This is probably gonna be a long ramble, but screw it, this movie got me thinking - and I didn't see that coming when it was announced way back when. I'll try and apply line breaks to make the post a bit more digestible.
I wanna touch on Mario's characterisation first.
It seems like it's going to be a pretty standard journey: hero gets thrust into a situation, is initially in over their head and muddles through the obstacles in the way - before finally growing into the hero they need to be and saving the day. It's something we've seen a million times and will probably see a million times more. A tried and true formula.
Despite that, actually applying this formula to Mario will actually be something totally new for the character. Throughout the 35 years of games we've been playing, Mario has never been shown having to grow. Hell, Mario has very rarely been portrayed as even having character flaws.
So it makes sense that, when you see Mario overawed by the situation, or when you see him display a bit of overconfidence, or when you see him flail around and suffer a bit of slapstick - it feels weird. Hell, seeing Mario take a breath to compose himself before fighting DK is something we've never seen him do before.
From my POV, I actually think the formula is a good fit for a videogame origin story. Think about the first time you picked up a Mario platformer: you made mistakes, you got your proverbial kicked repeatedly, sometimes to the point of frustration - but you made it in the end. I think seeing Mario go through that is pretty cool, even if it isn't intended to be viewed from that admittedly meta viewpoint.
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Some of the discourse surrounding Peach has made me realise how much of a Catch 22 her portrayal is, especially today. Peach has been predominantly portrayed as the archetypal damsel in distress in the games. That generally wouldn't fly in movies today - hell, it barely flies in the games these days.
On the other hand, you inject the character with a bit of confidence and sass, and then suddenly she's pigeonholed as a "girlboss". I think it's telling that female characters never seem to be given the room to display different facets to their character.
I mean, are we really going to say that Peach won't be sweet and supportive to Mario, just because she displays some snark and exasperation at his setbacks? It is possible for her to be three dimensional, sheesh.
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I think Mario and Peach are generally blank slates in the games, which makes the decision to make them the main protagonists (at least initially) quite an interesting one. Out of the four series mainstays, they're the ones with the least characterisation.
I'm actually surprised Nintendo went with this tack, as the safest move would have been to have Mario and Luigi as the main protagonists - as per the title of the movie. Luigi could have been the overawed and bumbling brother, whereas Mario would have been the confident and talented hero. No one would have batted an eye.
But they didn't, and I actually respect the filmmakers for going with a structure that essentially means Mario has to go through some growth. Peach also has to be something more than a damsel or a passive character.
The games by and large do not do this, so that they're attempting it for the first Mario movie pushed by Nintendo is something I find really interesting. Of course, it's all in the execution, so here's hoping they can manage it.
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A couple of other stray thoughts - I haven't mentioned Toad yet. The trailers seem to indicate that he's the "brave" one out of them all, as he looks like the only one who backs Peach up initially. Could be building the foundations for him being leader of the Toad Brigade in the future?
I've spoken at length about Mario and Peach, but I think putting Luigi at Bowser's mercy is a good move. It gives Mario some personal stakes that wouldn't have necessarily existed beforehand. It also means that Jack Black and Charlie Day can really bounce off each other, which should be entertaining at the very least.
I'm not worried about Luigi at all tbh. It's still the Super Mario Bros. Movie - he'll get his moment to shine and I'm sure it'll be brilliant.
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I think that's enough for now, jeez. I haven't even touched on DK!
Honestly, I'm just happy this film looks as promising as it does. Things might turn but it looks like it'll be a competent family adventure at the very worst.
Above all I'm just thankful that it seems to be embracing being a Mario movie. This feels like an adaptation with the appropriate amount of reverence of the source material. The Sonic movies, which I've enjoyed a lot, didn't feel like a Sonic the Hedgehog movie until the second one. This is a Mario movie that isn't ashamed to be one, and that's fantastic.
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