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Discussion The Super Mario Bros. Movie impressions/previews thread

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Sounds like Mario fans will love it, movie critics not so much. So it really is like Sonic!

I'm feeling a 60% critics score and 90% audience.
 
wondering how the heck you manage that with some of those impressions but I wish
 
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The problem is that it doesn't look like a lot of positive reactions are from RT critics. The definitely invited the right kind of crowd but not sure it'll have a strong correlation with actual reviews.
 
Charamiwa said:
The problem is that it doesn't look like a lot of positive reactions are from RT critics. The definitely invited the right kind of crowd but not sure it'll have a strong correlation with actual reviews.
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The OP actually changed their predictions to lower later. And yeah, you're definitely right on the money on the latter.
 
Charamiwa said:
The problem is that it doesn't look like a lot of positive reactions are from RT critics. The definitely invited the right kind of crowd but not sure it'll have a strong correlation with actual reviews.
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entut1 said:
The OP actually changed their predictions to lower later. And yeah, you're definitely right on the money on the latter.
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What's funny is that the OP thinks the movie will have a shockingly low audience score as well. Like low 50s or high 40s audience score. And I'm like how in the world did you arrive to that conclusion?
 
I suppose one good sign is that even the negative reviews don't seem to be suggesting it's anything worse than "meh."

I think Nintendo will take that as a baseline.
 
Social media impressions are always mostly positive no matter the movie, so they're kinda useless.
I personally except a critic review score of 65-70% and audience score of 90+%.
 
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Idk I can’t see this movie rated lower than a 70 on RT, especially after Sing 2 and Minions: Rise of Gru both got 72 and 70 respectively.
 
Jbone916 said:
I generally don’t pay much attention to movie discourse, but this thread is showing me how similar it is to gaming (ie. everything seemingly revolves around Metacritic/ Rotten Tomatoes).
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While review aggregates definitely get talked about more these days, this thread's focus on it is definitely more of a byproduct of a specific forum/fandom subculture.
 
Oh it's pronounced chao? Not like, chaos? I thought it was Chao as Chaos.
... anyways
Movie sounding very good ^^ Or well, very good for me. As a big Mario fan who do not necessarily expect or 'desires' a super complex story. Just give me a fun adventure and I'm good.
Very excited to watch it, tho as someone who cannot survive movie theaters, I have to wait for the BluRay release.
 
At the end of the day, even when we may not get the best Rotten Tomatoes score, I hope we all have a good time watching the movie!
 
New impression
  • Index
    • entut1 said:
    @Starphanluke want to share with us your thoughts on the movie?
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    Haha sorry, busy day yesterday.

    I had a stupid grin on my face the whole time! Yes, the "plot" is dumb and it definitely skews young, but it is such a love letter and it is SO obvious Nintendo had a grip around the production. Chris Pratt is fine, Peach is a revolution for the character, and Bowser is an absolute delight. Song choices might catch some people off guard, but I adore the songs they chose, so I don't mind.

    It's a little heavy on the references, but most are pulled off really tactfully. I'm so excited for y'all to see it so we can talk about it in depth.
     
  • Index
    • Curious what they'll do with other Nintendo properties. Ghibli-style Zelda anime get a top-tier studio/director yass please? Batman Animated Series-style Metroid keep sakamoto faaaaaar away? Nintendo Princesses Soap Opera pls god no?
     
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    I mean... who expected a deep plot? It's a story about two brothers who are plumbers, and one day they get into another world while exploring the sewers. They get separated, and the older one has to rescue the younger one, and at the same time he helps a princess beat an evil turtle monster. It's fine!

    What I want to see is the Mario world more realized, and the interactions between the characters
     
    Starphanluke said:
    Haha sorry, busy day yesterday.

    I had a stupid grin on my face the whole time! Yes, the "plot" is dumb and it definitely skews young, but it is such a love letter and it is SO obvious Nintendo had a grip around the production. Chris Pratt is fine, Peach is a revolution for the character, and Bowser is an absolute delight. Song choices might catch some people off guard, but I adore the songs they chose, so I don't mind.

    It's a little heavy on the references, but most are pulled off really tactfully. I'm so excited for y'all to see it so we can talk about it in depth.
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    I just have one question: is Bowser actually threatening/scary in this thing? Are his confrontations with protagonists played seriously?

    Sometimes a villain in that vein can really elevate what would be otherwise a pretty average movie.
     
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    The most important thing to consider is that will this movie be a hit with general audiences as they have the most control over the word of mouth and therefore drive more ticket sales. I personally think that this will be a hit with general audiences going off of the impressions.
     
    sanstea said:
    You're average movie critic doesn't really care about how faithful a movie adaption is. If they don't care about Mario much, why would they care about how faithful it is to the games?
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    In 2023, your average movie critic is still very likely to have both grown up with video games and to have played one or more Mario games. That doesn't necessarily mean he likes or cares about Mario, but it does mean that he is very likely to understand the context and at least some of the easter eggs. Now, I think critics are totally used to judging movies not only for what they are but also for their context. If this was not the case, if for example any Marvel production was judged purely as a cinematographic work, perhaps the overall reception of this type of production would be a little less generally favorable.

    zumaddy said:
    So if you're a series fan who wants to see the animation and easter eggs: Nice

    If you're neutral and want any engaging narrative: Not so nice
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    I guess that's exactly what we could expect and I would be fine with that. It doesn't matter if the film doesn't bring anything extraordinary. On the other hand, I hope it won't be too generic. Illumination's films are not masterpieces, but one of their qualities in my opinion is that they often have a strong identity and effective gimmicks. If that's still the case here, even if the movie is "not so nice", people will still have a good time.
     
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    Skipper93653 said:
    At the end of the day, even when we may not get the best Rotten Tomatoes score, I hope we all have a good time watching the movie!
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    You know, it really goes to show how much different the communities between Fami and Era are. Just look at the gap in mood in both impressions threads.
     
    B. Spaceman said:
    I mean... who expected a deep plot? It's a story about two brothers who are plumbers, and one day they get into another world while exploring the sewers. They get separated, and the older one has to rescue the younger one, and at the same time he helps a princess beat an evil turtle monster. It's fine!

    What I want to see is the Mario world more realized, and the interactions between the characters
    Click to expand...

    We already knew the plot because that was the plot of the earlier Mario games. The characters and interactions are what's interesting about this film because we haven't seen much of that outside of the RPG games.
     
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    One of the reasons I think the Sonic films are pretty undervalued is that despite their huge amount of foibles that feel practically pedestrian in execution (extremely spotty writing, some really bad pacing, very hit-or-miss ad libbing, rudimentary visual presentation), the movies are solid at executing on basic character writing/narrative themeing 101. Sonic 1 is pretty smart about weaving in the whole family dynamic thing as a central element to justify its own plot and Sonic's character, while Sonic 2 really goes a mile in establishing Sonic's developing heroic character arc among his main cast of friends and more openly making Eggman into a clear foil for him. It's such basic stuff but it's something that mainstream Hollywood films fail at so hard almost all the time. I rarely ever felt like many critics highlighted some of these strengths outside of people like Filmcrithulk.

    So as far as the Mario movie is concerned it's going to be interesting to see what my takeaways will be from it. Usually when I go into films with the knowledge that I shouldn't expect a deep narrative I can often set that aside if the film executes on basic character work and has other appeals to highlight. It already looks like it's going to be a very kinetic film so it has that going for it. Bowser and Peach being mentioned as highlights is good, those are ostensibly my two favorite characters in the mainline series. If the movie can convince me on Mario and Luigi having a strong brotherly bond for this to be the main driver of the narrative, I think that'll be enough for me to walk away with a positive impression. I really enjoy Mario media that underscores this aspect to them (the ending to Luigi's Mansion is still perhaps the most cathartic moment in the entire series).
     
    Decoyman said:
    One of the reasons I think the Sonic films are pretty undervalued is despite their huge amount of foibles that feel practically pedestrian in execution (extremely spotty writing, some really bad pacing, very hit-or-miss ad libbing, rudimentary visual presentation), the movies are solid at executing on basic character writing/narrative themeing 101. Sonic 1 is pretty smart about the whole family dynamic thing that Sonic is attaching himself to, while Sonic 2 really goes a mile in establishing Sonic's developing heroic character arc among his main cast of friends and more openly making Eggman into a clear foil to him. It's such basic stuff but it's something that mainstream Hollywood films fail at so hard almost all the time. I rarely ever felt like many critics highlighted some of these strengths outside of people like Filmcrithulk.

    So as far as the Mario movie is concerned it's going to be interesting to see what my takeaways will be from it. Usually when I go into films with the knowledge that I shouldn't expect a deep narrative I can often set that aside if the film executes on basic character work and has other appeals to highlight. It already looks like it's going to be a very kinetic film so it has that going for it. Bowser and Peach being mentioned as highlights is good, those are ostensibly my two favorite characters in the mainline series. If the movie can convince me on Mario and Luigi having a strong brotherly bond for this to be the main driver of the narrative, I'll be happy. I really enjoy Mario media that underscores this aspect to them (the ending to Luigi's Mansion is still perhaps the most cathartic moment in the entire series).
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    I did like Sonic 1 and 2 in spite of their flaws, the emotional core gets me pretty well in those (as well as Carrey let's be honest) and it is true blockbuster Hollywood movies actually hardly execute basic narrative THIS well (maybe because they try some kind of different formula, less formulaic in a way?). Hoping Mario execute that well too. Sometimes I don't fully align with critics and I'm hoping what they find bad about this movie is not related to its emotional core.
     
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    I refuse to believe Illuminations' take on The Lorax - a story that ironically is a lament of the wasteful production of needless things - is worse than their take on The Grinch. I haven't seen it though.
     
    Decoyman said:
    I hope the "not enough Mario & Luigi together" at the very least means that the moments they do share together are strong. I'd already set myself up to figuring they would be separated throughout 80% of the main plot.
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    From the marketing there's a moment that happens pretty early on, and while short, it is pretty strong. I assume the sequel's hook will be actually see Mario and Luigi team-up together for a whole movie.
     
    neil said:
    I refuse to believe Illuminations' take on The Lorax - a story that ironically is a lament of the wasteful production of needless things - is worse than their take on The Grinch. I haven't seen it though.
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    The major cultural impact of the Lorax movie is a weirdly horny fandom around the Onceler of all people, so take that as you will.
     
    From the impressions that I've read, it looks like I'm going to enjoy it for the nods and references to the series and seeing the world in a movie. Story and writing doesn't sound like anything interesting. But that's fine for a Mario movie I think, or at least for a first one.

    Now I wouldn't want this studio near any other Nintendo series that would benefit from a good writing and narrative like Zelda. I hope they will go with Japanese anime companies for that and things like Fire Emblem, Kid Icarus, Xenoblade etc.
     
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    WestEgg said:
    The major cultural impact of the Lorax movie is a weirdly horny fandom around the Onceler of all people, so thanks that as you will.
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    I thought the major cultural impact was being one of the first ways to single out the chuds in your life. I had a number of social media friends disappear because they thought it was crazy for a children's movie to have an environmental message.
     
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    Decoyman said:
    One of the reasons I think the Sonic films are pretty undervalued is that despite their huge amount of foibles that feel practically pedestrian in execution (extremely spotty writing, some really bad pacing, very hit-or-miss ad libbing, rudimentary visual presentation), the movies are solid at executing on basic character writing/narrative themeing 101. Sonic 1 is pretty smart about weaving in the whole family dynamic thing as a central element to justify its own plot and Sonic's character, while Sonic 2 really goes a mile in establishing Sonic's developing heroic character arc among his main cast of friends and more openly making Eggman into a clear foil for him. It's such basic stuff but it's something that mainstream Hollywood films fail at so hard almost all the time. I rarely ever felt like many critics highlighted some of these strengths outside of people like Filmcrithulk.
    Click to expand...

    That's kind of the long and short of it. Basics.

    We do need basics and groundwork being set up for these longer franchises, and sometimes that does involve retreading a lot of ground. And when these franchises are so steeped in fantasy, a lot of screentime is spent establishing the world and retreading the basics of narrative.

    That's why I'm not bothered if the RT is mid. It's why I didn't mind it for Sonic and why I wouldn't for Mario. A film being kind of shallow or spotty in places isn't the doom of a franchise. It's not the same as a really low score that highlights serious structural problems or perhaps an audience dismissive narrative.

    neil said:
    I refuse to believe Illuminations' take on The Lorax - a story that ironically is a lament of the wasteful production of needless things - is worse than their take on The Grinch. I haven't seen it though.
    Click to expand...
    Lorax betrays its own message in a lot of ways. At least Grinch stays on target.
     
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    Mer.Saloon said:
    That's kind of the long and short of it. Basics.

    We do need basics and groundwork being set up for these longer franchises, and sometimes that does involve retreading a lot of ground. And when these franchises are so steeped in fantasy, a lot of screentime is spent establishing the world and retreading the basics of narrative.

    That's why I'm not bothered if the RT is mid. It's why I didn't mind it for Sonic and why I wouldn't for Mario. A film being kind of shallow or spotty in places isn't the doom of a franchise. It's not the same as a really low score that highlights serious structural problems or perhaps an audience dismissive narrative.


    Lorax kind of betrays its own message in a lot of ways. At least Grinch stays on target.
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    I also heard from one Youtuber that that movie is a walking contradiction, which I wholeheartedly agree with.
     
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    This movie really about to be reviewed like every first party Nintendo games. Help. The thin narrative line in every impressions makes me giggle.

    Nintendo staying true to their brand.
     
    Multiverse said:
    This movie really about to be reviewed like every first party Nintendo games. Help. The thin narrative line in every impressions makes me giggle.

    Nintendo staying true to their brand.
    Click to expand...
    well it's Mario rather than Paper Mario and Mario and Luigi

    also, I can see a Arlo video about this given he put out that "Miyamoto really hates story" video.
     
    Cheetah6442 said:
    There was also a woman from Variety who gave it a glowing review a few hours earlier.
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    If one of the trades likes it, that's an extremely good sign. Anything from Deadline or the Hollywood Reporter?
    JorgenRaft said:
    Well I’m excited to see Miyamoto and Druckmann wrestle on stage at The Game Awards this year.
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    When they both lose to the #GranTurismoSweep
     
    I'm not going to lie and say I particularly care for Critics on this movie, since I don't. I've waited for this film to exist my whole life and I know exactly what I want out of it and no outside opinion from any source has a chance of weighing in if I'll like it or not.
    B U T on a completely objective level I don't think I ever expected this to get a shining RT score, since it's a narrative piece based on a Franchise that... doesn't REALLY have a story beyond basic set-ups for the gameplay, so a film based on it that is attempting to be loyal (which this clearly seems to be) to the source material never felt like something that would Wow critics. I don't see it breaking 70%, or atleast, I don't see it staying there if it does.
     
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    @entut1 you should really just make this the impression/preview thread(you can rename the thread by editing the opening post), there is zero reason those should be part of a review thread for something this big. Review threads should always be just review threads, and open with reviews easily accessible in the opening post
     
    In general i see mostly positive reactions from fans and from most review critics. It is a family movie and did play safe, i'm sure Nintendo didn't want to take to many risks since that's their policy and they wanted it to turn out well (unlike their first try). So i don't mind a first Nintendo movie to be more general and bland story wise if it can be successful enough for them to take more risks going forward.

    Any movie has negative reactions, but this one def has more positive ones overall. Seems like a good family movie if you are not a big fan of the material and a great movie if you are.
     
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