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Reviews The Super Mario Bros. Movie review thread

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Lozjam said:
The Mario Movie has gotten an A as it's cinema score.

Kind of showing an absolute huge divide between critics and actual people.

I may have lost the bet, but let me just say that I really don't think critics were at all looking for the right things. There's actually an interesting article on how Boomer city movie reviewers are on.
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Nah, there's a difference between being a good/great film and being an enjoyable film. Rise of Skywalker did really well with the crowd that just wanted a list of nostalgic references, but got appropriately bad reviews because it did everything terribly beyond that. No doubt the mario film looks nice, but if it's got nothing but the most barebones of plotlines and doesn't work as a film outside of the window of 'if you loved the games and you wanted to see references to the games on screen, BAM', it's entirely appropriate for it to not have reviewed well.

(I put a disclaimer again that I've no personal opinion on it yet because I've not yet been to see it)
 
Linkstrikesback said:
Nah, there's a difference between being a good/great film and being an enjoyable film. Rise of Skywalker did really well with the crowd that just wanted a list of nostalgic references, but got appropriately bad reviews because it did everything terribly beyond that. No doubt the mario film looks nice, but if it's got nothing but the most barebones of plotlines and doesn't work as a film outside of the window of 'if you loved the games and you wanted to see references to the games on screen, BAM', it's entirely appropriate for it to not have reviewed well.

(I put a disclaimer again that I've no personal opinion on it yet because I've not yet been to see it)
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If you would read the article, it makes the point that critics have a huge blindspot for video game adaptations in general. Where for the past 10 years, the critical of response of the films are far and away different from the actual audience.

It also makes the argument, that the same bias does not exist in TV reviewers. Which is completely true.

And also, as someone who has actually seen the movie. Yeah it does work very well as a film. It doesn't have the "barest" of plotlines, has some pretty good emotional beats. And better yet, it perfectly encapsulates Mario instead of being something that it isn't. Which is what people would want to see at a Mario movie, instead of a tropey reused script with Mario stapled on it.
 
Linkstrikesback said:
Nah, there's a difference between being a good/great film and being an enjoyable film. Rise of Skywalker did really well with the crowd that just wanted a list of nostalgic references, but got appropriately bad reviews because it did everything terribly beyond that. No doubt the mario film looks nice, but if it's got nothing but the most barebones of plotlines and doesn't work as a film outside of the window of 'if you loved the games and you wanted to see references to the games on screen, BAM', it's entirely appropriate for it to not have reviewed well.

(I put a disclaimer again that I've no personal opinion on it yet because I've not yet been to see it)
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I think you’re putting too much stake in “mainstream” critic opinion. Just in this thread, you’ve stated that this movie will likely not perform among the top of Illumination’s films just based on its RT score and that people are merely coping by thinking otherwise.
 
Lozjam said:
www.forbes.com

‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Shows Movie Critics Don’t Get Video Games, But TV Critics Do

The Super Mario Bros. Movie arrived with somewhat middling critic scores, just a 54% on Rotten Tomatoes right now, lower than both previous Sonic the Hedgehog films, with the generalized complaint that the movie is “shallow.”
www.forbes.com www.forbes.com
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Y'all need to chill out if this is the kind of opinion you are trying to amp. I get y'all like the movie and it's going to make hilarious amounts of money, so maybe roll with that excitement instead of posting the most dogshit opinions to justify the review cycle not going your way.
 
Lozjam said:
The Mario Movie has gotten an A as it's cinema score.

Kind of showing an absolute huge divide between critics and actual people.

I may have lost the bet, but let me just say that I really don't think critics were at all looking for the right things. There's actually an interesting article on how Boomer city movie reviewers are on.

www.forbes.com

‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Shows Movie Critics Don’t Get Video Games, But TV Critics Do

The Super Mario Bros. Movie arrived with somewhat middling critic scores, just a 54% on Rotten Tomatoes right now, lower than both previous Sonic the Hedgehog films, with the generalized complaint that the movie is “shallow.”
www.forbes.com www.forbes.com
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Just to know, it is the same Paul Tassi who wrote not long ago that there were already more technologically advanced hybrid HD game consoles than the Nintendo when Christopher Columbus discovered America?
 
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If you want to discuss things other than the reviews, there is an ST that has had a bit of a visibility issue due to it being on The Roost rather than Treehouse:
famiboards.com

The Super Mario Bros. Movie |ST| But first, we need to talk about Cinematic Universes (Open Spoilers)

The Super Mario Bros. Movie Release Date: April 5th, 2023 (April 28th in Japan) Running Time: 92 minutes Rotten Tomato Score: 56 Metacritic Score: 49 (Be sure to check out our review thread!) StarTopic Created by WestEgg Welcome Famiboards, to the Super Mario Bros. Movie StarTopic! No, not...
famiboards.com famiboards.com
 
Skipper93653 said:
If you want to discuss things other than the reviews, there is an ST that has had a bit of a visibility issue due to it being on The Roost rather than Treehouse:
famiboards.com

The Super Mario Bros. Movie |ST| But first, we need to talk about Cinematic Universes (Open Spoilers)

The Super Mario Bros. Movie Release Date: April 5th, 2023 (April 28th in Japan) Running Time: 92 minutes Rotten Tomato Score: 56 Metacritic Score: 49 (Be sure to check out our review thread!) StarTopic Created by WestEgg Welcome Famiboards, to the Super Mario Bros. Movie StarTopic! No, not...
famiboards.com famiboards.com
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It should really just be moved to Treehouse, which would instantly solve the issue. Doesn’t make sense for it to be in The Roost when all the other threads about the movie are here in Treehouse, anyway.
 
Branduil said:
Not gonna lie it's funny how you criticize people for saying "I knew the critics would hate it," and then in the next sentence you say "I knew the critics would hate it."
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I'm criticizing people who just showed up recently. I was here from the beginning saying it wouldn't get critics. hence why my avatar hasn't changed.
 
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Skipper93653 said:
If you want to discuss things other than the reviews, there is an ST that has had a bit of a visibility issue due to it being on The Roost rather than Treehouse:
famiboards.com

The Super Mario Bros. Movie |ST| But first, we need to talk about Cinematic Universes (Open Spoilers)

The Super Mario Bros. Movie Release Date: April 5th, 2023 (April 28th in Japan) Running Time: 92 minutes Rotten Tomato Score: 56 Metacritic Score: 49 (Be sure to check out our review thread!) StarTopic Created by WestEgg Welcome Famiboards, to the Super Mario Bros. Movie StarTopic! No, not...
famiboards.com famiboards.com
Click to expand...
I didn’t even think to check The Roost before I set-up camp in here. Apologize to everyone if my posts helped derail the thread. Thanks for the heads up about the other thread
 
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SUPER OFF TOPIC..

Famiboards looks super different and retro, and weird and I love it.
Wait... It's a Sega Genesis theme and we SegaBoards now??
What's the occasion? Either way, I freaking love it and hope we can always select this theme. (Plz Mods, pretty please)

PS: I'm not even a Sega or Sonic fan but Blue and Black is way better than the Red and Grey from before.

Sorry guys. But everybody is seeing this theme too, or it's just me?
 
xV_twist said:
SUPER OFF TOPIC..

Famiboards looks super different and retro, and weird and I love it.
Wait... It's a Sega Genesis theme and we SegaBoards now??
What's the occasion? Either way, I freaking love it and hope we can always select this theme. (Plz Mods, pretty please)

PS: I'm not even a Sega or Sonic fan but Blue and Black is way better than the Red and Grey from before.

Sorry guys. But everybody is seeing this theme too, or it's just me?
Click to expand...
It was a theme for april fools but you can change it back in preferences if you'd like.
 
xV_twist said:
SUPER OFF TOPIC..

Famiboards looks super different and retro, and weird and I love it.
Wait... It's a Sega Genesis theme and we SegaBoards now??
What's the occasion? Either way, I freaking love it and hope we can always select this theme. (Plz Mods, pretty please)

PS: I'm not even a Sega or Sonic fan but Blue and Black is way better than the Red and Grey from before.

Sorry guys. But everybody is seeing this theme too, or it's just me?
Click to expand...
It was the April Fool's Day event, you can switch back to normal by going to the bottom left of the page and selecting your theme.
 
The article about movie vs TV reception is questionable imo, they mention some good rated TV shows and some bad rated movies and then conclude something is wrong with the movie critics, while ignoring the possibility that the TV shows mentioned might be faring better in their medium

It's not rare to have a divide in reception so it's not something that only happens to video-game adaptations. A recent example is "Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania" which has a 47% critic approval and a 83% audience approval. "Shazam: Fury of The Gods" have a 50% critic approval and 86% audience approval. Some movies just end up being fun to watch
 
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that forbes article is straight up embarrassing, lol
Mario may not in fact be the deepest kids’ movie you’ve ever seen but for gamers it seems like it will be a lot of fun, and very clearly, it’s going to make an astonishing amount of money. In this case, more than usual perhaps, what the critics are saying here does not really matter in the least.
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nothing says 'please stop criticizing a thing I like' like insisting on how 'fun' it is while not engaging with any of the criticisms of it
 
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Clov said:
And I say, let people NOT enjoy things! If it's bad, I will tell others that it is bad and explain why! They're free to tell me otherwise. I see nothing wrong with this.
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Well you need glasses cuz you know, going to other people and say hey! I don't enjoy this you should not enjoy it ether because it's bad for me.
It's wrong... you just waste your time instead talk about things you like.
Give the opinion you have let it out of your system and move on.
Don't go pestering people about the things they like i will say.
 
Ryuusagi no hoshi said:
Well you need glasses cuz you know, going to other people and say hey! I don't enjoy this you should not enjoy it ether because it's bad for me.
It's wrong... you just waste your time instead talk about things you like.
Give the opinion you have let it out of your system and move on.
Don't go pestering people about the things they like i will say.
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You really bumped a 5 day old comment for this?
 
The Observer (the Sunday edition of the Guardian) going in for the most sour review of a kids movie by an adult who perhaps wasn’t best pleased at having been told to go watch it by their editor and file 100 words after.


Familiarity replaces fun for the moustachioed Italian plumber in this joyless adaptation from the Nintendo franchise
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Kids will probably love this scattershot dash through Nintendo’s most popular properties. But then kids, rarely the most discerning audience members at the best of times, will routinely mistake familiarity for fun – something that this lazy picture exploits extensively. Musical motifs from beloved games, minor characters, nods to the Mario legacy: all were greeted with shrieks of excitable recognition at the screening I attended. The Super Mario Bros Movie is a frantic Easter egg hunt of a film that does the bare minimum to please its loyal existing fanbase. Those less enthralled by the antics of the moustachioed Italian plumber will wonder which of Donkey Kong’s weaponised barrels this joyless, noisy mess was scraped from.
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1 star out of 5.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/20...CtHzWHNbK4sFFMc_dYgimbLjFQK6PRI1dq3T1zjIy-rro
 
Dardan Sandiego said:
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HmnTK0HxrhsXFQe9tVxOWXW3LcsjtCqWjcvCquSnfCE.jpg
 
Ryuusagi no hoshi said:
Well you need glasses cuz you know, going to other people and say hey! I don't enjoy this you should not enjoy it ether because it's bad for me.
It's wrong... you just waste your time instead talk about things you like.
Give the opinion you have let it out of your system and move on.
Don't go pestering people about the things they like i will say.
Click to expand...

images
 
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Ryuusagi no hoshi said:
Well you need glasses cuz you know, going to other people and say hey! I don't enjoy this you should not enjoy it ether because it's bad for me.
It's wrong... you just waste your time instead talk about things you like.
Give the opinion you have let it out of your system and move on.
Don't go pestering people about the things they like i will say.
Click to expand...

I think comments like Clov's need to be understood to be taking place in the context of a forum. No one is "going to other people and saying I don't like thing," they're posting about it online in a text-based community wherein one of the major purposes of participation is expressing an opinion. I've literally never seen anyone on Famiboards say "you can't enjoy that," unless they're maybe talking about something extremely problematic like the Wizard game which I will not name.
 
Linkstrikesback said:
If you can't make up your mind about a product because of reviews, why even have them? Do you just blindly throw your money at any old thing and hope for the best?
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You... You don't need reviews and scores to have some intuition about if you're going to like a piece of media. It's called developing your tastes, which is done with experimentation. Scores can at best give you a reference of how good (according to other people, anyway) something is, but never how much you're personally going to like it.
 
I went to see the movie last weekend. I really enjoyed it. 😎 I found it very consistent with the mentality with which Nintendo develops video games. It's a fun, light-hearted film that allows you to switch off from the harsh everyday life and relax. From a visual point of view, I found it wonderful. Also, I've been playing Nintendo consoles since the days of Nes and Game Boy, so I really enjoyed the many easter eggs featured in the film. 🙂
 
Linkstrikesback said:
The natural question this arises is, what, exactly, do you think the point of review threads are?

If you can't make up your mind about a product because of reviews, why even have them? Do you just blindly throw your money at any old thing and hope for the best?
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You're supposed to have your own taste and let reviews be a comparison point that may or may not enhance your existing opinion.

I'm happy I get to be the first person to tell you that!
 
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I’d like to think review threads (and reading good crit in general) is about expanding our perspectives on pieces of art and coming to understand things from angles inaccessible to us for a variety of reasons

tho in gaming communities it seems they’re more about obsessively tracking a largely meaningless aggregated number
 
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SlumWolf said:
I’d like to think review threads (and reading good crit in general) is about expanding our perspectives on pieces of art and coming to understand things from angles inaccessible to us for a variety of reasons

tho in gaming communities it seems they’re more about obsessively tracking a largely meaningless aggregated number
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"society has made me very insecure so i need people i have established as authorities for no real reason to tell me the thing i like is good" is basically half of the videogame discourse in the last decade and a half.
 
Tangerine_Cookie said:
"society has made me very insecure so i need people i have established as authorities for no real reason to tell me the thing i like is good" is basically half of the videogame discourse in the last decade and a half.
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it’s especially silly in the context of a junk food movie like this. seems like a fool’s errand, like looking to food critics for a positive write up of the new flavor of lay’s
 
SlumWolf said:
it’s especially silly in the context of a junk food movie like this. seems like a fool’s errand, like looking to food critics for a positive write up of the new flavor of lay’s
Click to expand...

It's putting absolutely unrealistic expectations for what's basically mainly a kids' movie up for no reason, yeah.
 
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SlumWolf said:
it’s especially silly in the context of a junk food movie like this. seems like a fool’s errand, like looking to food critics for a positive write up of the new flavor of lay’s
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I mean, one would want a Mario movie to stand out pretty great among animated movies. Simply because of how quality has been something the franchise has been consistently associated with. That first movie isn't anything special from a message standpoint but if you're looking for great action/animation then it probably gets the job done. Let's just hope it becomes more than that in the future. I don't think being an animated movie is an excuse for relatively little depth.
 
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I’m surprised that there’s this kind of discourse around the movie in the first place. I think the main issue is that a lot of these rotten reviews are essentially clickbait shitposts that were written in bad faith. The response to those range from “reviewers don’t know anything” to “cmon this is a glorified Mario ad” but I think both of these miss the point

The idea that it failed as a movie due to its “paper-thin plot” is actually a very shallow critique. Movie discourse on the Internet will usually revolve around easily quantifiable aspects and have an emphasis on “plot and character depth” but the truth is that these are not the “core” of what makes a movie good, far from it actually. Now the Mario movie was actually serviceable on that aspect, every main character had a little arc, there was a bookend, it basically did its job in order to give a movie scenario to a videogame series that usually has basically no plot, only a premise. This may be “scenario writing 101” but the truth is that many movies, notably MCU and Disney movies at their worst, don’t even pass that mark

Now the point of the Mario movie was to be an action movie through and through, really. That’s where the hypocrisy of the reviews come in, they basically came in this movie wearing “videogame movies are bad, this is an obvious fanservice cashgrab” glasses. Meanwhile they would never give off points for “thin plot and shallow characters” for something like John Wick or Mad Max. Before yall laugh at me for putting these in the same paragraph as the Mario movie, well it’s true, this is the kind of experience it was going for. It’s an action movie with fairly elaborate choreography, except that it plays by the rules of the videogame. That’s how the powerup shenanigans worked really. I mean, look at John Wick 4, one of the scenes that made the audience clap mid-movie at my screening was the mansion scene. You had the bad guys gearing up, they had rocket launchers with a dragon logo, John grabs one, he goes on a rampage while the camera has this isometric bird’s eye view. Felt like a videogame really, well this kind of “ludic” cinema is what a lot of action movies go for and the Mario movie honestly delivered on that aspect. You got powerups, Koopa shells, Mario Kart drifting, all of those gamey things worked in the context of the scenes.

Another proof of this hypocrisy is the reason why this is “bad even for a kids movie”. People mentioned how the Mario movie is nothing compared to Puss in Boots 2, but this comparison doesn’t help when most of the points are very disingenuous. The first is how the Mario movie apparently has “bad animation”, in what world? It’s like they basically don’t know anything about animation and just go for “consensus takes” like “Puss is like Spiderverse so it’s good. Mario is made by a bad studio so it’s bad”. The other is the plot and pacing. Now Puss in Boots 2 was very good and all but the plot and character arcs were quite simplistic, the pacing was too fast as well. It felt as “videogamey and theme park-ey” as Mario really, the whole quest was them going through videogame levels basically. It just doesn’t have the impact that Shrek 1 and 2 have. Now why didn’t reviewers complain about pacing or simplistic plots when reviewing that one? Well it’s simple, it was the first time in almost 20 years since that franchise had something good so it was surprising. On top of that it had treated mental health as a theme so that was enough to push the buttons of the adults that always stress about how kids movies need to have something for the adults too.

One last comparison would be Ready Player One. That movie had the potential to be one of the worst pieces of fiction ever, according to the infamous snippets of horrible writing of the book. It was projected to be this pure cynical nostalgic cashgrab fanservice. The final result was actually pretty good, it was a fun adventure that payed hommage to a lot of iconic moments in cinema. The script seems to have removed the ultra cringy stuff like the misogyny and the Atari references, instead we just have a basic zoomer love story about some dude hooking up with his e-girlfriend. The Mario movie didn’t have this kind of critical reception because it didn’t have Spielberg’s name, also because it’s not cool to get videogame references, unlike movies. That being said I think the Mario movie was somewhat on par with that. It’s too soon to say but if they keep on the good work, they won’t fall into the MCU trap and make movies that are purely cynical cashgrabs
 
I think it's pretty clear what happened though, on one hand you have nerds mad that a franchise they're personally attached to is getting trashed being stupid and on the other hand you have pretentious nerds invested in being mad at the movie taking the fight on the behalf of critics, so you just get a feedback loop of "People invested in the Rottentomatoes score going at each other's neck", and also you add the articles written by friends of critics that got attacked by nerds who get uppity about it and want to join the pissing contest too (and the ''CRITICS ARE WRONG cuz box office proves theyre wrong!'' articles).
Critics shitting on a movie they didn't like is normal and happens all the time because dragging stuff IS fun, it is only an issue here because as a franchise that is in the line of fire of geeks it is naturally doomed to people getting weird about it, be it cuz they're mad that critics think it sucks or because they want to indulge in haha critics agree it sucks,
 
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Today's the day I finally see this!

EDIT: oops, meant to put this in ST
 
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