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Know Before You Watch The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Movie: The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Rating: PG
Genre: Children, Animated, Comedy
Length: 1 hr. 32 mins.
Age suggested: 6 and up
Release Date: April 5th, 2023
Warnings: Mild cartoon violence, Lots of explosions and fires, Some scary and intense imagery. See our “Is The Super Mario Bros. Movie Kid Friendly” section below.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie Summary
The Mario Bros are back on the big screen, but this time it’s for the kids. This lively animated film brings the nostalgia of the original game into more modern graphics and storytelling. While it probably won’t be winning all the awards, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is truly a fun watch whether you grew up with the games or you’ve never played. It’s a great family movie because there are things about the movie that each age group will enjoy, from the throwback music and game references to the cute and hilarious characters.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie Review
(Contains Light Spoilers)
So this movie had all the possibility of being another dollar bin video game adaptation. Animated movies with all star voice casts usually don’t end up being great and video game adaptions are hit or miss. Luckily, it had a lot of fun surprises and heart! We start with Mario and Luigi in New York struggling to build up their new startup plumbing business and it is not going well. Mario, although confident at times, struggles to live up to his family’s expectations. Luigi on the other hand, lives in fear and often finds himself on the unlucky side of everything.
Through an odd series of events, Mario and Luigi wind up in the another world. They are split up and Mario ends up in the Mushroom Kingdom and Luigi finds himself in the Darklands. This leads to Mario and a large crew teaming up to take on the powerful King Bowser and find his brother.
The casting in this film is absolutely phenomenal. Chris Pratt got a lot of flack when it was announced that he would be voicing Mario, but he did a really great job. A lot of times when a cast of big names is put together for a movie it can be distracting, but it really worked well in this film. Although pretty much everyone was a great match, a special shout out must be given to Jack Black as Bowser. He had such a good balance between menacing and goofy, like only he can. And the 80’s power ballad in the middle of the movie (While not quite Kristoff level) was SUCH a great moment.
The actual plot of the movie is pretty straightforward after the portal to the Mushroom World, but it is still pretty fun. There is a clear villain, Bowser, while Mario and Peach work together to bring an army to stop him. Donkey Kong and Toad are among the most notable characters that join Mario and Peach. Donkey Kong is insecure about being viewed as only a smashing machine and Toad is a brave person who is willing to do absolutely anything for his friend. The dynamics between the characters adds a lot of the fun and humor throughout the film.
Is The Super Mario Bros. Movie Kid-Friendly?
The movie opens with fire ships, crashing buildings, crawling skeletons, and flashing lights. Throughout the movie, there is a LOT of fire and lava. Maybe the most I’ve seen in a children’s movie. There are also lots of bombs and explosions. There is a really big explosion and earthquake towards the end that might be frightening,
On the darker side of the film, Bowser land is super dark and scary with a creepy and realistic castle. Skeletons consistently pop up as animated villains or garments. Although none of them are major, little jump scares occur throughout the film. This movie is slightly more scary and has a few more dark scenes than the Minions, but not by a lot. Along the lines of DC Super Pets.
Lastly, as an adoption/foster warning, They talk a couple of time about Peach not knowing where she is from. This does not play into the plot of the movie, but something that may be relatable or triggering for some kiddos.
Continue reading for The Super Mario Bros Movie Discussion Questions
Favorite The Super Mario Bros. Movie Quotes
You cannot be scared all the time. ‘Eh, you’d be surprised.’
I knew saving Brooklyn was a bad idea
How is this gonna be OK?
That hurt right? ‘YES!’ Definitely not a dream
I’m taking you to see the princess, she can help, she can do anything.
Look at us, we’re adorable!
Is that a yes? ‘No, that’s a “let’s see what you’re made of”
No one gets it right away
Nervous? ‘Who, me? Uh, yes! A little’
I don’t need anything special to break every bone in your tiny body.
Sit. Jam with me.
Do princesses find him attractive? ‘They do if they have good taste’
That gorilla is wearing a sports coat ‘I feel underdressed’
No one panic but the road is about to end
That is how you princess!
My dad thinks I’m a joke too. “Well your dad’s right”
Nothing can hurt us as long as we’re together!
The Super Mario Bros Movie Quotes
The Super Mario Bros Movie Discussion Questions
- Who was your favorite character and why?
- How much music did did you recognize in the movie?
- What were the best easter eggs from the game/Nintendo in the movie?
- Would Bowser really have been happy if Peach and he did get married?
- Mario needed peach, toad, DK, and Luigi to succeed. Who can you help to succeed?
- What adventure would you like to see the crew go on next?
- Which other Nintendo games would you like to see get adapted into movies?
The Super Mario Bros Movie Discussion Points for Parents:
–Themes to Discuss: Courage, Good vs Evil, Coercion, Kindness, Family Expectations
-Talk about how Bowser tried to force someone to like him. He was also entitled and called Peach his fiancé before they even talked.
-Talk to your kids about how you are proud of them regardless of how well they are doing. That you think they are super just the way they are.
Thanks for reading The Super Mario Bros Movie Review Before you go, check out these other posts:
–Sonic the Hedgehog and its sequel movie reviews
–Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Review
–DC League of Super-Pets Parent Review
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