The Brooklyn segment is just great. The expanded plumbing commercial and easter eggs are a treat, and I appreciate how they tackled the Italian accent almost immediately - made for a good gag and a nice cameo from Martinet.
However, the real standout of the opening is the dynamic is between Mario and Luigi. Luigi is as you'd expect - he's nervous and cautious, but is ultimately supportive of and draws courage from Mario.
It's Mario who's arguably the most interesting here - if only by virtue of him being mostly a blank slate in the games. He's a hero who does the right thing and doesn't have any doubts. The dynamic between him and Luigi is usually portrayed through Luigi - it's his flaws and struggles that are compared and contrasted with Mario. Mario is a rock, a constant.
This movie still portrays Mario as everything he is in the games - courageous, confident and very supportive of Luigi. That moment where he catches the napkin thrown at Luigi by Spike and threatens him despite the size difference had me metaphorically punching the air.
But crucially these qualities are balanced with anxieties: he's worried that he might fail in his ambition to make to make their lives better - and that he might drag Luigi down in the process. It actually falls upon Luigi to assure Mario that he won't.
I love this. It's simple stuff but it's refreshing to see this relationship portrayed in a mutual way. Mario and Luigi are deeply close and aim to the bring out the best in each other, but they both have insecurities as part of that relationship. It's arguably the most realistic dynamic that these two have ever had, and it really shines in the opening section.
Naturally the two are separated when they come across the warp pipe which sends Mario to the Mushroom Kingdom. This is where the pacing starts to go into overdrive. Within 5 minutes, Mario meets Toad, who instantly trusts him and looks to introduce him to Peach.
I like Peach a fair bit in this movie. I know some people were worried that she would be a “girlboss” or whatever, but I don’t think that was a problem here at all. She’s confident and competent, but the kindness and compassion that is so integral to her portrayal in the games is very much there.
She probably could have done with having a couple of defined flaws or hangups to contend with, but the film seems content with presenting her as more of a static mentor. That's fine for this movie, and thankfully she never comes close to being obnoxious or unpleasant in terms of characterisation.
As such, her relationship with Mario is quite cute. She is supportive of him, but it has a different flavour to Luigi. As she is essentially playing the mentor role, she does her best to hold Mario up – such as when she comforts him after he ultimately does not beat the training course. Or when she sings his praises after he defeats DK. Peach has always been portrayed as having the utmost faith in Mario, and I think it’s great to see the seeds of that being planted in this film.
I like Mario’s contribution to the dynamic. He’s obviously appreciative of Peach's support, but he isn’t a doormat to her – overruling Peach to fight DK was an unexpected wrinkle which I didn’t know I needed.
That they were flirting a bit before the Rainbow Road set-piece was a another one. It feels weird to even consider that Mario and Peach could flirt....but I’m into it.
Unfortunately, this is probably where the quality of the character relationships begin to fall away, and it’s almost entirely down to the pacing.
It’s too bloody fast.
I mentioned how I liked the added wrinkles to Mario and Peach’s relationship – but there is another aspect I didn’t mention: the revelation that Peach is not a native to the Mushroom Kingdom and arrived in much the same way that Mario did, only as a toddler.
I actually really like this, because it re-contextualises the responsibility that Peach feels towards the Toads. It should also add another layer between her and Mario – after all, one of the first things she does is notice that he’s another human.
But the film kinda handwaves it in the main. The talk that the two have in the Fire Flower field is nice, but it’s pretty much just exposition. The preciously mentioned banter about Brooklyn on Rainbow Road is good, but it’s mostly in service to a couple of jokes and a gag that is admittedly paid off well in the end.
I dunno. I think it would have been cool if Peach had developed a sense of loneliness in the Mushroom Kingdom due to being the only human, and thus found herself drawn to Mario when he turns up. It would also have provided a thematic connection to Mario having to cope with being separated from Luigi for so long.
As it currently stands, they kinda just drop the revelation about Peach and move on. The scene isn’t given any time to breathe, and thus the chance to mine some interesting development is lost.
Mario/Peach at least has the other aspects of their relationship to fall back on. Arguably a more egregious example is the attempt to build common ground between DK and Mario through the issues with their fathers.
The problem is that the film doesn’t apportion anywhere near enough time to these issues to make it stick.
Papa Mario and Mario don’t even really have an argument or anything – the former expresses concern and a lack of confidence about Mario’s life choices, and Mario doesn’t take it well. It’s a decent start, but then the two do not interact again until the end of the film – by which then there is no conflict.
If you’re going to have me believe that proving himself to Papa Mario is a major motive for Mario, then there needed to be more time given to that relationship.
DK/Cranky also suffers from the rush to keep things moving. DK in the film is presented as something of an overconfident show-off. Going off DK’s dialogue later, this is something of a front of someone who wants to make their father proud.
But...Cranky doesn’t really show any indication that they’re not proud of DK. There’s him telling DK to stop showboating during the fight with Mario, but I can’t recall any moment where Cranky displays any real disappointment or distrust in his son - even after he lost the fight. He even volunteers DK for the fight in the first instance!
Even having it so that DK forcibly volunteered to fight – despite not being Cranky’s first choice - would have helped in this regard. It’d also have created a nice parallel with Mario overruling Peach for the same encounter. It would have added another layer to the “We’re not so different” talk in the belly of the Maw-Ray.
As it stands though, the whole exchange feels a bit to “tell, don’t show”. We only have it on DK's word that Cranky thinks he's a joke, there's not enough in the movie to really suggest this is true. The movie is simply moving too fast for either Mario or DK's familial issues to be developed.
It’s a shame too, because the rivalry between Mario and DK through the second half of the film is entertaining. It’s just a shame that their development into a vitriolic friendship doesn’t hit as it should.
Toad is also a massive victim of the pacing, to the point where he is almost an afterthought. I already mentioned how he instantly trusts Mario after meeting him, and while that is a blasé considering Peach essentially does the same thing, it serves to illustrate how little of an impact he has.
He doesn’t have any real relationships with any of the characters past some surface level jokes. Despite just putting Mario through a training regime so as to prove he’s capable of making the journey, Peach lets Toad come because...reasons?
Seriously. There’s no real debate, no conflict. He just says he’ll be brave and protect Peach, and she just obliges. He then contributes next to nothing to the adventure for almost the entirety of the film. They poke fun at him proclaiming to be Mario’s friend, but then there’s barely any interaction between the two going forward.
So the two threads that they seem to be hinting at with Toad – proving his bravery and developing a friendship with Mario – amount to essentially nothing. There’s no narrative momentum with Toad in this movie, and as such he feels superfluous.
It’s unfortunate, because I feel like they at least had the foundation for him to prove his bravery in the film already – him slipping the Ice Flower bouquet to Peach before the wedding. There’s no explanation given as to how he manages this. He just does, all while repeating his line about protecting Peach.
There’s no payoff there. Just dedicating a scene or two to him sneaking into the wedding while it was heavily guarded would have done wonders, and served to really highlight the contrast between him and the rest of the Toads.
I understand that him choosing to be at Peach’s side when Bowser arrives is supposed to demonstrate this contrast already. But that alone feels weak due to the other issues I have mentioned.
--
To be fair to Toad, he’s not the only character who doesn’t have much in the way of character development. The movie sorta forgoes this for most of the cast. It’s not a problem for characters like Peach and Bowser – their roles facilitate them being mostly static for the runtime.
But I think there’s a clear attempt to give Mario and Luigi some development, and unfortunately I think these attempts are fumbled in a couple of ways.
In the case of Mario, I think the intent was to have him get over his insecurities to prove himself in the end. But this arc is muddled in the film itself. Mario’s final victory of Bowser is predicated on Mario drawing inspiration from the SMB Plumbing commercial and not giving up.
...but we already know Mario doesn’t give up – they explicitly show this repeatedly in the movie. Him drawing inspiration from Luigi isn’t a new thing either. Rather than provide anything new, Mario’s character arc repeats and doesn’t prevent any new insights into him as a character.
Luigi’s arc is more defined, and has a payoff. He’s the brother who is described as being afraid of everything, and who has needed Mario’s support in facing his fears and standing up for himself. Mario is the one who saves him from the bullies.
The film ends with him drumming up the courage to take action, saving Mario and then standing as his equal to defeat Bowser. It’s all quite simple, but it works. The issue is that the actual arc is wafer thin, and this is where Luigi’s lack of screen time really makes itself apparent.
His development from meek scaredy-cat to hero is there, but it desperately needs a couple of extra scenes to really feel complete. The fact of the matter is that Luigi spends most of this film locked away, and nothing interesting is really done with it aside from the adorable flashback to when they were young.
--
I feel like I’ve spent a lot of time criticising the characters, but I do want to stress that I think the characterisation is pretty strong. They all have defined personalities which are both faithful to the games while also providing a new spin. They’re almost all charismatic and just fun to watch.
One character who exemplifies this, and a character I’ve barely mentioned so far, is Bowser. He is nigh on perfect in this film. He’s an overwhelming physical threat with a flair for the dramatic – but is also a complete romantic.
At least, he thinks he’s a romantic. I do appreciate how the film portrays his romantic inclinations as being pretty screwed up. He doesn’t really view Peach as a person, and doesn’t make the effort to try and understand her.
He’s ultimately possessive as hell, and is willing to destroy her and her kingdom if she doesn’t acquiesce to his warped view on romance. His jealousy of Mario, someone who he has never met, is childish to a fault.
And you know what? That’s Bowser! He’s powerful, he’s funny, he’s entertaining as hell, he’s dangerous, he’s a little tragic – and he is a complete manchild. It’s the only real conclusion you can come to with Bowser given everything he’s done in the games, memes notwithstanding.
Jack Black absolutely nails every aspect of the character, going from dangerous tyrant to wannabe romantic without missing a beat.
Speaking of the voice cast, they are by and large, solid. I’ve just highlighted Black, but Charlie Day and Anya Taylor Joy are great as Luigi and Peach respectively.
The former manages to capture that nervous but heroic energy that underpins the character. He can also pull off some Luigi’s Mansion screams, which is always a plus.
The latter carries the new confidence that this version of Peach has, but also imbues it with the sweetness and compassion that is central to Peach. I wouldn’t be against Samantha Kelly taking some inspiration from this going forward, assuming the games allow her to do so.
And then there’s Chris Pratt. His unfortunate politics notwithstanding, I never really had an issue with his casting. Mario has an everyman quality which Pratt has had experience portraying before – and it shows in this performance. He’s solid throughout, and I think actually pulls off some of the Martinet-isms decently.
Speaking of Martinet, while it is a shame he didn’t get to voice Mario, I thought it was a nice touch to cast him as Mario’s father.
I think the one member of the voice cast who brings things down a bit is Frank Armisen as Cranky. He’s not awful, but there’s just something off about his performance here. It’s very inconsistent in terms of delivery and tone.
--
Of course, in terms of audio, a film’s soundtrack is just as vital as the vocal performances. Thankfully the effort by Bryan Tyler is stellar. He skilfully picks from the three decades of Mario music to create a dynamic and energetic sound that suits the series to a tee. His original compositions compliment the Kondo works quite nicely as well, which helps to keep things consistent.
The breadth of the soundtrack is impressive as well. Every era is covered, from the original Donkey Kong all the way to Bowser’s Fury – and there’s still loads they didn’t use!
And of course, there’s Peaches. Jack Black goes absolutely ham with this, and it’s an ear worm that hasn’t left my head since I left the cinema. I admit I was worried when I heard Bowser was going to sing, but it just shows how spot-on the casting of Black was.
Of course, the elephant in the room is the use of licenced music. This isn’t inherently a problem, plenty of films have used such music to great effect.
Unfortunately this is not one of those films. No Sleep Til Brooklyn and Holding Out For A Hero at least have some relevance to the scenes they’re attached to, though using the latter for a training montage is still spectacularly uninspired.
Take On Me is a song focused on romantic fantasy. In the movie it is used as a backdrop to a zany driving sequence. Why?
Even worse is the use of Thunderstruck for the final part of the kart building scene. Again, why?
It feels desperate, and creates a disconnect that is very distracting. It’s even worse when you consider that there appears to be unused Tyler tracks which would have served as a much more fitting backdrop.
Thankfully the licenced tracks do not hang so long for it to become a major issue. But in a film that is so comfortable to wear its roots on its sleeve, it’s disappointing that they felt the need to include them.
--
Unlike the audio, the area where the film excels on all fronts is the visuals. This is a beautiful film – the Mario world has never been rendered as vividly as in this film, and it’s a shame we probably won’t see something close to this on Nintendo consoles for at least a decade.
The art direction is spot-on. It’s colourful without being garish. It’s textured in such a way the world feels lived in, and each of the locales has a distinct atmosphere. The character designs are also mostly fantastic. The Mario mainstays are all loyal to the games – no ugly Sonic here!
Just as important as the designs is the way they move and express themselves. Everything from Mario’s run, DK’s roll and Bowsers faux coy wedding proposal feel like something ripped out of one the mainline games or RPGs.
The opening scene where Mario and Luigi run through Brookyln sets to the tone, demonstrating the contrast between the brothers in how they move. It’s clear that there were no liberties taken with how these characters express themselves. The Sonic movies had already set a relatively high bar for this, and the Mario movie clears it with flying colours.
This quality is important given how much emphasis is placed on the action set pieces. These are definitely the highlight of the film, and the makers do a good job of keeping them fresh and distinct.
There are 2D homages, one on one fight scenes, high speed chases – and they all have a frenetic energy that is supported by some really nice camera work. We have characters running, jumping, driving, rolling, punching, flying, shell-surfing...but it all feels very readable, which is vital for any good action scene.
The final half hour is essentially a series of set pieces in which the film is firing on all cylinders, and serves as a satisfying climax to the proceedings.
The only blemish I can think of is that the non-Mario designs do feel a little trite. Mario’s family look good, but the various humans and animals from Earth feel like they ripped out of an Illumination asset folder. I understand they have their own style, but it can be distracting when the dog that causes so much trouble for Mario and Luigi feels like it was ripped out of The Secret Life of Pets.
This is a nitpick though. I think Illumination should be proud of their efforts here, particularly since it doesn’t appear that the film have a demonstrably higher budget than the rest of its filmography.
--
