the rest of The Super Mario Bros. Movie had felt as cohesive, fun, and gripping.

There is clearly a lot of love for its source material on display throughout The Super Mario Bros. Movie . The film makes more than a few efforts to pay homage to all the corners of the Mario Bros. video game franchise, but not all of them work as well as others, and even the film’s best scenes are hampered by its frustratingly breathless pace and sporadically effective comedic moments. As is the case with its selection of ‘80s needle drops, which include now overly used tracks like “Holding Out for a Hero” and “Take On Me,” the film is an aesthetically pleasing but unimaginative romp.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is now playing in theaters. Be sure to read The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ s ending, explained  if you want to be spoiled.

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The Super Mario Bros. Movie Review – 1-Upping The Rest

In 1993, the Super Mario Bros. made their big-screen debut through a live-action adventure starring Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, and Dennis Hopper. While that film has garnered a cult following in the decades since its theatrical release, it does little to truly pay homage to Nintendo's flagship franchise in the ways all the best film adaptations aspire. Fast forward 30 years, and Universal, Illumination, and Nintendo have finally delivered a cinematic adventure starring the iconic fraternal duo that is joyful, fun, exciting, and, perhaps most importantly, respectful of the source material.

Warning:   While I try to remain as spoiler-free as possible, certain elements of the narrative and characters are mentioned throughout this article.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie  toes a difficult line, balancing an origin story with the actual meat of a meaningful adventure. Mario and his brother Luigi are plumbers in Brooklyn when they get sucked into a mysterious pipe and arrive in the Mushroom Kingdom. Meanwhile, Bowser has begun his conquest en route to Princess Peach's castle. The setup is obvious and has certainly been done before, but it effectively sets the stage for the subsequent thrill ride of an adventure.

As soon as Mario and Luigi arrive in the Mushroom Kingdom, the adventure progresses with near-flawless pacing. Though a few areas stick out as moments where the story pumps the brakes, it moves forward before it comes to a screeching halt and drags. Fun action sequences consistently give way to major setpiece moments, which in turn often set up fun gags. The 92-minute runtime flew by, and while I was surprised to have already arrived at the final confrontation, I love that the film doesn't overstay its welcome.

Whether you're talking the conversational moments, like when Mario and Toad are walking through the marketplace at the foot of Peach's Castle, or something like the big Mario Kart action sequence, The Super Mario Bros. Movie  is visually stunning. It's bright, colorful, and absolutely gorgeous. Every scene is a visual treat, living up to Illumination's pedigree. The characters are expressive, the environments are intricate, and the action is always well-framed. 

From the moment the movie starts, it constantly throws references to the Mario franchise at the audience. The references range from core games all the way up to newer titles like Bowser's Fury. Even the spin-off games, Donkey Kong titles, and other Mario media get some love. Many of the references are obvious, but a few of them either demonstrate the value of Nintendo's involvement or a writing team with an outstanding understanding of the Mario fan base. One reference, in particular, made me gasp in surprise when it happened.

The references come at such a machine-gun pace that they can, at times, overwhelm (much like the standard cadence of the jokes), but I absolutely loved keeping my eyes peeled and scanning every scene for nods and references to the past. Many of the references aren't even things you spot, but rather listen for; the music and sound effects pull from every single era of Mario's past, creating a nostalgic delight – even if I lost count of the number of times I heard a rendition of the Overworld Theme from the original Super Mario Bros.

Easily the most headline-grabbing aspect of the film in the lead-up to its release was the voice cast. Seth Rogen   and Jack Black are cast perfectly as Donkey Kong and Bowser respectively, and Anya Taylor-Joy and Keegan Michael-Key deliver fantastic performances as Peach and Toad. Chris Pratt and Charlie Day, who provide the voices of Mario and Luigi, take the longest to get used to, thanks in large part to the fact that they sound so different from the iconic voices provided by Charles Martinet in the games. However, Pratt's range and comedic timing perfectly capture the journey Mario goes on (and the gags that happen along the way), while Day's trademark frantic line delivery matches Luigi's panicky disposition. By the time the credits rolled, I had adjusted to the point that I simply heard Mario and Luigi, not Chris Pratt and Charlie Day.

Though the references and humor can be a tad thick at times, the highs elevate the experience to the point that any gripes I have would be minor nitpicks in the broad picture. In recent years, the stigma of video game movies being bad by default has faded considerably, but The Super Mario Bros. Movie may be the new poster child for this first golden age of silver-screen game adaptations. The Super Mario Bros. Movie delivers all the thrills of a great Mario game, and in the process, creates the best video game movie yet.

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Everything We Know

Everything we know about the super mario bros. movie, we break down all the details, including who made it, who's in it, what the story might be, and what this could mean for the future of video game adaptations..

TAGGED AS: movies

Video game adaptations sure are leveling up this year, if you’ll forgive the pun. HBO’s take on The Last of Us got the year off to a good start, but this spring, the most iconic video game character of all will be making the jump (pun also intended) to the cinema. The Super Mario Bros. Movie , from Illumination and Universal Pictures in collaboration with Nintendo, will stomp into theaters on April 5, 2023.

If you have questions about The Super Mario Bros. Movie , allow us to answer them as if we were punching a big floating “?” block. Let’s-a go!

The Cast is Mostly A-List Actors

(Photo by Jon Kopaloff, Phillip Faraone, Samir Hussein, Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Nintendo announced the cast of The Super Mario Bros. Movie in September 2021, with Super Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto revealing the news during a Nintendo Direct event — one of the gaming company’s regularly streamed preview presentations. Mario is a man of few words in the games; Charles Martinet has voiced the character since 1992, but “It’s-a me, Mario!” isn’t quite enough dialogue to fill a feature-length script. A new, more talkative voice actor was required.

But when Miyamoto revealed that Mario would be voiced by Chris Pratt , there was some outcry. The Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World star has done voice work before — he’s quite good in The LEGO Movie and Onward — but there were criticisms that he was overexposed as an actor and that his Mario voice would probably just end up sounding like… Chris Pratt. Your mileage may vary on the first point, but when trailers for the movie came out, it was confirmed that Mario does indeed sound like Chris Pratt in this film. Meanwhile, Martinet will still feature in the film in what’s been described as surprise cameos.

(Photo by Universal Pictures)

The rest of the cast is less controversial. Anya Taylor-Joy , star of The Witch , The Northman , and Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit , voices Princess Peach. The movie, as with more recent games in the Mario series, gives Peach more agency as a capable leader of Mushroom Kingdom rather than just relegating her status to a damsel in distress. Charlie Day of It’s Always Sunny in Philidelphia , Pacific Rim , and The LEGO Movie (in which he co-starred with Pratt) plays Luigi, Mario’s younger, green-clad brother. Day’s on-screen persona tends to lean towards the manic, which should be a good fit for Luigi. Jack Black voices Bowser, Mario’s archenemy and frequent kidnapper of Princess Peach. Based on early reactions to the trailers, Black’s take on King Koopa looks poised to be a highlight of the film, as he’s imbuing the character with a good mixture of menace, bluster, and comedy.

Keegan-Michael Key ( Key & Peele , Wendell and Wild ) voices Toad, Peach’s dutiful but oft-hapless assistant. Seth Rogen voices Donkey Kong, who was technically Mario’s first villain when they both made their debut in the 1981 arcade game, but they’ve since become allies — or at least acquaintances who go-kart and party together. Fred Armisen voices Cranky Kong, an elderly and, well, cranky member of Donkey Kong’s family. Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco voices Foreman Spike, a relatively obscure Mario character who made his debut as Mario and Luigi’s boss in the 1985 game Wrecking Crew . Kevin Michael Richardson , a veteran voice actor, lends his pipes to the role of Kamek, Bowser’s magic-using right-hand man — err, koopa — and Khary Payton voices the Penguin King, the monarch of a chilly land that Bowser conquers.

The Plot Does Not Seem to Be Based on Any One Mario Game

Typically speaking, the Super Mario games are not known for having deep, complex plots. There are exceptions — the Paper Mario series of RPGs are fairly lore-dense — but for the most part, the mainline platformer games are pretty bare-bones: Mario must find peach and defeat Bowser. The spin-off games are devoid of a plot. (Mario and Bowser and Co. race go-karts because of… reasons?) The Super Mario Bros. Movie , based on the trailers, seems to be adding a little more context to the basic premise while also drawing in lots of video game Easter eggs.

Bowser is attempting to conquer the world, as one does, and once he obtains a Super Star (the sort that makes Mario temporarily invincible in the games), he has the power he’ll need to do so. Only Mario — who it appears is a newcomer to Mushroom Kingdom — stands in his way. As a character, Mario is said to be an Italian plumber from New York City, but most games don’t really engage with his supposed real-world background or hometown. He just jumps around and plays golf and tennis in Mushroom Kingdom. It seems like the movie’s Mario hails from a place that’s more like our real world and less fantastical than Mushroom Kingdom, but it’s unclear exactly where he’s from.

Upon arriving in Mushroom Kingdom, Mario meets Toad and is taken to Princess Peach, who attempts to train Mario in order to face off with Bowser. There are Yoshis, a Super Smash Bros. -like duel with Donkey Kong, and a Mad Max -esque chase down Rainbow Road, a classic course from the Mario Kart games.

This Is Not the First Mario Movie

(Photo by ©Buena Vista Pictures)

There have actually been two movies based on Mario before this one. In 1986, the anime film Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach! opened in Japan. It’s notable for being the first film ever that was based on a video game, though it technically shares the honor because Running Boy: Star Soldier’s Secret , another video game adaptation, came out on the very same day. The plot follows Mario as he’s sucked into the video game he’s playing, an early example of what’s now known as the isekai genre.

Western audiences are probably more familiar with 1993’s live-action Super Mario Bros. , which is either a cult classic or one of the worst films ever made, depending on who you ask. Starring Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo as the titular Bros. and Dennis Hopper as Bowser, the film drastically altered the basic Mario story, reimagining King Koopa as a highly evolved dinosaur from a parallel world that first formed when a special meteor hit the earth. It’s a mess, albeit one that’s not without its charms, but its commercial and critical failure is reportedly part of the reason it’s taken so long for Nintendo to allow more film adaptations. Nintendo worked with Universal Parks & Resorts to build Mario-themed lands at Universal’s theme parks, and that relationship helped lead to the upcoming feature film.

Talk of a new movie began in the mid-2010s and production began in earnest in 2018 when Shigeru Miyamoto and Illumination founder Chris Meledandri were confirmed as co-producers. The film is directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic ; Horvath oversaw Teen Titans Go! to the Movies , while The Super Mario Bros. Movie marks Jelenic’s feature film debut.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie Could Be Just the Beginning

Nintendo saw some big-screen success in 2019 with the release of Pokémon Detective Pikachu , a live-action adaptation of a Pokémon spin-off game. Should The Super Mario Bros. movie be a success, there will probably be even more adaptations, and Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa has said as much. There are already (unconfirmed) reports that Illumination is prepping a Donkey Kong spin-off, but there are so many Nintendo IPs that could easily become movies. The Legend of Zelda ? Metroid ? Star Fox ? Fire Emblem ? And imagine them all coming together in an Avengers -style crossover (too much?). It could be the start of a new wave of video game adaptations, one that could finally disprove the conventional wisdom that all video game adaptations are bad.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie opens in US theaters on April 5, 2023, and it will open in Japan shortly afterward on April 28.

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The super mario bros. movie, common sense media reviewers.

Colorful adventure is a bit more violent than the games.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Perseverance, teamwork, and courage are important.

Mario stands up for himself and his brother when i

Mario and Luigi are White, of Italian descent. The

Fantasy animated action violence: missiles being s

Mario and Bowser both express romantic interest in

Insulting, bullying language used to humiliate and

Based on the hugely popular Nintendo video game/en

True to the game, Mario eats magical mushrooms tha

Parents need to know that The Super Mario Bros. Movie is based on the hugely popular Nintendo video game/entertainment franchise. Mario (voiced by Chris Pratt) and Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) team up for a quest that involves elements from several of the games, including Donkey Kong, Mario…

Positive Messages

Positive role models.

Mario stands up for himself and his brother when it comes to villains and those who bully others, and he doesn't let teasing or mean comments get the best of him. When it comes to achieving his goals, he puts in hard work and never stops trying. He also shows great courage when it comes to taking on a new world and obstacles. Princess Peach is brave, proactive, and relentless when it comes to defending her land and the creatures in it, putting their needs before her own. Mario and Peach have different goals but work together to achieve them.

Diverse Representations

Mario and Luigi are White, of Italian descent. The movie's take on their over-the-top Italian accents is that they're just for show, but Mario's time with his family reinforces some Italian American stereotypes. Though most of the actors who voice Mario's family are of Italian descent, Mario himself -- Chris Pratt -- is not. The movie's magical worlds feature almost all non-human creatures, but three Black actors voice key characters. Princess Peach is a skilled, brave female leader who leads an army to defend her kingdom. But as fierce and courageous as she is, she's the only female character in any of the lands and is portrayed as a love interest for both Bowser and Mario. In Brooklyn, a wealthy Black couple hire the Mario Bros. for a plumbing job. The creator and some film executives are Japanese.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Fantasy animated action violence: missiles being shot, fingers being crushed in a piano, talk of ritual sacrifices, chases in which characters are in peril. Extreme falls. Character put into intense pain through magic (they're never physically touched). One scary sequence plays like a horror movie, with skeleton zombies that have glowing red eyes chasing a terrified character, crawling out from the ground and eventually capturing him. Dog attack. Spaceship has horns and glowing red eyes. A menacing villain burns down a kingdom and threatens or attempts to kill positive and/or adorable characters. Mean, bullying behavior. Explosions. Adorable character is the voice of doom, making dark comments with the voice of a young child. Bowser's one-sided interest in marrying Peach is at the heart of the plot, and he uses violence against another to coerce her to agree to marry him.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Mario and Bowser both express romantic interest in Princess Peach. Some characters joke with Mario that she would never go out with him.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Insulting, bullying language used to humiliate and put down main characters includes "idiot," "shut up," "stupid," "worthless," and "you're a joke." The ableist term "crazy" is used to describe a character.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Based on the hugely popular Nintendo video game/entertainment franchise. The story weaves together various iterations of the video game and is essentially a commercial for the property. Extensive merchandising in conjunction with the film.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

True to the game, Mario eats magical mushrooms that give him temporary power.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Super Mario Bros. Movie is based on the hugely popular Nintendo video game/entertainment franchise . Mario (voiced by Chris Pratt ) and Princess Peach ( Anya Taylor-Joy ) team up for a quest that involves elements from several of the games, including Donkey Kong , Mario Kart , Super Mario 3D World , and more. The movie is a bit edgier than the games when it comes to cartoon violence, scares, and bullying. Expect missiles, explosions, a well-landed punch, and a plan to make "ritual sacrifices." While Mario and Peach are brave, they and other characters are often visibly panicked and are in constant peril from villain Bowser, who burns down the walls of a kingdom and issues deadly threats to those in his way. Some kids may be frightened by a scene in which Luigi is chased by zombie skeleton turtles with glowing red eyes that creep out of the ground en masse and eventually capture him. The Mario Bros. also hear a lot of insults and are the targets of bullying behavior by a former employer and get teased by family members ("idiot," "stupid," "shut up," etc.). And, of course, there are those magic mushrooms. But ultimately themes of perseverance, courage, and teamwork are clear. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

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Community Reviews

• Parents say (63)
• Kids say (99)

Based on 63 parent reviews

Fun Loving Movie Minus any Agenda

Great movie for families super fun, goofy and no politics, what's the story.

In THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE, Brooklyn plumbers Mario (voiced by Chris Pratt ) and his younger brother, Luigi ( Charlie Day ), fall down a mysterious portal and wind up separated inside a magical world. Mario lands in the Mushroom Kingdom, which is ruled by Princess Peach ( Anya Taylor-Joy ), who's strategizing how to prevent her land from being conquered by the nefarious Bowser ( Jack Black ). When Mario realizes that Luigi has likely been taken prisoner by Bowser, he and Peach team up to save his brother and her people.

Is It Any Good?

Nintendo fans will feel like they grabbed a Super Star while watching this brightly colored magical adventure, which mashes several Mario games up into a full storyline. But for viewers who are less familiar, sitting through The Super Mario Bros. Movie may feel like watching a second grader play a Mario game: It's cute, but you can't help thinking about all the other things you could be doing with your time. Making movies based on video games that have beloved characters and a built-in fan base seems like a natural choice, but not many do it well (exceptions include Sonic the Hedgehog and Detective Pikachu ), and The Super Mario Bros. Movie doesn't depart from that norm.

While it is fun to see the brothers in their "real life" environment in Brooklyn -- working as plumbers and living at home with their big Italian family -- as well as how the filmmakers incorporate elements of the games, the film isn't funny or creative enough to satisfy most teens or adults. Moreover, the child-friendly animation style is a tad misleading, as directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic up the scare factor, making Bowser and his minions more terrifying than they need to be. There's plenty of excitement, nonstop action, and colorful images, but this project as a whole doesn't exactly level up.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how the cartoon action in The Super Mario Bros. Movie compares to that of others you've seen. Does this kind of violence have more or less impact than what's in live-action movies?

What moments did you recognize from the games? If you're a fan of the games, create your own story about Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach.

Talk about the behavior Mario and Luigi experience in Brooklyn. Is Spike bullying them? Is there a difference between that and how Mario's family speaks to the brothers? What's the difference between bullying and razzing, if there is one? What should you do if someone is trying to put you down?

How do Mario and Peach demonstrate perseverance, courage , and teamwork ? Why are these important character traits and life skills? Do you think video games teach you perseverance? Why, or why not?

Movie Details

• In theaters : April 5, 2023
• On DVD or streaming : June 13, 2023
• Cast : Chris Pratt , Anya Taylor-Joy , Charlie Day
• Directors : Aaron Horvath , Michael Jelenic
• Inclusion Information : Female actors, Latino actors
• Studio : Universal Pictures
• Genre : Family and Kids
• Topics : Princesses, Fairies, Mermaids, and More , Brothers and Sisters
• Character Strengths : Courage , Perseverance , Teamwork
• Run time : 92 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG
• MPAA explanation : action and mild violence
• Last updated : December 5, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Screen Rant

The super mario bros. franchise should steer clear of 1 weird princess peach storyline.

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10 Characters Super Mario Bros. Movie Has Already Set Up For A Super Smash Bros. Crossover

Channing tatum's ghost remake gets curious response from original actor, steven spielberg's new movie will revive a career-defining trend after 10 years away & it's very exciting.

• Princess Peach should get her own movie spinoff after being a major player in the successful Super Mario Bros. Movie .
• A Princess Peach movie could explore her mysterious origin story, adding depth to her character and the franchise.
• The Super Mario Bros . franchise should avoid a strange Bowser Jr. storyline from the games.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is officially getting a sequel, and a Princess Peach spinoff is probably inevitable as 2023's billion-dollar hit transforms into a full-on franchise — though one of her game storylines should be avoided. The Super Mario Bros. Movie proved a massive success, so it's no surprise that The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 is happening . And there are plenty of places the franchise can go beyond Mario and Luigi's stories. Princess Peach is the most obvious character to explore in a spinoff, especially given her role in the video games and first film.

If a Princess Peach movie does happen, there are numerous directions The Super Mario Bros. franchise could take her character in . The games offer a variety of narratives to adapt, and that's not to mention the avenues already set up by the 2023 film. Whatever the movie franchise does with Princess Peach's character , it should avoid using one storyline from the Super Mario Bros. games . After the conflict established in the movie adaptation, this subplot just wouldn't land the same on-screen.

The Super Smash Bros. Movie was a huge success, and laid important groundwork for future entries in a larger franchise, as well as a major crossover.

The Super Mario Bros. Franchise Needs A Princess Peach Movie

2023's adaptation improved her character from the games.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie fixes a major Princess Peach problem from the games: her lack of personality and autonomy. Peach is a damsel in distress in the majority of Super Mario Bros. games, and the narrative rarely focuses on her character over its lead. The 2023 film changes this approach, turning Peach into a heroine in her own right. She helps Mario navigate the Mushroom Kingdom, and she's a major player in the fight against Bowser. These positive changes make a Princess Peach movie a must for the franchise. And the perfect spinoff storyline is already set up.

Since Peach doesn't know where she comes from, it seems likely that a sequel or spinoff will dig into her origin.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie gives Peach a mysterious backstory , revealing that she came to the Mushroom Kingdom through a Warp Pipe when she was just a baby. Since Peach doesn't know where she comes from, it seems likely that a sequel or spinoff will dig into her origin. In fact, it would be disappointing if this didn't happen at some point. And there are numerous games the franchise can pull from in order to craft Peach's backstory. It should steer clear of one awkward storyline, though, especially after the plot of The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

A Princess Peach Spinoff Should Avoid Super Mario Sunshine's Bowser Jr. Storyline

The character's introduction wouldn't work for a movie.

No matter what Illumination's Super Mario Bros. universe does with Peach, it should avoid recreating Super Mario Sunshine 's Bowser Jr. storyline . In Super Mario Sunshine, Bowser Jr. makes his first appearance — and he refers to Princess Peach as his mother. While it's later revealed that this isn't actually the case, it's a bizarre inclusion, even in the games. The main source of comedy in this moment comes from players' being perplexed and Bowser looking desperate. But even that wouldn't be enough to make it work in a movie.

It's likely that Bowser Jr.'s storyline wouldn't land well on-screen , especially with a more modern audience. The Super Mario Bros. Movie pulls Bowser's obsession with Peach from the source material, so the setup is there. However, Super Mario Sunshine 's Bowser Jr. plot likely wouldn't go over well if it was examined for a lengthy period of time. It's also hard to compare Peach's reaction in the games to the Peach from the movie. The latter would almost certainly have a different response, removing any suspense players might have felt at Bowser Jr.'s arrival.

The Games' Bowser Jr. Story Would Be Too Weird After The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Super Mario Sunshine 's Bowser Jr. storyline would be too weird to utilize on-screen , especially with The Super Mario Bros. Movie's modernized version of Peach. Princess Peach is very clear in her rejection of Bowser in the film, and there's no way she'd accept his child calling her " mama ." This would also come with awkward implications that could hurt a spinoff or sequel. For Bowser Jr. to believe Peach is his mother, Bowser would need to lie to him about it — and disrespect Peach more than he already has. While it's not out of character, no one wants to see Peach in that situation.

It's also unclear if Bowser will even return as a villain in The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2, as the ending of the film leaves him safely locked away. Overusing Bowser — and even bringing his son into the picture — risks getting repetitive in future movies. Rather than revisit the same Bowser and Peach storylines, The Super Mario Bros. franchise might be better off introducing new villains. This will keep things fresh and expand the world of the movies.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

*Availability in US

Not available

Mario jumps to the big screen in The Super Mario Bros Movie, directed by Teen Titans Go! collaborators Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic. Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, and more appear in this animated comedy that pits the characters in an all-new adventure set in the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond. 

• Super Mario Bros. - Franchise

The 10 Best Anya Taylor-Joy Movies, Ranked

She is that very actress.

After her breakout performance in The Witch , breakthrough role in Split and Netflix's drama sports series The Queen's Gambit , the charismatic and unquestionably talented Anya Taylor-Joy has established herself as one of the most exciting and promising young actors working today. More recently, the British-American actress has become an even more talked-about name for her involvement in popular franchises — she had a small, uncredited role in the latest installment of the science-fiction saga Dune and landed a major role in this year's highly anticipated Furiosa .

Throughout the years, Taylor-Joy has proven that she is a versatile and perfectionistic actor who puts in the work for her roles. Naturally, the results were nothing short of brilliant, as proven by the many accolades under her belt, including Emmy Awards and Golden Globes nominations. From The Super Mario Bros. Movie to Emma . , these are the best Anya Taylor-Joy movies, ranked by greatness and considering the star's impeccable efforts .

10 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' (2023)

Directors: aaron horvath, michael jelenic, pierre leduc.

Although it received mixed reviews from critics, The Super Mario Bros. Movie ended up being one of 2023's highest-grossing features . The Aaron Horvath , Michael Jelenic, and Pierre Leduc movie focuses on the iconic video game character, voiced by Chris Pratt , as he travels through an underground labyrinth with his brother Luigi ( Charlie Day ) on a quest to save a captured princess (Taylor-Joy).

Despite falling short of the expectations of some critics, The Super Mario Bros. Movie was beloved by general audiences, featuring a contrasting 96% audience score on the film platform Rotten Tomatoes . Fans of the treasured character will likely enjoy this animation flick fit for audiences of all ages. One of the aspects that stands out more is the voice casting; Taylor-Joy, for one, perfectly showcases her voice acting talents .

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Watch on Netflix

9 'Barry' (2016)

Director: vikram gandhi.

The Vikram Gandhi -directed Barry focuses on Barack Obama 's ( Devon Terrell ) life at Columbia University in the early 1980s, offering audiences a look into his early life and his struggle to find his place in the world amidst racism and judgment before he became President of the United States and one of the most famous personalities all around the globe.

In this compelling drama, Taylor-Joy successfully steps into the shoes of Obama's love interest Charlotte , the ex-President's first serious girlfriend. Barry is appealing even to those who don't enjoy politics, offering audiences an intriguing look inside the life of the icon — mostly his formative years — and anchored by an incredible central performance. While it certainly isn't Taylor-Joy's best film, it features a great acting effort from the actress.

8 'Thoroughbreds' (2017)

Director: cory finley.

Dark comedy enthusiasts may want to check out Thoroughbreds , a Corey Finley crime drama (his directorial debut, too) focusing on two upper-class high school girls (Taylor-Joy and House of the Dragon 's star Olivia Cooke ) in suburban Connecticut who rekindle their friendship after years apart. The two eventually come up with a plan to solve their problems.

With two talented leads and a genuinely gripping premise, it is only natural that Thoroughbreds would turn out great. The wickedly fun but slightly disturbing movie is well-written and unpredictable and meditates about ambition, manipulation, and morality, resulting in a refreshing addition to the thriller genre and an amazing showcase of Taylor-Joy and Cooke's talents . It's worth noting that the queer undertones between both leads don't go unnoticed.

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7 'Last Night in Soho' (2021)

Director: edgar wright.

Last Night in Soho captured many people's attention when it was released, not only for its talented cast but also considering the mind behind it: none other than Scott Pilgrim vs. the World 's director Edgar Wright . Starring Thomasin McKenzie in the lead role, this psychological horror follows an aspiring fashion designer able to go back in time to 1960s London, where she finds a wannabe singer, Sadie (Taylor-Joy), with terrible results.

On top of its gripping narrative, the strongest aspects of the complex Last Night in Soho are its incredible visuals, editing, and top-notch soundtrack. Furthermore, the stylish movie also does a great job of meditating on the romanticization of the past and highlighting the truth behind it, which includes misogyny and violence against women. Taylor-Joy is hypnotizing as Sandy .

Last Night in Soho

Rent on Apple TV

6 'The Menu' (2022)

Director: mark mylod.

Next up is The Menu , a Mark Mylod horror comedy that satirizes the wealthy and examines issues of class and consumerism, falling under the niche "eat the rich" category that refers to the popular trend in movies and television series. The narrative follows food enthusiast Tyler Ledford ( Nicholas Hoult ) who travels to a remote island to eat in an exclusive, top-notch restaurant with his date (Taylor-Joy) where a renowned chef ( Ralph Fiennes ) has prepared a lavish menu featuring some shocking twists and surprises.

While it had the potential to be something greater (and feels a bit bland at times), The Menu still succeeds in offering audiences a genuinely intriguing concept that mixes the horror and satire genres with great results. The writing and great performances are part of the film's appeal, and Taylor-Joy's incredible performance is the reason why it ranks high on this list .

5 'Split' (2016)

Director: m. night shyamalan.

No doubt, Taylor-Joy's breakout performance in Split remains one of her best . The M. Night Shyamalan movie focuses on three girls kidnapped by a man ( James McAvoy in an astounding acting effort) diagnosed with 23 distinct personalities. The two must try to escape before the emergence of the 24th.

Although the fantastic performances are the highlight of this psychological thriller, its intense premise is truly engaging and manages to keep audiences on the edge of their seats. It is worth noting, however, that it is not an accurate portrayal of people who struggle with DID (dissociative identity disorder), with some audience members believing it promotes negative stereotypes. While not marketed as such, Split is the standalone sequel to Shyamalan's 2000 film Unbreakable .

4 'The Northman' (2022)

Director: robert eggers.

Beautifully shot and featuring a star-studded cast, The Northman marks Taylor-Joy's second Robert Eggers collaboration . In this fantasy adventure, set in AD 895 and likely fit for anyone who enjoys Nordic features, a young Viking prince ( Alexander Skarsgård ) embarks on a revenge quest to Iceland to avenge what was taken away from him: a mother, father, and kingdom.

The Northman is not Eggers' best, but it is still a highly entertaining film with pleasing cinematography and amazing world-building. The fantastic performances at its center (including Taylor-Joy's as Olga, who is the brains behind the mission and a worshiper of the Earth Gods) anchor the gritty movie, and its action sequences and intense battle choreography elevate the film to higher levels, falling under the "epic films" category .

The Northman

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3 'Emma.' (2020)

Director: autumn de wilde.

While there have been many big-screen adaptations of Jane Austen 's groundbreaking work in the literary realm, Emma. certainly ranks high among the best. Autumn De Wilde 's debut takes audiences back to 1800s England and stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the protagonist, the selfish but well-intentioned titular character, as she meddles in the love lives of her friends.

Taylor-Joy's great performance and chemistry with Mia Goth , who plays her trustworthy friend, is nothing short of impressive; Emma. cements Taylor-Joy as a great period drama actor . Additionally, De Wilde's superbly shot movie is a gorgeous piece of filmmaking, with breathtaking cinematography that adds to its enchanting narrative and central love story. Viewers who enjoy being swept off their feet by bewitching period dramas may want to give this a watch.

2 'The Witch' (2015)

The Witch was a major landmark in Taylor-Joy's career : not only was it Eggers' first movie but it was the star's debut in a feature film (and endures one of her best performances to this day). Now regarded as one of the best horror flicks of the 2010s, The Witch centers around a family in 1630s New England who is torn apart by forces of witchcraft and black magic after the disappearance of the younger child.

Bizarre and nerve-wracking are two words to describe Eggers' highly atmospheric movie that meditates on religion, family, generational trauma, puritanism, and oppression. Despite its lack of jumpscares, which is far from being a negative aspect, The Witch is still scary and unsettling, with its haunting screenplay capturing the attention of worldwide horror lovers and its mood and imagery being more than enough to send chills down their spines. Funnily enough, though, despite her amazing performance, the perfectionist star revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that she was "devastated" after watching it for the first time.

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1 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' (2024)

Director: george miller.

Furiosa is undoubtedly one of this year's most anticipated films, with Mad Max fans understandably counting the days to its release. This prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road illustrates the origin story of the titular Imperator before her encounter and team-up with Mad Max, who was played by Tom Hardy in the 2015 film.

Taylor-Joy's latest project is arguably her best achievement so far , not only given the incredible reviews that the film has and the fact that it is her first lead role in a widely known and anticipated film, but also considering her astounding efforts in bringing the beloved character, previously played by Charlize Theron , to life. This, of course, not only encompasses her fantastic acting skills but also her resilience and psychological strength to embody the three-dimensional protagonist. According to The New York Times , the star has revealed that she "still can't make sense" of what she went through.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

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NEXT: This 'Furiosa' Scene Took Anya Taylor-Joy 78 Days to Film