The Super Mario Bros. Movie: Success Built Upon a Shifting Sand Land
Fact: The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) is a hit.
Nintendo and Illumination produced a film that, with a budget of $100 million, grossed more than $1.2 billion and counting.
As if that were not enough, it achieves some records: it is the fourth highest-grossing animated film in history, the highest-grossing film of 2023 (at the time of writing this note), had the best opening for an animated film in history and is also the Illumination film with the best opening in the history of the studio. I can keep going, but the message is clear.
Criticism has been as diverse as the perspectives from which it has been analyzed. On IMDb, it has a modest 7.2/10, and for the general public, it has been a good film.
However, this is not my case, and I will explain why.
Objectives in Disguise
In previous posts on this blog, I’ve talked about how blockbusters today tend to favor visual opulence over solid narrative, rich storytelling, well-written characters, and everything that makes a movie what it is. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) doesn’t escape this.
Yes, visually it is magnificent. No scene is not loaded with details, bursting with colors, and treated with excessive care. There are great moments, such as the confrontation in the Kong arena, the sequence of Rainbow Road, the arrival at the Mushroom Kingdom, and many others that can go a little more unnoticed but not for lacking visual quality. The film takes full advantage of the possibility of including nods and references to the history of the video game, turning it into a gold mine for those who enjoy searching for each of these details.
Putting this aside, but without losing sight of it completely, it is public knowledge that Nintendo has begun to give much importance to its Super Nintendo World parks for some years now. And, at certain moments, what happens on screen seems to be a covert and at the same time brazen propaganda of the Universal Parks. My question is: was it necessary to turn this film into a propagandistic product? Knowing that Nintendo is a company of known hermeticism and deeply suspicious when it comes to ceding their franchises for whatever adaptations other companies intend to make of them, at what time did they think this was a good idea?
We live in a time of cinematic universes, and it is not wrong to think that, if Nintendo sets out to establish its own, it will position its star figure as the main piece of the puzzle to take the first steps. They have property, and story too. Now, is this the best start they could create?
I have also spoken before of films created “in a laboratory”, where executives have more influence than artists, aimed at satisfying a specific audience, with specific objectives, and totally disinterested in generating a true impact beyond the economic one. This gives rise to the excuses of certain critics, or of certain producers as well: “It is a movie made for children”, “it is a movie made for fans”, and many others. Shield The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) behind the label of “children’s film” and justify with it its lack of substance seems absurd to me. How many films from Disney, Pixar and so many other studios have been created as “children’s films” and possess a depth that the Nintendo film should revere? The “for children” should not be used as a justification for simplicity and carelessness, just as the “for fanatics” should not be used to hide the faults that try to be supplied with hidden details that only a very small part of the audience will actually be able to appreciate.
I personally expected a lot from this film, and it has left me with a bad taste of mouth that I will have a hard time forgetting. As always, and have already highlighted the imposing visual part of the film, my analysis points to the narrative aspect (script, plot, characters, etc.). And although, as I often say, the visual has its weight in the narrative, in this case, it adds very little.
In-depth Analysis
The film begins abruptly and precipitously, getting us fully into the conflict. Bowser’s arrival in the icy realm had already been revealed in the trailers almost entirely, so no surprise here. The villain is looking for the superstar. Why? It is not explained to us. What for? It will be explained later, although it will generate more questions than answers. How long has Bowser been looking for this star? What is the origin of it? What happened before he came to the penguin kingdom? Questions begin to pile up from the first minute.
Brooklyn. We know the brothers protagonists and a family conflict is set. This conflict, normally, should take the plot forward, be a motor for the film according to how it is set, but it does nothing but raise it for nothing more than forget it until almost its end. At the same time, that conflict motivates virtually none of the events that happen throughout the plot.
Specifically: Mario and Luigi return to their home and, family dinner in between, his father disapproves of the actions of both, but above all Mario’s. This sets up a conflicting Father/Son plot and, one would think, all that that entails. But the film completely forgets this argument and highlights it only on two later occasions: to establish a closeness between Donkey Kong and Mario, who “suffer” the same problem (although in the case of Donkey Kong, it seems to be less developed still), and about the end, where the father changes his mind after seeing his children become heroes.
Nothing, absolutely nothing is traversed by this conflict other than those two moments. Mario’s decisions throughout the film have little to do with this and even the character himself seems to have forgotten that one of his main motivations was to prove his father wrong. This stops weighing him after a couple of minutes, and this is an insurmountable hole for the plot. What for? Was it necessary to present this dysfunctional dynamic between father and son? Was it not enough with the best-built relationship between the brothers? The whole story could have been about the brothers’ relationship and come to fruition, but not.
Something to highlight, and not for good, is the totally indiscriminate use of an arsenal of songs that are there for nothing more than to fit the film into the canons of today’s cinema. I talked about this in my review of the latest Guardians of the Galaxy movie, a franchise that brought the musical formula to the Hollywood table, and that since then so many have tried to replicate. In both Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) as in its predecessors, music was there forming part of the plot, it had its weight, its significance. In most cases, if a song sounded it was because it was actually sounding in that world. Everyone who tried to replicate the formula failed at this: music as a part of the whole. Not a simple decoration, not a box to check, not a power-up for the movie, not a hook for the audience, nor to generate content on social networks a posteriori. No Sleep Till Brooklyn, by Beastie Boys [also used in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)], Holding Out For a Hero, by Bonnie Tyler (used to the point of exhaustion today), Take On Me, by A-ha, Thunderstruck, by AC/DC, Mr. Blue Sky, by Electric Light Orchestra [also used in the introduction of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)] and many more. The songs only sound for a few seconds, so briefly that they don’t even create the climate they’re supposed to create. If they had the collaboration of the great Koji Kondo, why not supply the film with more music inspired by the video games and thus avoid the repetition of the formula indiscriminately? Because every moment where these songs sound could be accompanied by another musical alternative, but, again, films made in a laboratory.
After some scenes where the skills and shortcomings of the main duo are demonstrated, the brothers are transported to the parallel reality where the worlds we know from video games exist. So far we have seen a brave Mario, always willing to face anyone to show that he is not who others say; on the other hand, Luigi, faithful to his essence, is a more fearful, cautious character, who supports his brother above all things and able to show his courage when the situation warrants it most. At the same time, in a change of dynamics, the film proposes that the character to be rescued is Luigi, and not Princess Peach, who takes his place as Mario’s right hand to help him rescue his brother.
Interdimensional journey in between, the brothers separate and Mario arrives at the Mushroom Kingdom. Instantly we are introduced to a new character, one of the funniest in the film, but with a story and motivations completely incomprehensible: Toad. Mario and Toad meet, introduce themselves, and, without much in the way, set out for the castle of the kingdom fully trusting each other. Why was Toad there? Where was he coming from? Where was he going? Was he expecting to meet Mario? Why is his first impulse to take him to the princess? Why is he helping him for no apparent reason? Moments like this are constant throughout the film. The lack of explanations, as we have already seen, generates a mountain of questions that are never answered.
The film lasts an hour and a half, and I find it hard to believe that’s all the footage created for it. Understanding the importance that this film had for both Nintendo and Illumination and considering all of the above, how could a final cut like this one, edited so carelessly and in excess hastily, as if it had the urgency to be as short as possible have been produced? This, of course, has repercussions in those moments full of nonsense that the film does not strive to correct later or to return to them in any way.
After a terrifying scene that makes us aware of Luigi’s whereabouts, we arrive at the castle. The film portrays Princess Peach as a strong leader willing to do everything possible to stop Bowser. Everything, in this case, means convincing the Kong army to help them. Why would Bowser want to destroy them? (Although later we will know that this is not their main objective) It is not clear. The encounter between the princess and Mario, again, generates more questions than answers. Why does she trust a stranger so blindly? Just for the fact that he is human? Everything lacks weight and foundation. Everything happens quickly because it seems that it has to be, because, for some reason, there is no time to lose. The encounter gives way to a training montage that serves as an approach between both characters, which, again, however comical and musicalized, still feels empty and rushed.
Back to the villain. Now, Bowser reveals his true plan: to marry Princess Peach. He says they have been enemies for a long time. Why? What led to the conflict? We do not know. So why does he want to marry the princess? Is he motivated by being a king? Is he really in love with his enemy? Is it, as it can be seen, just an obsession? The latter seems to be the answer, for, in his own words, if Peach rejects his proposal, he will use the superstar and destroy the entire kingdom. For a film that tries to meet today’s standards, it is somewhat controversial. On the other hand, yes, the Bowser-Peach dynamic has never been entirely clear in video games, and the film takes a lot from the latest installment of the video game saga, Super Mario Odyssey, where the wedding resolution is, more or less, similar to the movie. Either way, it remains an objective without apparent motivation that does nothing more than respond to the story, also without explanation, of the games.
Mario and Peach prepare to convince the Kongs. Leaving the castle, the princess assures him that everyone is counting on them, and immediately the Toads, quite rightly, ask “Who is he?” speaking of Mario. No one knows who he is. No one is likely to know because the plumber barely made it to the kingdom less than a day ago and has interacted with no one but Toad and Peach. Why would “everyone” count on him? To make matters worse, the princess responds to her people by saying that “there is no one important”, in a clear comedic step, and they leave. So is everyone counting on him or is he nobody important? As if this were not enough, this brief scene is contradicted by another near the end, where the princess returns to the Mushroom Kingdom without the army and without Mario, tells the Toads of the castle that everything went wrong and that Mario has disappeared, and they startle as if they had lost a hero loved by all. Again, these inconsistencies of narrative continuity may have their answer in the abrupt editing of the film. Maybe yes, the scenes that fill these gaps exist, but they are not there, and we can’t rely on the maybe.
After the travel scene, we arrive at the kingdom of the Kongs. Previous to this, and almost forced into the film, is the scene of Peaches, where Jack Black becomes bigger than Bowser himself. The song seems created for no other apparent reason than to generate movement in social networks. It is catchy, yes. But I do not find it funny or necessary to the film. There’s not much more to say. We are also told how Peach came to this world, generating more mysteries than certainties, but which seem destined to be explored in future installments. There is a difference, and it is notorious, between the consciously hidden and the simply badly narrated.
The film introduces us to the Jungle Kingdom, Cranky Kong, and his son, Donkey Kong. The gorilla, as clarified above, suffers from a somewhat dysfunctional relationship with his father, as does Mario, and the scene that brings us up to speed on this is the first moment since the beginning of the film where this plot is taken into account again as if there was a need to remind the viewer, and little else, that Mario was also suffering from this.
Almost everything that happens in the realm of the Kongs had already been revealed in the trailers, and it adds to the excessive amount of scenes that were shown for a one-and-a-half-hour movie. Well, having resolved the conflict that confronts Mario and Donkey Kong, we move on to another of the scenes already seen, the race/clash between Bowser’s troops and the protagonists on the rainbow road. The film, with little dissimulation, leads to the plot presenting the benefits of another of Nintendo’s main intellectual properties, Mario Kart. Surely there were other ways to bring the plot to this point, but, once again, disguised objectives.
I want to highlight a brief scene that occurs before the confrontation and that I find inexplicable. Mario and Peach, driving side by side, talk showing a certain flirtation between them, which, in a way, was already brewing. Instantly, Donkey Kong and Toad catch up with them and comment on Mario’s chances of dating a princess. The scene is so poorly executed and the lack of meaning is such that the embarrassment that this interaction generated me is difficult to describe. Why? Why that interaction? If it was enough to cut the scene after the talk of Mario and Peach to leave us with a good feeling. With so much left to fill in the gaps in the script for this film, why did they decide to leave this scene? It is incomprehensible.
The plan fails. The Kong army is captured. Peach and Toad escape. Mario and Donkey Kong are caught by a sea monster. Bowser arrives in the Mushroom Kingdom and the princess, to avoid the suffering of her people, agrees to marry the villain. Without detailing much more, and for not extending this review more than already extended, the action moves to the real world. We’re going back to Brooklyn. Why is everyone teleported to Brooklyn and not to another world of this parallel reality? We do not know. The action returns to the starting point to resolve, in some way, the discord between Mario and his father. And not much more.
During the confrontation between Bowser and Mario, the plumber has an incomprehensible moment of doubt/weakness that is little suited to the construction of the character. Yes, the character can have a moment of doubt, but it is still contrary to everything shown so far. Luigi, on the other hand, does stay true to his construction, and closing a poorly developed arc in a good way does his part for the brothers to defeat the villain. Before Mario’s moment of doubt, one can glimpse Bowser’s possible motivations, which, in any case, only adds more questions. While chasing Mario through the streets of the city, Bowser reproaches him for ruining his wedding by telling him that “finally he was going to be happy” and that is why now Mario was going to “suffer like him”. What is the origin of Bowser’s unhappiness? What did he go through in his past that made him suffer in this way? More unanswered questions.
Our heroes succeed and, without much explanation as to how or why, the next scene shows us the brothers back in the Mushroom Kingdom. How did they get back? What were the consequences of the explosion that brought them to Brooklyn for the final showdown? What happened to the destruction that Bowser’s ship caused in the city? What happened to that link between the worlds? Was it regenerated? Did they fix it? Has it never suffered any damage? Why did they decide to return to that parallel reality when, in their city, everyone now knows them as heroes? Wasn’t that, after all, one of their goals? We. Don’t. Know.
To continue complying with the current canons, the film adds two post-credits scenes that add little to what has already been seen and at the same time leave little to elucidate about the future. Once again, laboratory films. The being of the elements by the simple fact of being there. Repetition of the formula only for repetition’s sake.
This will inevitably seem like an odious discharge about the film. However, it does not try to be. I encourage anyone to watch it, because it’s a completely enjoyable movie (if you don’t look far beyond what it offers). And I emphasize again that visually it is shocking like few things. There is not a moment where you look bad or notice lazy work. Although, again, the visual, narratively, contributes little and nothing.
Personally, I’m disappointed because I expected so much more of this film, but anyway, it’s a convincing start for whatever may come. Economically, as I said, it was a success and perhaps this will lead both Nintendo and Illumination to continue their collaboration and, at best, future deliveries will not build their success on such flimsy foundations as in this case.
Sources:
Annex. (2023, May 23). On Wikipedia.https: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annex : For %C3%ADculas_animadas_con_las_mayor_colecciones
Annex. (2023, May 24). On Wikipedia.https: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annex :Cine_en_2023
Super Mario Bros.: The Movie. (2023, May 23). On Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_Bros.:_La_pel%C3% ADcula
The Super Mario Bros. Movie. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6718170/
