Mario Movie Directors Explain Their Take On Princess Peach

But will she shout out banana?

I'm glad to see Princess Peach movie version was not typical damsel in distress.
She was fierce and looks like she can kick some butts.

I mean she’s been shown to be strong and capable for decades now.

I’m all for her character and what they are doing in the movie but is the take seriously that this is innovative and new?

Hell, even in the abhorred Hoskins movie the princess (don’t get me started) was a strong woman, who even after capture was pretty capable.

So far i'm loving what the trailers showed of her. This version of Princess Peach looks badass!

I think their take looks pretty generic, but I'll still take it over what a tired, boring relic the mainline games' Peach is.

This is a totally generic take and not really fresh at all. And if you don't think so you must be delusional or somehow still live in the 90s.

@Lizuka
I mean yeah, they basically turned a non character into a generic character, which is a slight upgrade.

Peach has always been tougher than her gentle demeanor and captivity record may trick you into believing, although even in general I think that the term "damsel in distress" has been long worn out to the point of mindless derogation as it's spammed upon every single fictional female in what most of our world's contexts would gravely call "kidnapping" or "hostage situation". Victim blaming much?

@steely_pete Princess Toadstool in the Super Mario 3 and Super Mario World cartoons was a good character with likeable positive traits.

I don’t want her to become some stuck-up B who humiliates Mario in the movie just because she thinks she is superior to him on account of her being a woman.

They’re friends. They’re equals. She’s a kind caring, polite and understanding capable woman without an ounce of aggression in her. If they don’t capture that element of her personality then they don’t understand how to write her.

It's understandable that when there's only one major female character in your movie, you want to give her a bigger role than "damsel in distress."

I saw how brave she was in the trailer and I clapped.

@OFFICIALMichi RIght? They're gonna pat themselves on the back, but Peach has been doing all of these things since Super Mario Bros. 2! Sure, sometimes, she's captured by Bowser - sometimes Mario is captured by King Boo too! I mean, I'm glad to see a feisty Princess in the movie, but to me that's what she's always been!

I, for one, am unafraid of change, and I really like this take on Peach.
She's a MONARCH of a whole kingdom, it makes no sense for her to be a generic demure damsel.

More of this Peach please.

If they are describing the toads as helpless and adorable, then it makes sense that they need a strong willed ruler who will fight for their people. This take on peach is refreshing, still can’t wait for the trailer next week!

@Bass_X0 I don't think she'll be "aggressive," just strong and confident. As many have posted examples of from the games, she already is!

To the comments saying she is now too aggressive (the one I wanted to reply to is gone) what about her in the new trailers has shown she's aggressive? Because I don't see it.

This comment section is harping on a strong Princess Peach while the real MVP is a damsel in distress Luigi.

Everyone gets kidnapped from time to time. Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Wario, Jeb Bush’s dad, and even Donkey Kong.

Well since in western culture woman aren't allowed to be depicted as weak and need to be helped by a man anymore this take isn't as fresh as damsels in distress, which is quite funny I think.

Although I think it will be cool if mario and peach helped (and need) each others rather than peach is always right, and mario is always the fools, as depicted in the movie trailers. Maybe the movie isn't like that though.

This is such a non thing. This is not a gender empowerment statement. This is not a 'take'. This is just a character from a movie based on a video game. It's insignificance should be clear as day and nobody should even bother to care.

@CharlieGirl I agree with you. It always seemed silly to me these princess with their vast resources can't save themselves because "reasons" and therefore must sit around while a plumber and farm boy do it because they more "capable".

Call it a nitpick sure, but I always question the silly logic of the media I consume. On a side note that's why I've always been attracted to anti-heroes and villains. They aren't worried about saving damsels in distress.

That's why Wario is my favorite character in the Mario verse. He's not worry about chivalry just greed.

@wiiware I guarantee you that Mario will be the hero of the movie. He'll just have a little learning curve because he is in a new world to him - it's a typical plot. It doesn't diminish him if she has to show him the ropes. I think that it's a lot of worry about nothing.

@Vexx234 I might argue that Mario IS one of Peach's "resources." Being captured sometimes doesn't diminish her when she's been shown to be strong as well. I think everyone really reads too much into this stuff.

Yes, Princess Peach has shown that she can hold her own from time to time, and is not afraid to dive in first to lend a helping hand. But she’s always been depicted as gentle and kind, even when “getting down to business”.

Here, her character feels way off and more like what I’d expect to see from Princess Daisy.
But hey, they could have done worse, they could have done much worse.

@wiiware Well I'm from America and unless laws have changed in the past decade, I don't recall one being passed forbidding women from depicted as weak and helpless. Sounds more like media reflecting culture.

I mean honestly, who wants be depicted as weak and helpless all the time? That's not a fun story. That's a story of someone who can't do crap unless someone does it for them.

As far as the movie goes, Mario is a fool. It makes sense in this context because he's a stranger in a strange world. Let's look at from a real life perspective. If you got warped into a world of talking mushrooms your sense of understanding and logic would go out the window. You would in some ways be a bumbling fool trying to make find your place.

Man im really hyped about this movie.
Even more hyped than the coming marvel movies.

@The-Chosen-one It really does look great, doesn't it. I had been cautious about it, but it seems they have nailed it. I knew when they did that SMB Plumbing ad that it was being made with lots of love for the franchise!

@BrianJL I pointed that out already that it's me nitpicking. I still stand by it though. I don't agree with you though. The old joke of peach enjoying getting kidnap keeps running through my mind.

Wario will always be the better Mario imo.

Making the princess “strong and confident, with real agency” has been called innovative since before any of us were born. And I guess it’s going to generate articles even long after we’re dead.

@OFFICIALMichi Besides the movie and the last cutscene of Mario Odyssey (a game which still has the damsel in distress plot line), when has Peach been shown as strong and capable?

Courageous, fresh, and empowering - to do it any other way would not be an option, with today's date being what it is and conformity a requirement in certain parts of the world. Can't wait for Rosalina to don camo, swear, drop some quips, and deposit her chewing tobacco into a dark brown water bottle throughout the sequel.

"So Luigi, who's a famously nervous, anxious character..."

I miss the old Luigi : (. Luigi's mansion ruined the character for younger generations, imo. as much as I like (to think about and never play) those games.

@Violator

"Can't wait for Rosalina to don camo, drop some quips, and deposit her chewing tobacco into a dark brown water bottle throughout the sequel."

to be fair that would be pretty out of character for Mario or Luigi, as well. (and they're ostensibly MEN!)

@BabyYoda71

"...when has Peach been shown as strong and capable?"

SMB2 is just the first example. have you played the Mario games? they're good.

@Violator Honestly mate, give her a laser minigun, unlimited ammo, cheesy one liners, some 80's rock music, and I would totally be behind the idea of a battle hardened Roslina with a army of Lumas ready to chew bubblegum and kick koopa arse.

Just hope she's not out of bubblegum.

I think the change is nice, who else is tired of Peach being the damsel in distress? I know she is. But poor Luigi needs help this time. Can he ever get a break?

@-wc- hard disagree. Luigi being a put upon, reluctant hero who still steps up when it matters makes him a far more sympathetic and easy to root for character than his brother. He’s easily got the most developed personality of the core Mario cast in the games.

It'd actually be way more interesting if Peach wasn't damseled, but still maintained her traditionally demure/feminine demeanor. Super Princess Peach comes to mind, in that respect. Peach is a dainty little thing, but that doesn't mean she's incapable of becoming a heroine if the need arises.

But this is being produced by a modern Hollywood studio, which means that was never going to happen.

"She needs to be strong to protect the mushroom people." I don't need any logical explanation. Make her kick ass because that's awesome. Give her a big ass gun. Give her a suit-up montage.

@DiggleDog I agree with you. Luigi isn't ruined. I'd argue he has more of personality now than he did way back then. He's no longer just Green Mario. He's the opposite of Mario.

Luigi to me just wants to sit back and enjoy life. Wheres Mario is the white knight, Luigi is just the normal guy who's content with life.

And as cowardly as he may be he's more than willing to heed the call if need arises. In the Mansion games Luigi is scared out of his mind ( who wouldn't be), but he still goes on because he knows others depend on him and will not fail.

If we were to use Luigi as example what it means to be a hero, he would be perfect. To show that there's nothing wrong with being afraid, it's how you handle that fear that matters. Luigi is a brave chicken and that it what makes him awesome.

@Purgatorium so end of 1990s Mario movie Daisy?

Peach doesn’t need to hold a weapon. Mario serves as her sword and shield.

Hopefully ATJ won't sound as sleepwalky as she's sounded in the trailers. Second least favorite voice in the movie so far after Pratt

this is the first time in history that probably all users agree on something

@demacho Eh im use to it. Most celebs just see animation as a quick paycheck and just phone it in. I honestly wish real voice actors were hired, but they don't draw in audiences.

Which is weird to me because I thought families didn't take their kids to a animated movie because an A+ celeb is in it. But eh who knows.

It's not like she's a damsel in distress in every game, she's had other roles before. Got no problem with her doing more in this movie just as long as Mario is respected also. What I've seen so far makes it seem like a fun movie.

Personally would have liked a more traditional take on it, but don't mind having it this way.

@Bass_X0
“I don’t want her to become some stuck-up B who humiliates Mario in the movie just because she thinks she is superior to him on account of her being a woman.“

My dude, there’s a lot of projection & insecurity in that comment. You okay?

I know I don’t get those vibes from the trailers, neither should you. It’s Mario’s first time meeting Peach in a time where they’re under attack by Bowser, of course she’s not gonna’ have time for nonsense.

As for Mario? New crazy world compared to Brooklyn, of course he’s gonna’ look like a bit of a fool at first.

@BrianJL

That was the best part ever lol it brought back my whole childhood.
This movie for me is pure nostalgia.
They nailed every part in the trailers.

@SirCarbs

“ My dude, there’s a lot of projection & insecurity in that comment. You okay?”

No, I’m not okay with modern day Hollywood literally pooping on our childhood legacy heroes. This is what they do, and now regularly do. So yes adults are pretty insecure that their childhood heroes will be pooped on whenever they announce a new movie or tv show. Hollywood, Disney, Netflix, Amazon, Warner Bros etc has zero respect towards keeping the spirit of the original series.

Right now the movie could go either way. I think it’s fair to say that many fans of Mario from the 80s and 90s are still fans today, and we want 80s and 90s Mario to be respected. And no, that does not mean that Peach should be a weak fragile demure shell of a woman. She was good in the 90s cartoons.

Princess Peach should probably be Princess Peach in the Super Mario Bros movie. Maybe she will be. Also, shrug.

@Dev9417
Daisy at this point seems like waluigi in that she is largely relegated to the spinoffs though it was nice to see her get some smash representation, and that similar to how Luigi became his own character other than just "green Mario" she became more than just "orange peach"

though as mentioned she is more of a side game character, with more presence than some of the one-offs but not as much presence as the main cast or even someone like Rosalina.

though from what we do see of her i can see why she has fans.

@Bass_X0 You know I was going to give a counter argument to that, but after that last paragraph all l can say is...wow.

Look mate, I'm 32, and honestly I don't enjoy some of the remakes out there, but at the same time I know I'm not the target audience for half of em.

With that said, I'm an adult who isn't insecure because I know I don't have to watch anything I don't like it and nothing new ruins what came before, because the old is still there, and free to access anytime. For me personally it's not worth my time being upset about it.

Anyways, I think you might have went a bit overboard in your rant.

@Il_Nintenditore I mean, I've seen a lot of movies in recent years and...?

Yeah, sometimes it happens, but the complaints about it are way overblown if you ask me.

@Bass_X0
I mean Princess Peach looks great for being strong and capable in the movie.

So basically "Damsels in distress are out of style; strong, independent women are in". The same revolutionary concept that directors with nothing interesting to say about their characters have been pulling out for decades. Odyssey even plays off it a bit in that last cutscene. Not to say a productive princess wouldn't be nice. Sure wish Nintendo would let Zelda get things done by herself more often. Still, the way they tend to make the heroine look smart or competent is by making the hero and/or villain a bumbling idiot, which has gotten to be a pretty worn out trope itself at this point.

Much as I like movie Peach, I hope they still allow her actual sweet personality to shine through as well as she is often depicted in the games. She can go to battle, but I'd like her to show actual concern for her subjects and other good people even if she doesn't know them personally.

@BrianJL Like I said, maybe it's only from the trailer.

@Fangleman32 I don't think I said peach should be depicted as weak all the time, I said I think it will be cool if mario and peach helped (and need) each others rather than peach is always the right one and mario is always the foolish one. Because it will make a boring movie.

@OFFICIALMichi This. I don't know why people are acting that it's the first time she's been portrayed like a strong capable princess, heck she had her own game where she goes and rescues Mario and Luigi.

@Il_Nintenditore I honesty don't care about "forced" inclusion. It's damned if ya do and damned if ya don't. People just wanna get mad.

Hades is an awesome game yet the devs made a foolish mistake feeling the need to explain why they made some of the characters the way they did just to feed a troll. And this is an example of where you are damned nomatter the answer. The devs clearly explained they weren't trying to appease anyone and it was an artistic choice.

If the augment is let creators create what they want, then let them. Same thing with Deathloop. They wanted black protagonists and the director himself is black.

On the movie side of things, Miles Morales (spider-man) is direct creation of inclusion after actor Donald Glover received backlash for auditioning for Spider-man. Now here we are with both critics and fans saying Into The Spider-verse is the best Spider-man has been since the Raimi years.

As a fellow old guy this argument goes back as far as I can remember, and honestly there is no winning. Want to be more inclusive? You will be accused of pandering even if it's an artistic choice. I'm a minority, and I await the day to be accused of the same thing when my creation is unleashed into the wild. When it happens i'll just say "Okay" and move on.

@Il_Nintenditore I really don't see that in a lot of movies though. I mean, I'm sure it's out there, but a lot of the fandoms are jumping at shadows. There are plenty of male heroes that are doing just great.

@Il_Nintenditore I dunno about that man, we have yet to see the movie and so far everything about it looks promising. There’s nothing on my end to project, I’m quite comfortable and confident in the film and with Peach’s direction so far.

I’ve actually seen a lot of recent films, and animation is doing great compared to live action for the most part. Let your guard down and just see what happens.

Let Peach be the character we know and love. If you want a more rough and tumble female put Daisy in the film. Problem solved.

@Bass_X0 Imagine being intimidated by a fictional female character being more assertive.

Judging from the trailers it seems all the male characters will either be hapless schmucks or they'll be evil.

@GooseLoose1 oh I'm used to it. i just hate it.

I'm not gonna assume she's gonna be awful though. she's a good actor. i just haven't liked what I've heard so far in the trailers. whereas I've loved everything jack black and Charlie day have showed so far as bowser and Luigi.

and, obviously, kids dgaf about a star studded voice cast. many adults do though. but even if that weren't the case, just having the name up there just helps the movie's marketing stick. amy poehler was in some pidgeon movie like a decade ago. don't remember jacksht about it except for seeing her name on the billboard and going "huh. interesting."

never saw it and it was probably bad, but here i am, 10 years later, mentioning it, because she was on the poster 🤷

Shame that Peach is another bad choice. Anya Taylor Joy can't act to save her life, but at least I won't have to actually view her wonky lopsided eyeballs in this lol.

@luke88 The 'men weak, women mighty' agenda is strong in this one indeed.

@DiggleDog

I respect your opinion, and I mostly agree, but I think he could be 1/3 as much of a whining, frightened doofus and still have all that character and contrast. which in my opinion, he was, and did, before mansion.

it went from "now hang on a sec there, Mario," to "ohh Mario I'm just too scared waaahhhh" at that point.

thanks! ☺️

@Eagly I think the promo for that game literally labeled her the Bada** princess lol.

@theModestMouse So let's see...

Mario is the star of the movie - check
Mario is going to save the day - check

So you're telling me, that main character of this film, the flasgship of Nintendo who spend millions to retain his image, who ultimately are the ones that approved the final script, are going to let a film be made where Mario is a weak stupid incompetent male who can't do anything?

You sure you wanna stick with that narrative?

Peach will be the one to save the day at the end.. mark my words. Got to have all female characters be better than the boys now.

@Clammy It's been marked. By signing this contract you agree that once proven wrong you will wear the L on your head with pride as everyone returns to this comment to mock it.

Would be cool if this led to more Peach starring in her own games.

@Purgatorium Hey, Im shooting for moon and want Wario to have his own tv show.

Wario is looking to get rich. Saving the day is just a minor inconvenience.

She is so "strong and capable", but still needs Mario to save her kingdom. Typical of the so-called "women's empowerment".

@Vexx234 like a wacky Nickelodeon style cartoon?

@BabyYoda71

-She was very capable in Subspace emissary, having been kidnapped about the same as most any other character.

-There was a video game that was named Super Princess Peach where she saved her friends and kingdom, even defeating Bowser. She was able to hone her emotions to give herself powers thanks to the effects of the vibe scepter.

-In games like Super Mario RPG she is a very capable party member who bashes people with frying pans and the like.

-She’s no slouch in sports and racing games by any means.

But you’ve already made up your mind so I’ll stop there.

@Eagly It was something along those lines using that word. Ngl I hope this movie fixes my dislike for her, I don’t hate her, but her personality in smash bros, and how Odyssey ended, I need something refreshing, yes I like daisy over peach.

@Bass_X0 Perfectly phrased!
I do like to think of Mario and Peach as a couple though.

@theModestMouse I wish I could upvote this a hundred times.

@Bratwurst35 : Okay, it can also be marked that mario's high voice will return in the end credits. And the film will end with everyone dancing. A Jack Black or Seth Rogan will make a fart joke or reference to weed (in case of the latter, probably using peeling bananas for said reference).

And peach will save the day, mark my words. Anyone expecting anything different than the movie ending with Peach saving the day, and then a dance off, has not watched a single animated movie in the last decade (especially not one by this studio)

@Clammy Doubt it.

I think shes meant to be a Vegeta figure without being an anti-hero. She'll be presented as tougher than Mario to begin with, but she's going to be the character Bowser defeats.

The stronger Peach is the more of a threat Bowser will be seen if he defeats/captures her. Which makes for better stakes in the story and more tension as it sets a bar Mario had to reach to become the hero.

If Peach defeats Bowser it just opens a plot hole of why she hadn't done it already. And would make Mario's training we've seen in the trailers a pointless plot point. I think if they've cared enough to need to make Peach tough enough to rule in a setting where Mario isn't from the Mushroom Kingdom. They'll care enough not to undermine Mario's hero's journey.

@Eagly Yeah I agree with you, the only time she remotely got anything was in Mario kingdom battle, and odyssey, but only barely, and even then she almost stranded the guy. I don’t hate her, I don’t dislike her, But I don’t like her ether, I’m in between, so I hope this movie fixes that. But for some reason, I’m not sure, I feel like that’s not gonna be the case.

@Dr_Lugae : Genuine lol. Wont happen.

@Anti-Matter but that's just as generic at this point. Making princess/female characters "bad-ass" who "don't need no man" and can "take care of themselves" has become such an overused trope now that's it's become the new cookie cutter blueprint for the entertainment industry.

Like, I actually find it just as cringe worthy as damsel in distress characters...if not MORE due to how forced and fabricated it is by people in suits.

Of course they would have to change it. The “helpless damsel in distress” wouldn’t last a day these recent years to Western audience on social media.

It’s all about “strong woman who don’t need no man!” troupe we see in Western movies and games these days.

The only reason they still have Mario as the main character instead of just using Peach is because Mario is what will bait people into the theatre seats.

I am beyond excited for this movie. Just go ahead and sell me the bluray so I can watch it six times in a row, Nintendo. Peach running the Mushroom Queendom!

Believe it or not, but Princess Peach was already in some media outside the games a cool and active character, like in the mangas and the Super Mario Bros. Super Show in the 80s. I'm not sure if this version of Peach will be likeable or interesting. Modern western film writers are so afraid in creating female characters now, that they just make them “strong”, “perfect” and with “no flaws”, just in case to not offend anyone. And I don't mean that all females in media need to become helpless damsel in distress, that would be just a stereotype. But, in our modern times, the strong, independent woman that needs no man has become the new stereotype for them. I wish we could just go the middle route again, and create a strong female character, that still has their weaknesses to overcome.

So the Toads are hapless now? They've done so much ***** for peach over the years... one is even her personal shield...

No offense but that just makes her more generic in this day and age. Every woman now kicks butt and has no physical weaknesses. Kind of hard to be excited when they all follow the same cookie cutter formula when it comes to designing characters so as to not offend anyone.

@OFFICIALMichi
"-There was a video game that was named Super Princess Peach where she saved her friends and kingdom, even defeating Bowser. She was able to hone her emotions to give herself powers thanks to the effects of the vibe scepter."

Maybe she was able to save herself in that particular game, but in all the games where she was kidnapped, she needed Mario to do the saving for her and this is something that should be in the movie, not all Mario movies (I believe there'll be a sequel), but at least in this one they should portray how things started, although I know they're probably not going to do that.

@OFFICIALMichi I hadn’t already made my mind up, I was genuinely curious (my original comment came off a bit hostile, sorry). I assumed the directors meant in the mainline Mario games, which was why I was confused (I forgot about Super Princess Peach though)

I do like Peach’s role in this movie, and it seems at the very least done in a different way than all of those examples.

It takes you 4 paragraphs to get to the actual story.

@CharlieGirl you get it. All these people complaining are plain unlikable and need a hug. How miserable are they?

This is a cartoon. Cartoons are filled with caricatures. Yeah. Damsel. Strong monarch. Whatever.

@ATaco
Thank you!! This is spot on. For many reasons I am becoming more doubtful that this movie will even be good.

@Dinglehopper
Actually I prefer strong woman than damsel in distress model.
Peach as damsel in distress looks boring for me.

I think the flaw lies in that some assume that every monarch needs to be a 'warrior baddass' or assume "strong woman" means an extreme level of 'moxie'. And yes, while I do concede its the Mario Universe, one must also understand that Peach's core character is more strong of will, compassionate, and can be inferred to be a decent ruler. She makes speeches, hosts diplomatic gatherings (see the first Paper Mario game for a good example of these), and can on occasion protect herself. She'll take on a mario kart race for sure, but I highly doubt she's going to competitively smirk while doing it.
Perhaps I might be too hard on simply an iteration of Peach, which by no means overriding the characterizations I like more, but not every strong female character must be 'feisty, energetic, precocious' in the vein of ones like Penelope Von Sweetz.

Peach in Smash Bros. ain't no damsel in distress, that's for sure. Better watch out, or you may get a frying pan to the face.

@Echostory We live on a world of extremes anymore. Every reaction is the extreme reaction. There is no nuance these days. People seem to think two ideas cannot co-exist.

Princess peach can be the dainty lady she is while also being a strong warrior who can take of herself too. If she is a princess? She is fragile and weak. If she is a strong woman? Then loses her femininity and men are weak by default.

Why can't both these things be true? It would be no different than fables about noble kings who ride into battle protecting their people.

Peach could honestly do both and nothing would ruin her as a character. She can do both because this character archetype is as old as storytelling itself.

Personally, I'm excited for this version of Princess Peach. I've been saying for years that the whole "Peach gets kidnapped by Bowser" thing was getting stale, and that it's well past the time that she's not the damsel-in-distress for once.

As it is, there are only two games in the mainline Super Mario series where she's playable: Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario 3D World. Super Princess Peach, being a spinoff, doesn't count. Neither does Mario Kart, Mario Party, the Mario Sports games, etc. Only the mainline Super Mario series.

So I am really looking forward to how they're going to do her character in this movie. I hope they do my vision for her justice.

@ATaco
Yeah, technically, a feminine princess that needs to be rescued feels in our modern times more like a unique character.

@RareFan See, I disagree. That would not be unique. It would just be an old fashioned idea.

Modern times? You make it sound as if this trend has been going on for decades when in realty it's been a little more than 10 years.

Let's takes Disney for example. The last animated film of 2009 tried to fuse both ideas together. It failed because the strong woman they built up quite easily had everything handed to her in the end because she married a rich guy.

If were to measure that film from then till today on how much the medium has changed, it is a drop in the bucket compared to the decades prior where the status quo was men can do everything and women can't.

It's honestly not even a fair comparison. So no, making her a princess that needs to be rescued wouldn't be a unique. It would just be the same old idea Nintendo has stuck with since Mario's creation.

She was never not going to be a standard "battle princess," but I do HOPE they find a way to mix up the cliché a bit.

I'm not gonna lie? I think this is one of the few things that feels like an undeniable improvement. We need more halberd-wielding Peach presentations in the world. She already was showing more leap into action-ness, but this feels like a violent shove in the right direction.

Battle Princess for the win!

So she will be more Super Princess Peach-ish then, fine by me. As for Luigi, I feared that part (all?) of the movie will have Luigi mostly out of commission from Super Mario "Bros.-ing" though the movie is called The Super Mario Bros. Movie. I'm guessing the Bros. will strut their full glory by movie's end. With Charlie Day voicing Luigi, I definitely expect his parts to still be highly entertaining.

@Arawn93 You don't have to be making a statement on girl power to have a capable female character in a story. It's modern sensibilities because about 50% of the movie-going audience are women and there's less desire for a helpless female lead characters these days.

But still giving a female character agency doesn't mean you're replacing the title character of the story with her. Paper Mario 64 had a decent one where Peach despite being captured sneaked around the castle to find where the Star Spirits were to help guide Mario. Its a story where Peach needs Mario's help, but Mario needs Peach to have some agency to help him too.

I've seen this crap back with Mario Odyssey, a game where Peach is a damsel in distress. When she rejects both Bowser and Mario's proposal in the ending, showing the tiniest sliver of agency to make decisions for herself there were guys in the fandom accusing it of making Peach a "doesn't need a man" girl. Despite the fact she literally needed Mario to save her in the story.

So the bar for making a bunch of gamers froth over Peach actually having agency is incredibly low. I guess the moment she picked up the spear in the movie trailer broke some people, despite the fact she's yet to been shown to do anything more than give a determined speech.

How is this take "fresh?" Practically all modern media has been pushing for the strong manly woman and weak beta-male archetypes for a long time now.

Not saying that's always a bad thing, but let's not go around pretending that's a new concept.

@calbeau Yeah, it's kinda ridiculous how people still act like this idea of "Strong independent Girl Boss" is a new thing when literally every other movie released in the last few years have been doing exactly that. (SPECIALLY Disney).

I had the worry that they're gonna Wokefy this movie by having Peach be the actual Hero and Mario being portrayed as sort of a bumbling buffoon following her around, but from the more recent trailers and teasers, thankfully that doesn't seem to be the case.

I dunno, I'm going in cautiously optmistic. there are ways that you can have a proactive Peach, as we've seen in the Charlie Nozawa Comics, and Super Paper Mario. I just have very little faith in western writers but Miyamoto's supervision and how good and faithful everything else looks are the things that give me hope this will be good.

@ottoecamn

"Woke"

1- A word adopted by African Americans to be more aware of racial issues in America.

2- Hijacked by radicals and appropriated to mean a slur. Which is honestly not all that surprising in America. And before you go on a rant, this is directed at liberals and right wingers who have both sullied the word.

You have a good day sir/madam.

Well I for one am going to step up and say boo. Hate on me all you want. I don't care. Peach get captured and Mario saves her. This is not a story of woman being week. It is a story of women should choose a man who will fight for them and prove themselves worthy. As a father of girls and boys these new age movies of girls being tough and boys week is not helping anybody. My sons will be strong and defend woman. My daughters caring and deserving of a strong man to protect them. I don't mean just physical protection, but in all forms. That's what love is. New age movies teach kids how not to love. That they don't need each other. My kids know Dad loves and protects Mum and Mum loves and takes care of Dad. Not that we are strong and independent, but quite the opposite.

If you want a strong woman character go watch Aliens (1986). Fantastic movie portraying a strong female lead character. Nearly 40 years ago.

Que the Jim Carey gif "oh boy, here we go again."

I mean Princess Peach has saved Mario before cough cough Super Princess Peach game and she badass in comics and manga and cool in Super Mario RPG also in 80s cartoon but their take on Peach just looks really generic just strong female character with no flaws thats just been overdone to death give her some flaws im all for strong female characters but give some flaws.

@GooseLoose1 I am sure your comment will get shot into the abyss, so I wanted to say thank you. So many people missuse woke vs how it was originally intended (and then trying to speak for others on top of that ).

@JohnnyMind

it seems that I'm outnumbered! I think at the end of the day it was an aesthetic choice to make Luigi over-the-top frightened and whiny. personally, I don't like those kinds of characters, so I suppose that it's hopeless for me with this aspect of Luigi's evolution. too bad for me! haha.

OTOH. I still love Luigi, as I love an underdog, and as you all pointed out he does overcome his fears and save the day in the end, and that is an endearing story.

here's my preference: he overcomes his BS (lol) relatively EARLY in the film, and fights courageously alongside Mario, so that we get some real scenes of Super Mario Bros. butt kicking! no cowering in the corner the whole time, no getting kidnapped in a "hilarious" role reversal with peach, no "accidentally" stepping backwards on the p switch at just the right moment to dump Bowser in the lava, whatever it is.

"By the way, funnily enough Mario has actually don camo in Mario's Bombs Away, a Game & Watch game"

I LOVE this aspect of Mario, and I'd like to see a title that really leans into it. somewhere in the venn diagram of warioland, warioware, and DK94.

edit - "this aspect of Mario" being that he has had many jobs , has many skills in different trades. also that he lives in a city with people and does people things when he's not stomping koopas. ☺️

I think they could've done a better job. Cannonically, Peach is very capable, (Smash bros, Mario kart, Pro at almost every sport etc) but she did all of that without betraying her character.
I don't think peach is characterized as a "damsel in distress", she hasn't been for YEARS, pretty much just in the New Super Mario Bros line of games. That said, she has always been ultra feminine, and her character is often portrayed as a bit of a silly airhead in the games: "...oh, did I win?" (smash bros Melee) 😂 which would make for a really funny character to see played in a movie.

I think the role she has in this movie is fine, but I think they should've tried to stay closer to her in-game voice and personality. Peach is not a girl-boss badass, and being a girl-boss badass is both not unique anymore, and not necessary for her to be a good strong character.
they should have made her a bit of an airhead, who rules her kingdom with love and cake, and the toadstools love her for it and would do anything for her.
Also, they should've gotten Amy Adams to do her voice.. she would've been perfect at portraying Peach, (think of Giselle from Enchanted!).

People, stop believing that your characters either have to be ultra badass girl-bosses, or damsels in distress. there is about a million different options, and plenty of room for nuance. the false dichotomy is making all of our modern media suffer horrendously.

@J-Manix98

I like a lot of what you said, but I will add that I've seen lots of "well I'm not this, and I'm not that, so I'm kind of outcast in the middle" a la "freaks and geeks" since the days of that wonderful show and especially lately with identity so foregrounded in media.

(edit - I suppose in kids media, theres A LOT of girl bossery, and not a lot of the nuance I'm talking about. I don't think peach should be an airhead per se but going from what she's been to a straight up girl boss will be jarring.

incidentally, I think of the "oh, did I win?" as kind of an intentional, ironic "did I do thaaat?" kind of taunt, by which she is intentionally flipping he defeated foes' expectations that she would be an airhead or otherwise easily beaten. ☺️)

that said if I had my way we'd still be on 80s/90s style SMB, where peach is a princess named toadstool, Mario is a pro wrestler from Brooklyn, and Luigi is straight up Italian for some reason. and, i suppose they are all equally equipped to stomp koopas. : )

@-wc- I totally agree. I just feel like this peach is an overcorrection from what she has been in the games, and mostly due to the writers not understanding who peach is as a character.
again, it would be more Believable to me if Peach ruled her kingdom with cake and tea parties and committees, than with fire and halberds

If Peach is no longer Mario's love interest I will be disappointed.

@Astig I respect this stance. well said

@Bratwurst35

that's actually not true. In Princess and the Frog, Tiana had all the money to achieve her dream due to all of her hard work, then the prince came in and turned her into a frog by accident. Also, the prince was broke as a joke and was being cut off from his parents, so the only thing they achieved in the end was settling their differences and falling in love. it was a really cute story about mutual character growth.

I liked Paper Mario 64 approached where she was capable of sneaking around the castle and in return helping Mario. She was able to do something and show she had some strength to do something even though she was captured. Dialogue of her standing firm and having hope as well. Lots of fun comedy and jokes there too. Thousand Year Door took the same formula in some good ways as well.

As long as it's about Mario specifically, then Mario should still be the protagonists but Peach doesn't have to be fully incapable either, not necessarily anyway. It's usually more interesting when she isn't.

Tl:dr We are afraid of tweeter

Personally, I think they justify it fine. It seems like maybe they're not experts on the games but are experienced (if not totally stellar all the time; the studio isn't, at least) storytellers. I'm sure they're capable of producing a middling-to-good film.

All of that being said, all this discussion of "the modern way of things" and all that, well, one "way of things" that I'm sure will happen: a post-credits scene with an additional teaser of some sort.

A fair bet would be Rosalina. However, I'd be curious about the IP usage agreement behind this. When I first saw the initial trailer and all that stuff about "kingdoms," I immediately thought of Hyrule.

And yeah, that's how the games go but what's more "sign of the times" than shared cinematic universes?

(Not saying I like the idea, just wondering about it. I'd say that's the one thing I'm still curious about.)

i really think the problem isn't her dynamic but her character. she's been a capable ruler of the mushroom kingdom for forever now, but this movie personality of hers is noticeably un-peachy. media really thinks it's offensive now to make a girl that's into girly things.

@Bass_X0 If she acts superior to Mario in the movie, wouldn't you assume it's because she is Queen of the Kingdom, rather than because she is a woman? I can't imagine anyone saying "he acts superior on the account of him being a man" about Batman, Doctor Who or any other male character who acts superior.

Sorry your comment irks me as it reduces female characters to their gender and implies that female characters would only ever act superior in ways that male characters would because of simply being female, rather than because of other traits such as their background, personality, intelligence or skill set.

@Zelda_01 No sorry. Peach is Peach. She’s not Samus. She’s not Lara Croft. She’s not Bayonetta. I don’t want her turned into something she’s not. Part of having diversity is that there is a variety of different character traits, yes even for the same gender. The “strong independent woman who don’t need no man” trope works for some characters but not everyone. Peach’s strengths lie in her kindness, gentleness, compassion, intelligence and being respectful. She is not one to bark orders and charge into battle spear in hand. Diversity includes such character traits as being valid. Or do you want to pretend that such positive traits are a unbecoming of a female character. Not every woman has to be physically strong to have strength. Peach is one such woman.

@CharlieGirl Don't clap yourself on the back too much, friendo.

The point people are making is that this really isn't all that big a change. No one "fears" it, they just think the people making the movie are a little too assured of their own "revolutionary" work.

It isn't, Peach has always been a girlboss.

@SirCarbs You know, when you start your comment with an inflammatory insinuation, you make only one person appear the lesser. Yourself.

Do better. BE better. It's not your responsibility to "own" anyone for their beliefs should you think them faulty.

@Il_Nintenditore Isn't it interesting how straight hetero couples and strong white men are never considered "forced down one's throat" and "in your face"?

I just thought it was interesting how such things only EVER seem to be chucked at LGBT pairings and women characters who break the mould in the media.