plugged in movie review super mario bros

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• DVD & Streaming

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

• Action/Adventure , Comedy , Kids

Content Caution

In Theaters

• April 5, 2023
• Chris Pratt as Mario; Charlie Day as Luigi; Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach; Jack Black as Bowser; Keegan-Michael Key as Toad; Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong; Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong

Home Release Date

• May 16, 2023
• Aaron Horvath; Michael Jelenic

Distributor

• Universal Pictures

Movie Review

You may think of Mario and his brother, Luigi, as a couple of thickly accented Italian plumbers with bright, monogramed outfits and bushy mustaches.

But hey, all of that is just for the commercials.

I mean, if you’re gonna break away and start your own plumbing business in Brooklyn, ya’ gotta have a schtick, right? Something people will remember. And as goofy as it sounds, That’s-a theirs! (Except for the mustaches, that is. All the men in their family are blessed with fabulous mustache-growing genes, dontcha’ know.)

However, even with a fake persona and a flashy pair of soup-strainers, Mario and Luigi’s business isn’t going so well. There’s always something that goes a bit sideways during their jobs.

Of course, Mario still holds a dream in his heart. He is convinced that if they stick together, he and his brother can be great. Hey, they may even save Brooklyn someday. Uh, plumbing-wise, that is.

And then Mario spots a newscast on TV and sits up with a flush of excitement. A huge water main has cracked open downtown, and the city is having a tough time stopping the flood. This could be the Mario Bros. chance.

Problem is, once Mario and Luigi get to the source of the city’s emergency, they end up being washed into the wrong place and down the wrong pipe. And before you can say Wahoo! They find themselves sucked into some oddly colorful magical dimension … hidden down deep under Brooklyn! Who woulda thunk it?

Mario lands in a Mushroom Kingdom ruled over by a pretty princess in pink named Peach. (Which is, frankly, not such a bad turn of events.) But, not everything is peachy. Mario has some pressing questions to answer.

What is this place? Where did Luigi go? Who’s this dangerous, fire-breathing King Bowser that the mushroomy residents are all afraid of? How can Mario get Princess Peach to give him the time of day?!

One thing’s for sure: Mario has never been a sit-back-and-watch-the-water-drip kinda guy. If he wants answers and solutions, he’s gonna step up with a wrench in hand and work ‘em out.

Let’s-a-go!

Positive Elements

Mario. Luigi and Princess Peach all fight to protect the residents of the Mushroom Kingdom. And they’re willing to give their all to protect one another.

Peach steps up alone to face a threatening army in order to give her people more time to escape, for instance. And Luigi grabs a manhole cover, taking the brunt of an attack, to shield Mario from Bowser’s flames. For Mario’s part, we see him risk his life to save Donkey Kong from drowning, even though they were at odds with each other.

Peach finds herself quite taken with Mario, in fact—not because he’s tall and handsome or an incredible fighter, but because he’s sincere, kind and refuses to give up.

Mario and Luigi also have a special brotherly bond. Luigi is something of an accident-prone mess-up at times. But Mario resolutely declares, “Nothing can hurt us as long as we’re together!” And indeed, the Bros. are a much more formidable force together.

We learn that both Mario and Donkey Kong are bothered by a seeming lack of respect from their fathers. But by story’ end, both dad’s step forward (at different times) to publicly praise their sons for the brave and upright choices they make.

Even though Bowser is a bully-like ruler who’s not afraid to fire-blast his foes, at his core he’s really seeking Peach’s approval. He declares that he’d actually like nothing better than to simply marry her in a “fairytale wedding.” But, of course, his destructive choices belie any small sighing positives that might peek through in his character.

Spiritual Elements

The magical realms that Mario and Luigi slip into are never really explained, apart from Peach mentioning that there’s a “huge universe out there with a lot of galaxies.” In fact, she notes that she herself stumbled into the Mushroom Kingdom when she was just a little girl. And the mushroomy toad residents there raised her and then made her their princess.

Later in the movie, the magical force that drew Mario and Luigi into that foreign world is reversed, sending Mushroom Kingdom characters into Brooklyn.

It’s not spiritual, per se, but both Bowser’s visage and his dark, floating volcanic lair have a very foreboding and perhaps even devilish-looking vibe to them. It’s also a bit reminiscent of Mordor for Lord of the Rings. That darkness is offset somewhat by Bowser’s goofy minions. But sensitive young viewers might be frightened by Bowser’s foreboding appearance.

A scene early in the film has some of Bowser’s minions crawling up out of the ground to pursue Luigi through a dark forest in a way that’s reminiscent of zombie movies, another scene that could be intense for young or sensitive viewers.

Sexual Content

Both Mario and Bowser find Princess Peach to be quite appealing from first sight. And its obvious that Peach kinda thinks Mario is pretty special, too.

Bowser practices his wedding proposal to Princess Peach by dressing up his male wizard like Peach and having him roleplay her response in a scene that’s played for laughs (and which doesn’t seem to be making a political statement, though some might interpret it otherwise).

Violent Content

Once Mario and Luigi find themselves in Peach’s magical realm, the peril of their situation increases dramatically. It’s a cartoony peril but could at times be stressful for younger viewers. That peril is reinforced by threats Bowser and some of his henchmen make to various people. Someone says, “This guy’s brother is going to die imminently.” Another says, “Mario, you’re a dead man!”

Bowser also blows out flamethrower-like bursts of fire that melt an icy castle and burn up a variety of things, including a Koopa that’s transformed from flesh to animated skeleton form. He declares his plans to conquer and rule everything. He sends out his army of Koopas and Ghost Guys and Dry Bones to attack Mario, Peach and the good-guy army.

These battlers smash into each other in Mario Karts, as well as punching and bashing at one another. Vehicles explode and are smashed. A large group of skeleton-like Dry Bones chase and grab at Luigi.

Donkey Kong and Mario jump into battle with each other, and Kong pounds the plumber around, smashing him with barrels and throwing him into walls. It’s only when Mario dons a Cat suit that he comes back with quick scratching attacks. Mario also gets thumped around repeatedly as he tries to make his way through Peach’s obstacle course filled with spikes, clubs and traps.

Again, none of these attacks or thumping falls are bloody or more than cartoony bashes, but the skirmishes can be frenetic at times. And after one pounding battle with Bowser, Mario looks pretty beaten up and bruised until he regroups and steps out once more.

Elsewhere, Bowser intends to destroy a city with a large bomb. And in the real world of Brooklyn, he sends vehicles flying, endangers a large crowd of people and blasts things with fire. But in the end, his destructive plot is foiled.

On a more intimate level, Bowser slams a piano’s wooden keyboard cover down on a sidekick’s fingers and tells him, “Pain is the best teacher.” He declares that he will kill Mario and plans to kill Luigi to set Mario back on his heels. Bowser also decides to sacrifice a large group of prisoners by lowering their cages into a lake of lava. “I’ll be ritualistically sacrificing them in your honor,” he tells Peach. The cages are lowered and begin to melt, but the prisoners are saved.

Crude or Profane Language

Mario and Luigi’s former boss, Spike, calls the brothers “stupid” for leaving his employ. “You’re a joke and you always will be,” he tells them. Someone is told to “shut up.” Other name-calling includes similar phrases, such as “idiot,” “lunatic” and “psycho.”

Drug and Alcohol Content

Mario and others bop yellow Question Blocks that hold magic mushrooms. They gobble them down and are given special power-ups. One can make you bigger, another smaller, for instance. We also see the mushrooms give Mario special Cat and Racoon suits to battle with. Peach consumes a (similar) ice flower that gives her icy powers.

Other Negative Elements

There’s one oddly dark element in the mix that’s played for laughs. In the group of prisoners that Bowser is holding elevated in cages, a particular glowing Luma character makes fatalistic statements. This star-like critter is utterly cute-looking but sighs out statements such as, “The only hope is the sweet release of death,” and, “There is no sunshine, only darkness.” These declarations drive the other prisoners crazy as they plead for it to be quiet.

With the announcement of a new animated Super Mario Bros. movie, I’d wager there were a lot of people worrying that some Hollywood braintrust was going to, once again, ruin a memory from their childhood. (Yeah, I’m old enough to remember that truly horrible live-action Mario pic from the ‘90s.)

But worry not: Mario and crew come through the cinematic translation this time with lots of colorful and sparkling charm to spare.

Granted, this pic has the slow upfront load time of an old Game Cube—with story set-up fanservice that tiny fans likely won’t catch. And the central characters don’t sound or always act like you remember (though Jack Black’s Bowser is a hoot.) But their hearts are all in the right place.

There are heroes, cartoony perils, loving family members and a happy ending. In fact, once the gang gets to goofily stomping Koopas, chucking Donkey Kong barrels and gleefully Mario-Karting about, you can’t help but enjoy yourself.

That said, the only real concern is that some scenes might be visually frightening to really young or sensitive viewers. Much of the peril here, most of it really, is pretty cartoony. But Bowser’s glowing eyes and volcanic HQ do have a dark feel to them that might be upsetting to some.

Still, this is a movie for fans, first and foremost. And I suspect most who’ve played any of these games will have a ball watching this rollicking big-screen homage to Nintendo’s flagship franchise.

After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.

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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 .

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• Parents say (64)
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Based on 64 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.

Suggest an Update

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‘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

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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The Super Mario Bros. Movie - Review

Mario’s cinematic pipe dream comes true..

It took nearly four decades, one spectacular live-action misfire, and dozens of other failed video game adaptations to learn from, but none of it went to waste: Illumination and Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. Movie finally gives the most iconic character in gaming the onscreen adventure he’s always deserved. Benefitting immensely from the endless creativity of the innumerable game developers, artists, and musicians who’ve made the Mario franchise a pop culture juggernaut, The Super Mario Bros. Movie rockets along with the momentum of a Bullet Bill exploding out of a cannon. The Mushroom Kingdom is realized with incredible detail and reverence, and not even a Paper Mario-thin plot can keep the magic of the games from being lost along the way.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s setup is dead simple: while on a plumbing job underneath Brooklyn, brothers Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) are sucked into the Mushroom Kingdom through a warp pipe and become embroiled in King Bowser’s (Jack Black) plans to steal the Super Star, which would give him the power to take over the Toad-filled domain of Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy). Mario’s Cheep-Cheep-out-of-water journey hits all the predictable beats of the “warrior from another world” narrative, but decades of Mario games ensure co-directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic (Teen Titans Go!) have an infinite well of wild scenarios and iconography to pull from to stage inventive action moments, especially once Mario’s gotten a handle of how to properly fly with a Tanooki suit.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie almost always has an inventive in-world solution to whatever problem pops up that relies on something easily recognizable from the games, but never withholds explanation of how that thing works (even if the why goes rightfully ignored.) Whether it’s recreating the path of World 1-1 as Mario and Luigi parkour their way through Brooklyn or the pre-emptive giggle fans will get seeing Mario ingest a blue mushroom instead of a red one during a fight, The Super Mario Bros. Movie manages a great balance of accessibility for general audiences and inside jokes for those of us who’ve dipped in and out of the series over the years.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s heavy use of references isn’t a good thing in and of itself, but their inclusion feels justified because they are used in ways that feel relevant and organic to the world. At worst, sequences like the Rainbow Road race can feel a bit tacked on when they don’t fully make the case for being there with any kind of logical reason (being able to sell movie-branded Mario Kart toys doesn’t count), but then logic is not a currency anyone’s expecting The Super Mario Bros. Movie to trade in anyway. The movie trusts its audience isn’t going to care much about why platforms float, or why there are blocks with question marks all over the place full of power-ups that turn people into cats and flamethrowers. Once you’ve already bought in to things like that, giving 10 minutes of the movie up to staging a big-budget Mario Kart race so that a trek from A to B feels a little more lively is an easier pill to swallow. 

The bombastic score perfectly expresses the grandeur and whimsy of the games' tracks.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s visual vibrance sets a very high bar for the other animated video game adaptations which will surely follow, be that from Nintendo or another studio. Bowser’s fire-versus-ice siege of the Penguin Kingdom, the expansive fungi vistas of the Mushroom Kingdom, and the lush greenery of the Kongs’ Jungle Kingdom are all super-saturated dreamscapes that coalesce into a bustling world begging to be explored further. Brian Tyler’s bombastic score takes care of the musical side of this equation, perfectly expressing the grandeur and whimsy of the games’ tracks at every turn and mining Koji Kondo’s original orchestrations to great effect. The Mario series has some of the most recognizable music cues in gaming history, and Tyler deploys many of them throughout the action just where you hope they’d drop. 

The movie’s mostly excellent use of its source material does contrast with some ill-advised blockbuster animation tropes which can occasionally be grating. Kind of like someone stealing a star from you in Mario Party, the fantastic score makes the pop tracks that are shoehorned in feel lazy by comparison. A little “No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn” as Mario and Luigi parkour their way through the borough never hurt anyone, but by the time Mario and Peach are being karted around the Jungle Kingdom to A-Ha’s “Take On Me,” you may find the needle drops being a little too much of a snap back to reality. That goes double for the writers being unable to resist the urge to have Donkey Kong himself saying “it’s on like Donkey Kong.” 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.

The interminable Discourse surrounding the voice acting in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, as expected, feels totally out of touch with what the cast actually ended up delivering: enthusiastic performances that bring life to the characters, with no real weak link among them. Chris Pratt and Charlie Day’s Mario Bros. are certainly not going to be taking home any commendations from the good people of Brooklyn on their New York accents, but each handily embody their character’s heroism and bravery (hard won though that may be for Luigi). There’s definitely been a flattening of the more cartoonish qualities to the lead characters’ in-game voices - something the movie addresses immediately - but the choice to ground conversations in more a more natural delivery balances well with the fantastical trappings of the Mushroom Kingdom. More than that, it still leaves room for supporting characters like Toad (Keegan-Michael Key), Kamek (Kevin Michael Richardson), and Cranky Kong (Fred Armisen) to be a little kookier and give the ensemble more range. And even though it’s a one-joke character with no impact on the plot, Lumalee’s (Juliet Jelenic, co-director Michael’s daughter) gleeful nihilism lands big laughs every time thanks mostly to the young voice actor’s unerring excitement, which bubbles behind every pitch black observation she makes while locked up with Luigi. 

Jack Black’s Bowser feels like the standout vocal performance as the actor’s trademark bombast fits well with the Koopa King’s outsized sense of self. Bowser’s thirst for power isn’t explored in any serious way: he wants to take over the Mushroom Kingdom because he’s a bad guy and that’s what bad guys do - apparently he missed the point of that group session in Wreck-it Ralph. But Black’s Bowser is frightening, impetuous, and desperate for attention at times, and those frequent mood shifts lend his scenes unpredictability. Jables’ Bowser even performs a ballad in Peach’s honor which feels like a safe-for-work Tenacious D b-side, a descriptor I can’t imagine will upset any fans of Black’s musical chops.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is constantly and joyfully entertaining, and that’s crucial because it lacks any meaningful thematic throughline outside of “we can do anything when we work together!” That lesson feels like an obligated afterthought considering Mario and Luigi spend the majority of this movie separated - not because of any emotional fracture between them early on, but by pure happenstance (warp pipes are crazy!) The brothers mostly agree on everything, and both are quick to enlist the help of allies when the time comes, so the little effort that went into that aspect of the story goes very much amiss. This feels especially frustrating considering the pair of brief flashbacks which give us insights into the characters’ childhoods. Both of these short scenes manage a comparatively touching tone, and hint at better avenues the story could’ve explored to make Mario, Luigi, and Peach feel more fully formed. 

The Verdict

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a fireball of animated fantasy. Mario, Luigi, and Peach’s adventure delights with its infectious energy and smart implementations of video game callbacks, and the top-shelf animation renders the Mushroom Kingdom as an Oz-like wonderland that begs to be explored in the inevitable sequels that will follow. The assembled voice cast puts a unique spin on each of their characters, but undercooked emotional arcs don’t get the same attention as the aesthetics, something not helped by a paint-by-numbers plot that bafflingly keeps Mario and Luigi away from each other for half the movie. Illumination and Nintendo set out to deliver a Mario movie that anyone could enjoy, and that anyone with even a passing knowledge of the games could get lost in - they’ve undeniably succeeded on both fronts.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

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• 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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Movie Review: The Super Mario Bros. Movie Plugged In Entertainment Reviews

Families with fans of Nintendo’s long-running Mario video game franchise will (mostly) love this big-screen adaptation of Mario and Luigi joining Princess Peach to protect her magical Mushroom Kingdom from big-bad Bowser’s dastardly plans.  Read the Plugged In review If you've listened to any of our podcasts, please give us your feedback: https://focusonthefamily.com/podcastsurvey/

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‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Review: Kid-Friendly Video Game Adaptation Pulls Out All the Power-Ups

Christian zilko.

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Nintendo has always stood out as an oasis of untapped potential for an entertainment industry that’s determined to wring every drop of content out of every other preexisting brand. The Super Mario games have produced some of the most beloved characters in pop culture history, and the iconography of warp pipes, mushrooms, go-karts, and carnivorous plants is instantly recognizable. It’s the kind of pre-packaged movie franchise that Bob Iger probably salivated over during his mid-2000s IP shopping spree.

When you really think about it, the only remarkable thing about “ The Super Mario Bros. Movie ” is that it took somebody this long to make it.

For years, the elephant in the room was the horrendous “Super Mario Bros.” from 1993 . That monstrosity, which infamously reimagined Mario and Luigi as live-action New York plumbers played by Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo, reportedly scared Nintendo executives out of the movie business for a quarter century. But in fairness to everyone involved, the source material wasn’t particularly fleshed out at the time. The filmmakers had to make everything up because Mario and his friends were just pixelated little silhouettes who ran in one direction through a two-dimensional world. At that point, you might as well just make a movie about Tetris!

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But the subsequent decades have seen the “Mario” universe grow into a sprawling three-dimensional world. Not only do we know all the heroes and villains and side characters, but most of us can name a few racetracks from the fictional auto racing league that exists within the games. Simply put, there was already an incredible blueprint for a movie franchise. When Illumination announced plans to make an animated Mario movie, all it had to do was translate what already existed to the big screen without screwing it up.

Fortunately, nobody screwed it up. 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. 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. 

When we meet our heroes, Mario (Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) are just Brooklyn plumbers trying to make ends meet. They recently started their own business, but things are going so poorly that they still live with their disapproving parents. The film cleverly explains the whole “Chris Pratt’s Mario voice sounds a lot like his regular voice” thing by revealing that the two brothers play up their Italian heritage by speaking in stereotypically Italian accents in their plumbing commercials. But outside of the marketing gimmick, they just sound like everyone else in Brooklyn.

After a plumbing accident sucks them into the New York sewer system, the brothers are pulled into in two separate vortexes that lead them into two alternative dimensions. Mario ends up in the idyllic Mushroom Kingdom, while Luigi is pulled into a hellish kingdom of darkness ruled by the evil Bowser (Jack Black).

As Mario sets out to look for his brother, he seeks the help of Princess Peach ( Anya Taylor-Joy ), the human woman who rules over a kingdom that otherwise consists exclusively of anthropomorphic mushrooms. (It’s fair to wonder why her title is “Princess” rather than “Queen,” considering that she’s the kingdom’s top reigning monarch and has no royal parents, but it appears that the “Super Mario Bros.” universe is one where titles of nobility are determined strictly by alliteration.)

The two humans soon realize that they can help each other. Peach is sick of living under the constant threat of war from Bowser, so she recruits Mario to help her mobilize an army to take him down and retrieve Luigi in the process. Once she teaches Mario how to navigate this strange video game-like world, they can set out for the Kong Jungle and attempt to recruit an infantry of gorillas to back them.

Mario quickly learns that power-ups are the key to his survival. Peach explains to him that all those floating cubes with question marks on them are actually filled with various mushrooms, flowers, costumes, and other nifty items that allow the stout plumber to punch above his weight against gorillas and dinosaurs. (A scene where Mario dons a cat costume and scratches Donkey Kong with his claws is probably awesome for innocent minds who don’t immediately think about furries.) Once he learns how to make himself huge and occasionally breathe fire, it’s over for the nefarious actors in the Mushroom Kingdom.

Parents shouldn’t expect a Pixar-level experience, but Matthew Fogel’s script has as at least much narrative heft as the best Mario games. Kids’ movies can be — and often are —  so much worse. Nobody is reinventing the blue shell, but Horvath and Jelenic do an excellent job of recreating the Mushroom Kingdom from the recent video games while adding a decidedly cinematic flair. For certain demographics (i.e. families lamenting the fact that it’s been months since a major kids movie hit theaters), this is going to be an absolute godsend.

But even if it’s not your thing, everyone should find a way to coexist with this franchise very quickly. Because it’s hard to see a future where we don’t get a lot more of these. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is a true masterclass in exploiting juicy IP, building out an intricate-yet-familiar world that’s littered with video game Easter eggs that could set up other movies. A spin-off film about Rogen’s Donkey Kong has been rumored for a while, and it seems inevitable that another half dozen have been sketched out on a whiteboard somewhere.

Remember, Illumination has squeezed six movies (and counting!) out of a bunch of pill-shaped yellow guys who look like they just walked out of a hair plug appointment. There’s no reason to think this franchise can’t be at least that big.

Universal Pictures will release “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” in theaters on Wednesday, April 5.

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Movie Review: The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Families with fans of Nintendo’s long-running Mario video game franchise will (mostly) love this big-screen adaptation of Mario and Luigi joining Princess Peach to protect her magical Mushroom Kingdom from big-bad Bowser’s dastardly plans. 

Read the Plugged In review

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The Super Mario Bros. Movie First Reviews: Packed with Nostalgia and Easter Eggs, but Mostly Aimed at Kids

Critics say the movie has lots of fun details for observant fans of the franchise, but the thinly plotted story may leave some viewers wanting more..

TAGGED AS: Animation , First Reviews , movies , Video Games

Here’s what critics are saying about The Super Mario Bros. Movie :

Does it live up to expectations?

Purposefully focusing on a simple and beautiful adventure, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a solid success. –  Brandon Zachary, CBR

For better and worse, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is exactly what you’d expect from a Mario movie made by Illumination Entertainment. –  Reuben Baron, Looper.com

For some people, perhaps, it will be a point in the win column that “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is exactly what it looks like, and nothing more. –  Josh Spiegel, Slashfilm

Does it honor the games?

The fast-paced action effectively approximates the gaming experience. –  Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter

If you’ve ever wondered what it would feel like to be inside a Super Mario Bros. level, this film gets deliciously close. –  Lex Briscuso, The Wrap

The movie doesn’t so much duplicate the logistics of a Mario game as conjure the spirit of the game. –  Owen Gleiberman, Variety

It’s the ultimate in comforting familiarity. –  Jake Wilson, The Sydney Morning Herald

The only difference from the Nintendo games is that viewers don’t have to replay a section 45 times because they keep getting nicked by a rogue Koopa shell. –  Matthew Huff, AV Club

It leaves one feeling like they’re standing to the side and watching someone else play a video game. –  Zaki Hasan, San Francisco Chronicle

(Photo by ©Universal Pictures)

Is it packed with Easter eggs?

Perhaps the film’s greatest asset is its clever reliance on the treasure trove of IP that Nintendo has to offer. – Matthew Huff, AV Club

This movie has a lot of fan service… This is not a bad thing; in fact, it is quite the opposite. Whenever it was possible to sneak something in, they did it. –  Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

The quantity of in-jokes and Easter eggs is high enough that fans of the games will likely enjoy themselves while watching it… The fan service really works. – Reuben Baron, Looper.com

There is some super fun stuff thrown into the background, even if it adds literally zero to the story itself. – Germain Lussier, io9.com

I found myself craving A LOT more video game humor than I was given (there were SO many missed opportunities for Nintendo jokes). – Christie Cronan, Raising Whasians

Far too often, The Super Mario Bros. Movie feels like it’s simply content to check off to-do notes and scratch the viewer’s nostalgia itch. That is, the film is a series of Easter eggs in search of a story. – Paul Attard, Slant Magazine

Does it help to be a fan of the games?

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. – Owen Gleiberman, Variety

While the references are sure to charm Nintendo lovers, and the standard Illumination-style cartoon humor will please youngsters, the film otherwise doesn’t have a ton to offer. – Matthew Huff, AV Club

Even Super Mario superfans might prefer the game. – Peter Bradshaw, Guardian

Is it mostly for kids?

From its very first scenes, it’s clear The Super Mario Bros. Movie is made for children. – Germain Lussier, io9.com

For certain demographics (i.e. families lamenting the fact that it’s been months since a major kids movie hit theaters), this is going to be an absolute godsend. –  Christian Zilko, IndieWire

The Super Mario Bros Movie is very much a kids’ movie that adults will have fun with. – Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

It’s one of the best kids’ films in recent years. – Ross Bonaime, Collider

If you’re a parent, you’re probably already going to see The Super Mario Bros. Movie regardless of what critics say, and you’ll probably have enough fun with it not to feel disappointed. – Reuben Baron, Looper.com

Kids will have a blast, especially with its nods to popular games, such as Luigi’s Mansion and Mario Kart . However, its childish sense of humor and lacking narrative fall short. – Jeff Nelson, Showbiz Cheat Sheet

But is it still entertaining?

The film features one jam-packed sequence after another, one highlight being Mario’s titanic battle with Donkey Kong. – Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter

It’s 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. – Owen Gleiberman, Variety

Even if it’s not your thing, everyone should find a way to coexist with this franchise very quickly. – Christian Zilko, IndieWire

How does it look?

This is a gorgeous movie. The 3D animation works extremely well. It is bright, vibrant, and colorful. – Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

The film looks gorgeous… The attention to the world-building is perhaps the film’s best achievement, constructing an entire universe that feels colorful and unique compared to anything else in recent film. – Brandon Zachary, CBR

I was pleasantly surprised how the bright colors and crisp visuals expanded the Super Mario universe to the big screen in a fresh, exciting way. – Christie Cronan, Raising Whasians

The different worlds of the film—the Mushroom Kingdom, the Jungle Kingdom, Bowser’s Kingdom, and more—are all so rich and full of life. – Lex Briscuso, The Wrap

Stunningly beautiful… The movie might work even better if you could mute it, pause, and zoom around its designs. – Germain Lussier, io9.com

While the animation is crisp, it’s not enough to overcome the film’s many deficiencies in every other aspect of its composition. – Sean Mulvihill, Mulviews

It’s visually bland in ways that reminded me of European knockoff animations. – Peter Bradshaw, Guardian

What about the script?

Parents shouldn’t expect a Pixar-level experience, but Matthew Fogel’s script has as at least as much narrative heft as the best Mario games. – Christian Zilko, IndieWire

Fogel is asked to juggle an insane amount of elements here, and yet, he’s able to make all these parts come together in a satisfying way. – Ross Bonaime, Collider

The plot is as basic as can be, and character development is clearly not a priority. – Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter

It might not have the depth of something like Turning Red , Wolfwalkers , or Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio but it’s not trying to. – Brandon Zachary, CBR

When it comes to molding all that gimcrackery into, you know, a story, they lose the electronic pulse that made the game addictive. – Owen Gleiberman, Variety

It is very formulaic and was clearly made so that even the youngest fan can understand and enjoy it. – Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

A lot of the film’s jokes don’t land, at least for an adult audience, which will certainly make up a vast group for this picture. – Lex Briscuso, The Wrap

The Super Mario Bros. Movie feels as if Fogel was handed a list of iconic video game elements and was told to reverse engineer them into a barebones story. – Sean Mulvihill, Mulviews

Do any of the voice performances stand out?

One of the film’s biggest MVPs is Keegan Michael-Key’s Toad, who is responsible for half of the movie’s most comedic moments. – Lex Briscuso, The Wrap

Jack Black, who voices this horny demon [Bowser], gives a stupendous performance. – Owen Gleiberman, Variety

The real standout here is Jack Black as Bowser. His penchant for the grandiose makes him the perfect choice for the character. – Ross Bonaime, Collider

Jack Black as Bowser is one of his best performances ever. My favorite character hands down. – Christie Cronan, Raising Whasians

So it has a good villain?

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. – Owen Gleiberman, Variety

He’s the full package: menacing and vicious with a soft and insecure side that bubbles over at the perfect comedic moment. – Lex Briscuso, The Wrap

Black’s performance makes Bowser more than just a villain to be toppled. – Ross Bonaime, Collider

What about Chris Pratt’s work as Mario?

What Pratt does works. I promise you that. It makes sense and even if it bothers you at the beginning, you are going to quickly forget it as the movie continues. – Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

Sorry to disappoint, but Pratt is a good choice for Mario, finding just the right amount of inflection for the character and without sounding like little more than a collection of the character’s famous lines. – Ross Bonaime, Collider

Pratt nails a modernized, slightly subdued version of a stereotypical Brooklyn accent that comes off natural and inoffensive, a logical portrayal of the Mario character. – Lex Briscuso, The Wrap

He’s not doing a terrible job so much as I’m not sure anyone really knows what the job is. – Reuben Baron, Looper.com

How is the length of the movie?

The brisk 92-minute running time is another plus, especially for younger attention spans. – Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter

With a runtime of only 92 minutes, it doesn’t overstay its welcome. – Matthew Huff, AV Club

It’s a shame that the svelte 92-minute runtime means we don’t get much time to linger in this vibrant setting. – Fay Watson, Total Film

Will we want more Super Mario Bros. movies?

There are multiple hints at what could be coming next for the franchise. I just have my fingers crossed for more Luigi. – Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

As far as I’m concerned, it’s Game Over. – Sean Mulvihill, Mulviews

The Super Mario Bros. Movie opens in theaters everywhere on April 5, 2023.

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Movie Review: The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Mario and crew move from the game screen to the movie screen with lots of colorful and sparkling charm to spare.

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The Super Mario Bros. Movie Parent Guide

The story is underwritten and the characters are flat but this film is bright, fun, and filled with jokes for viewers of all ages..

Theaters: Mario and Princess Peach travel through the Mushroom Kingdom to save Luigi and stop Bowser from conquering the world.

Release date April 5, 2023

Run Time: 92 minutes

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The guide to our grades, parent movie review by savannah sillito.

Brooklyn brothers Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) are struggling to get their new plumbing business off the ground. While exploring the sewer system, they both get sucked into a mysterious pipe that leads them to magical worlds. Luigi finds himself in a barren world of lava and skeleton zombies ruled by the terrifying Bowser (Jack Black), while Mario falls into a world of mushrooms led by the courageous Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy). With Bowser intent on taking over all the kingdoms in the realm, Mario and Peach team up to defeat him and save Luigi.

I told a coworker that I was seeing this movie and she asked if it would be a good choice for someone who has zero knowledge of the Nintendo property. To answer her question publicly, no. Although I enjoyed the film overall, which I’ll expand on in a moment, I don’t recommend it for people who don’t know anything about the Mario games. You do not have to be an expert (I know I’m not) but you should have some basic ideas of the characters and their worlds, or you’ll be completely lost and probably quite bored.

That all said, I had a great time and so did the theater full of kids. What little plot there is manages to be fun and deliver positive messages about courage, teamwork, and persistence. There are some great jokes that even got me howling with laughter and, contrived as the set pieces may be, they are super enjoyable. Troops of monkeys and turtles fighting Mad Max- style in Go Karts on a rainbow? Come on, that’s just great cinema. Jack Black is the glue holding this precarious production together as he brings the perfect balance of menace and ridiculousness and even gets to flex his musical chops.

I want to make a special shout out to the composer, Brian Tyler, who crafted the perfect blend of the original Nintendo score (by Koji Kondo) into an orchestral score. The soundtrack pays homage to the familiar themes, but not to the point that it becomes annoying; on the contrary, it’s absolutely fantastic.

Overall, I think children and fans of the franchise are going to have a blast with this movie. No, it’s not going to win any writing awards, but it made me laugh and it looks good which is more than I can say for most children’s media. Parents need only worry about the fantasy violence throughout, which could be a bit scary for very young viewers. If you’re ok with a lot of spectacle and not much substance, The Super Mario Bros Movie is sure to power up family movie night.

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Savannah sillito, watch the trailer for the super mario bros. movie.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie Rating & Content Info

Why is The Super Mario Bros. Movie rated PG? The Super Mario Bros. Movie is rated PG by the MPAA for action and mild violence.

Violence: There is fantasy action violence throughout including explosions, falls, magic, and fire. Characters fight, including with various powerups. A character is repeatedly struck and is seen with a bruised face. There is a brief scene of a character being tortured by magic. A male character has his moustache hair pulled out while being interrogated. A piano lid is slammed on someone’s hands. A monster eats two characters but they don’t die. A character is chased by zombie skeletons. Sexual Content: None. Profanity: There are some mild insults such as “idiot” and “stupid”. Alcohol / Drug Use: None.

Page last updated January 23, 2024

The Super Mario Bros. Movie Parents' Guide

Loved this movie try these books….

If you’ve got a young Mario fan in your house, you will want to get a copy of Nintendo’s Super Mario Encyclopedia: The Official Guide to the First 30 Years. Your youngster will be delighted with the abundance of trivia available here.

Adult video fans who want to learn the backstory behind Mario can read Jeff Ryan’s Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America.

Related home video titles:

Video games (real or imagined) are the inspiration for several family-friendly films. Fans of Disney movie franchises might enjoy Wreck-It-Ralph and Ralph Breaks the Internet .

Young game fans will enjoy The Angry Birds Movie and The Angry Birds Movie 2 . The bright blue hedgehog comes to the big screen in Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

Teen viewers and their parents will appreciate Ryan Reynolds’ performance in Free Guy, a movie that goes inside a video game as a character becomes self-aware and starts to make independent choices.

Also based on a game is Uncharted, a fast-paced action thriller starring Tom Holland. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves builds on the video game and its real world predecessor to create an engaging fantasy universe peopled with charming or villainous characters.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie: Chris Pratt Shares His Thoughts On the First Anniversary of the Movie Along with Barbenheimer Jokes, More

"step aside “barben heimer,” it’s barbio brothers over here".

The Super Mario Bros. Movie was released a year ago on April 5, 2023. The Super Mario Bros. Movie didn’t take time to become one of the most-watched movies of last year and also become of the best game adaptations of all time. Fans also loved the performances by Chris Pratt as Mario, Jack Black as Bowser, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong and other members of the cast. On the first anniversary of the movie, the lead, Chris Pratt had some thoughts to share about it, learn more below.

The Guardians of the Galaxy star quickly became at home with a brand new role, set in an entirely different franchise, Super Mario. His performance as the titular plumber was appreciated by a lot of fans and it seems he feels deeply connected to the movie too. Pratt’s latest post on Instagram talks about the movie’s first anniversary and how it managed to become “the 2nd highest-grossing movie of 2023”.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Chris Pratt (@prattprattpratt)

Pratt also had some jokes in the caption, stating things like “Step aside 'Barben Heimer', it’s Barbio Brothers over here!” Pratt ended the caption with a sweet message talking about how “grateful” he was to have the opportunity to lend his voice to this “iconic and classic character”. The post also included several images of him along with some of the other cast and crew members during the premiere of the movie. Fans can also rejoice that a sequel to for Super Mario Bros. Movie is officially in development and is slated for April 2026.

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The Super Mario Bros. Movie Review

Mario’s cinematic pipe dream comes true..

It took nearly four decades, one spectacular live-action misfire, and dozens of other failed video game adaptations to learn from, but none of it went to waste: Illumination and Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. Movie finally gives the most iconic character in gaming the onscreen adventure he’s always deserved. Benefitting immensely from the endless creativity of the innumerable game developers, artists, and musicians who’ve made the Mario franchise a pop culture juggernaut, The Super Mario Bros. Movie rockets along with the momentum of a Bullet Bill exploding out of a cannon. The Mushroom Kingdom is realized with incredible detail and reverence, and not even a Paper Mario-thin plot can keep the magic of the games from being lost along the way.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s setup is dead simple: while on a plumbing job underneath Brooklyn, brothers Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) are sucked into the Mushroom Kingdom through a warp pipe and become embroiled in King Bowser’s (Jack Black) plans to steal the Super Star, which would give him the power to take over the Toad-filled domain of Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy). Mario’s Cheep-Cheep-out-of-water journey hits all the predictable beats of the “warrior from another world” narrative, but decades of Mario games ensure co-directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic (Teen Titans Go!) have an infinite well of wild scenarios and iconography to pull from to stage inventive action moments, especially once Mario’s gotten a handle of how to properly fly with a Tanooki suit.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie: Nintendo Direct Trailer Stills

The Super Mario Bros. Movie almost always has an inventive in-world solution to whatever problem pops up that relies on something easily recognizable from the games, but never withholds explanation of how that thing works (even if the why goes rightfully ignored.) Whether it’s recreating the path of World 1-1 as Mario and Luigi parkour their way through Brooklyn or the pre-emptive giggle fans will get seeing Mario ingest a blue mushroom instead of a red one during a fight, The Super Mario Bros. Movie manages a great balance of accessibility for general audiences and inside jokes for those of us who’ve dipped in and out of the series over the years.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s heavy use of references isn’t a good thing in and of itself, but their inclusion feels justified because they are used in ways that feel relevant and organic to the world. At worst, sequences like the Rainbow Road race can feel a bit tacked on when they don’t fully make the case for being there with any kind of logical reason (being able to sell movie-branded Mario Kart toys doesn’t count), but then logic is not a currency anyone’s expecting The Super Mario Bros. Movie to trade in anyway. The movie trusts its audience isn’t going to care much about why platforms float, or why there are blocks with question marks all over the place full of power-ups that turn people into cats and flamethrowers. Once you’ve already bought in to things like that, giving 10 minutes of the movie up to staging a big-budget Mario Kart race so that a trek from A to B feels a little more lively is an easier pill to swallow.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s visual vibrance sets a very high bar for the other animated video game adaptations which will surely follow, be that from Nintendo or another studio. Bowser’s fire-versus-ice siege of the Penguin Kingdom, the expansive fungi vistas of the Mushroom Kingdom, and the lush greenery of the Kongs’ Jungle Kingdom are all super-saturated dreamscapes that coalesce into a bustling world begging to be explored further. Brian Tyler’s bombastic score takes care of the musical side of this equation, perfectly expressing the grandeur and whimsy of the games’ tracks at every turn and mining Koji Kondo’s original orchestrations to great effect. The Mario series has some of the most recognizable music cues in gaming history, and Tyler deploys many of them throughout the action just where you hope they’d drop.

The movie’s mostly excellent use of its source material does contrast with some ill-advised blockbuster animation tropes which can occasionally be grating. Kind of like someone stealing a star from you in Mario Party, the fantastic score makes the pop tracks that are shoehorned in feel lazy by comparison. A little “No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn” as Mario and Luigi parkour their way through the borough never hurt anyone, but by the time Mario and Peach are being karted around the Jungle Kingdom to A-Ha’s “Take On Me,” you may find the needle drops being a little too much of a snap back to reality. That goes double for the writers being unable to resist the urge to have Donkey Kong himself saying “it’s on like Donkey Kong.” 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.

Which Power-Up Do You Want to See Most in The Super Mario Bros. Movie?

The interminable Discourse surrounding the voice acting in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, as expected, feels totally out of touch with what the cast actually ended up delivering: enthusiastic performances that bring life to the characters, with no real weak link among them. Chris Pratt and Charlie Day’s Mario Bros. are certainly not going to be taking home any commendations from the good people of Brooklyn on their New York accents, but each handily embody their character’s heroism and bravery (hard won though that may be for Luigi). There’s definitely been a flattening of the more cartoonish qualities to the lead characters’ in-game voices - something the movie addresses immediately - but the choice to ground conversations in more a more natural delivery balances well with the fantastical trappings of the Mushroom Kingdom. More than that, it still leaves room for supporting characters like Toad (Keegan-Michael Key), Kamek (Kevin Michael Richardson), and Cranky Kong (Fred Armisen) to be a little kookier and give the ensemble more range. And even though it’s a one-joke character with no impact on the plot, Lumalee’s (Juliet Jelenic, co-director Michael’s daughter) gleeful nihilism lands big laughs every time thanks mostly to the young voice actor’s unerring excitement, which bubbles behind every pitch black observation she makes while locked up with Luigi.

Jack Black’s Bowser feels like the standout vocal performance as the actor’s trademark bombast fits well with the Koopa King’s outsized sense of self. Bowser’s thirst for power isn’t explored in any serious way: he wants to take over the Mushroom Kingdom because he’s a bad guy and that’s what bad guys do - apparently he missed the point of that group session in Wreck-it Ralph. But Black’s Bowser is frightening, impetuous, and desperate for attention at times, and those frequent mood shifts lend his scenes unpredictability. Jables’ Bowser even performs a ballad in Peach’s honor which feels like a safe-for-work Tenacious D b-side, a descriptor I can’t imagine will upset any fans of Black’s musical chops.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is constantly and joyfully entertaining, and that’s crucial because it lacks any meaningful thematic throughline outside of “we can do anything when we work together!” That lesson feels like an obligated afterthought considering Mario and Luigi spend the majority of this movie separated - not because of any emotional fracture between them early on, but by pure happenstance (warp pipes are crazy!) The brothers mostly agree on everything, and both are quick to enlist the help of allies when the time comes, so the little effort that went into that aspect of the story goes very much amiss. This feels especially frustrating considering the pair of brief flashbacks which give us insights into the characters’ childhoods. Both of these short scenes manage a comparatively touching tone, and hint at better avenues the story could’ve explored to make Mario, Luigi, and Peach feel more fully formed.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a fireball of animated fantasy. Mario, Luigi, and Peach’s adventure delights with its infectious energy and smart implementations of video game callbacks, and the top-shelf animation renders the Mushroom Kingdom as an Oz-like wonderland that begs to be explored in the inevitable sequels that will follow. The assembled voice cast puts a unique spin on each of their characters, but undercooked emotional arcs don’t get the same attention as the aesthetics, something not helped by a paint-by-numbers plot that bafflingly keeps Mario and Luigi away from each other for half the movie. Illumination and Nintendo set out to deliver a Mario movie that anyone could enjoy, and that anyone with even a passing knowledge of the games could get lost in - they’ve undeniably succeeded on both fronts.

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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.

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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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• DVD & Streaming

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

• Action/Adventure , Comedy , Kids

Content Caution

In Theaters

• April 5, 2023
• Chris Pratt as Mario; Charlie Day as Luigi; Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach; Jack Black as Bowser; Keegan-Michael Key as Toad; Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong; Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong

Home Release Date

• May 16, 2023
• Aaron Horvath; Michael Jelenic

Distributor

• Universal Pictures

Movie Review

You may think of Mario and his brother, Luigi, as a couple of thickly accented Italian plumbers with bright, monogramed outfits and bushy mustaches.

But hey, all of that is just for the commercials.

I mean, if you’re gonna break away and start your own plumbing business in Brooklyn, ya’ gotta have a schtick, right? Something people will remember. And as goofy as it sounds, That’s-a theirs! (Except for the mustaches, that is. All the men in their family are blessed with fabulous mustache-growing genes, dontcha’ know.)

However, even with a fake persona and a flashy pair of soup-strainers, Mario and Luigi’s business isn’t going so well. There’s always something that goes a bit sideways during their jobs.

Of course, Mario still holds a dream in his heart. He is convinced that if they stick together, he and his brother can be great. Hey, they may even save Brooklyn someday. Uh, plumbing-wise, that is.

And then Mario spots a newscast on TV and sits up with a flush of excitement. A huge water main has cracked open downtown, and the city is having a tough time stopping the flood. This could be the Mario Bros. chance.

Problem is, once Mario and Luigi get to the source of the city’s emergency, they end up being washed into the wrong place and down the wrong pipe. And before you can say Wahoo! They find themselves sucked into some oddly colorful magical dimension … hidden down deep under Brooklyn! Who woulda thunk it?

Mario lands in a Mushroom Kingdom ruled over by a pretty princess in pink named Peach. (Which is, frankly, not such a bad turn of events.) But, not everything is peachy. Mario has some pressing questions to answer.

What is this place? Where did Luigi go? Who’s this dangerous, fire-breathing King Bowser that the mushroomy residents are all afraid of? How can Mario get Princess Peach to give him the time of day?!

One thing’s for sure: Mario has never been a sit-back-and-watch-the-water-drip kinda guy. If he wants answers and solutions, he’s gonna step up with a wrench in hand and work ‘em out.

Let’s-a-go!

Positive Elements

Mario. Luigi and Princess Peach all fight to protect the residents of the Mushroom Kingdom. And they’re willing to give their all to protect one another.

Peach steps up alone to face a threatening army in order to give her people more time to escape, for instance. And Luigi grabs a manhole cover, taking the brunt of an attack, to shield Mario from Bowser’s flames. For Mario’s part, we see him risk his life to save Donkey Kong from drowning, even though they were at odds with each other.

Peach finds herself quite taken with Mario, in fact—not because he’s tall and handsome or an incredible fighter, but because he’s sincere, kind and refuses to give up.

Mario and Luigi also have a special brotherly bond. Luigi is something of an accident-prone mess-up at times. But Mario resolutely declares, “Nothing can hurt us as long as we’re together!” And indeed, the Bros. are a much more formidable force together.

We learn that both Mario and Donkey Kong are bothered by a seeming lack of respect from their fathers. But by story’ end, both dad’s step forward (at different times) to publicly praise their sons for the brave and upright choices they make.

Even though Bowser is a bully-like ruler who’s not afraid to fire-blast his foes, at his core he’s really seeking Peach’s approval. He declares that he’d actually like nothing better than to simply marry her in a “fairytale wedding.” But, of course, his destructive choices belie any small sighing positives that might peek through in his character.

Spiritual Elements

The magical realms that Mario and Luigi slip into are never really explained, apart from Peach mentioning that there’s a “huge universe out there with a lot of galaxies.” In fact, she notes that she herself stumbled into the Mushroom Kingdom when she was just a little girl. And the mushroomy toad residents there raised her and then made her their princess.

Later in the movie, the magical force that drew Mario and Luigi into that foreign world is reversed, sending Mushroom Kingdom characters into Brooklyn.

It’s not spiritual, per se, but both Bowser’s visage and his dark, floating volcanic lair have a very foreboding and perhaps even devilish-looking vibe to them. It’s also a bit reminiscent of Mordor for Lord of the Rings. That darkness is offset somewhat by Bowser’s goofy minions. But sensitive young viewers might be frightened by Bowser’s foreboding appearance.

A scene early in the film has some of Bowser’s minions crawling up out of the ground to pursue Luigi through a dark forest in a way that’s reminiscent of zombie movies, another scene that could be intense for young or sensitive viewers.

Sexual Content

Both Mario and Bowser find Princess Peach to be quite appealing from first sight. And its obvious that Peach kinda thinks Mario is pretty special, too.

Bowser practices his wedding proposal to Princess Peach by dressing up his male wizard like Peach and having him roleplay her response in a scene that’s played for laughs (and which doesn’t seem to be making a political statement, though some might interpret it otherwise).

Violent Content

Once Mario and Luigi find themselves in Peach’s magical realm, the peril of their situation increases dramatically. It’s a cartoony peril but could at times be stressful for younger viewers. That peril is reinforced by threats Bowser and some of his henchmen make to various people. Someone says, “This guy’s brother is going to die imminently.” Another says, “Mario, you’re a dead man!”

Bowser also blows out flamethrower-like bursts of fire that melt an icy castle and burn up a variety of things, including a Koopa that’s transformed from flesh to animated skeleton form. He declares his plans to conquer and rule everything. He sends out his army of Koopas and Ghost Guys and Dry Bones to attack Mario, Peach and the good-guy army.

These battlers smash into each other in Mario Karts, as well as punching and bashing at one another. Vehicles explode and are smashed. A large group of skeleton-like Dry Bones chase and grab at Luigi.

Donkey Kong and Mario jump into battle with each other, and Kong pounds the plumber around, smashing him with barrels and throwing him into walls. It’s only when Mario dons a Cat suit that he comes back with quick scratching attacks. Mario also gets thumped around repeatedly as he tries to make his way through Peach’s obstacle course filled with spikes, clubs and traps.

Again, none of these attacks or thumping falls are bloody or more than cartoony bashes, but the skirmishes can be frenetic at times. And after one pounding battle with Bowser, Mario looks pretty beaten up and bruised until he regroups and steps out once more.

Elsewhere, Bowser intends to destroy a city with a large bomb. And in the real world of Brooklyn, he sends vehicles flying, endangers a large crowd of people and blasts things with fire. But in the end, his destructive plot is foiled.

On a more intimate level, Bowser slams a piano’s wooden keyboard cover down on a sidekick’s fingers and tells him, “Pain is the best teacher.” He declares that he will kill Mario and plans to kill Luigi to set Mario back on his heels. Bowser also decides to sacrifice a large group of prisoners by lowering their cages into a lake of lava. “I’ll be ritualistically sacrificing them in your honor,” he tells Peach. The cages are lowered and begin to melt, but the prisoners are saved.

Crude or Profane Language

Mario and Luigi’s former boss, Spike, calls the brothers “stupid” for leaving his employ. “You’re a joke and you always will be,” he tells them. Someone is told to “shut up.” Other name-calling includes similar phrases, such as “idiot,” “lunatic” and “psycho.”

Drug and Alcohol Content

Mario and others bop yellow Question Blocks that hold magic mushrooms. They gobble them down and are given special power-ups. One can make you bigger, another smaller, for instance. We also see the mushrooms give Mario special Cat and Racoon suits to battle with. Peach consumes a (similar) ice flower that gives her icy powers.

Other Negative Elements

There’s one oddly dark element in the mix that’s played for laughs. In the group of prisoners that Bowser is holding elevated in cages, a particular glowing Luma character makes fatalistic statements. This star-like critter is utterly cute-looking but sighs out statements such as, “The only hope is the sweet release of death,” and, “There is no sunshine, only darkness.” These declarations drive the other prisoners crazy as they plead for it to be quiet.

With the announcement of a new animated Super Mario Bros. movie, I’d wager there were a lot of people worrying that some Hollywood braintrust was going to, once again, ruin a memory from their childhood. (Yeah, I’m old enough to remember that truly horrible live-action Mario pic from the ‘90s.)

But worry not: Mario and crew come through the cinematic translation this time with lots of colorful and sparkling charm to spare.

Granted, this pic has the slow upfront load time of an old Game Cube—with story set-up fanservice that tiny fans likely won’t catch. And the central characters don’t sound or always act like you remember (though Jack Black’s Bowser is a hoot.) But their hearts are all in the right place.

There are heroes, cartoony perils, loving family members and a happy ending. In fact, once the gang gets to goofily stomping Koopas, chucking Donkey Kong barrels and gleefully Mario-Karting about, you can’t help but enjoy yourself.

That said, the only real concern is that some scenes might be visually frightening to really young or sensitive viewers. Much of the peril here, most of it really, is pretty cartoony. But Bowser’s glowing eyes and volcanic HQ do have a dark feel to them that might be upsetting to some.

Still, this is a movie for fans, first and foremost. And I suspect most who’ve played any of these games will have a ball watching this rollicking big-screen homage to Nintendo’s flagship franchise.

After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.

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Does The Super Mario Bros. Movie Have a Post-Credits Scene?

The video game could become a multi-movie franchise.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie takes everybody's favorite Italian plumber and pink-clad princess and propels them from the games console to the big screen. And there is a pretty good chance that this movie, which is now streaming on Peacock, is merely the first in a brand new franchise of movies that will follow the adventures of Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad.

And The Super Mario Bros. Movie itself certainly seems to be laying the groundwork for future installments, by including what is now very much a staple in the franchise-building business: a post-credits scene. In fact, it has two.

The Super Mario Bros Movie has a mid- and post-credits scene.

Spoilers ahead..

The first scene takes place in the middle of the end credits, after the initial sequence featuring the names of the main cast, director, and studio, and features a reprise of an earlier joke in the movie: Bowser's ode-in-song to Princess Peach, sung this time to comical effect by a miniaturized Bowser (voiced by the hilarious Jack Black).

The second scene, however, functions as an introduction to another character from the games who did not appear in the movie but will likely play a role in the next: Yoshi the dinosaur, whose egg hatches beneath the streets of Brooklyn.

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