Round Up: The First Impressions Of The Super Mario Bros. Movie Are In

That’s really good to hear! I hope I enjoy when I get the chance to watch it.

Germain Lussier's comments sound exactly like what I was expecting.
"A few solid scenes capture the spirit of the game but mostly it's an overly goofy, bare-bones plot, filled w/ bad jokes & worse song choices" describes every Illumation movie.

Waaaaahooooooo.

2 more days

I'm not planning to watch it actually, I'll be playing games instead, probably.

But I do think from the trailers it looks good and will be successful. I feel there are some ways you can have negative criticism on some things but I'm expecting overall mostly positive reactions.

That's my assumption based on what they've shown us and I'd probably like it as well but will still decide to skip for now.

Still believe it could be improved upon and have some negatives here and there.

But... it does looks good overall.

I am SO sick of easter eggs and cameos being the "Best" thing in a tv show/movie. Bring back plots!! </angry man at clouds>

@Jayenkai honestly. remember when major motion pictures told stories, and weren't just Saturday-Morning-Cartoon style advertisements for various IPs?

@CharlieGirl this is exactly what I am expecting…..

I don't really like the constant "THE REFERENCES" thing going on. It's pretty corny. Like that's NICE and it's neat but I want it to be a movie experience and not just a test in nerdom.

This does NOT mean I don't appreciate the Mario celebrations. I love there are references BUT I hope people also have more to say about it as a film.

So excited for UK release day! Tickets booked and will probably go back several times wahoooo

Illumination make movies with the soul of a battered sausage.

So it’s a movie for fans, families, and nobody else.

Sounds about right for an Illumination movie. I’ll probably be too obsessed with the references to focus on the movie’s plot, characters, or themes (which I don’t expect much of), but at worst, it seems like it’ll just be harmless fun.

You just know it's going to be a 6/10 movie.

Being Illumination-phobic and a negative nancy, I'm going to assume I'll agree with Germain's take.

Then again I just know I'll be hyped for the references as they happen. But that kind of enjoyment is ephemeral.

Oh my god, the wait is almost over, this Saturday I’m going to see this😆

Judging by all the praise being aimed at the cameos, I am starting to feel that this is more of a celebration of the Mario franchise as a whole. And ‘boring plotline’? What were you expecting out of a formulatic Mario film? A five star classic? It’s just meant to be good simple fun, and I think that’s the best approach, it being an illumination film as well. That’s what they do best.

I for one am devastated that this isn’t a high concept modern classic.

Can’t be worse than the sonic movie.

I’m already scheduled to see this back to back Friday and Saturday so I sure hope it’ll be good. Seeing it once with family and the next day with a group of friends.

Hi, Dave from Digital Floundering here. I attended the premiere of the Mario Movie and, well...I'm disappointed. Despite some effects that just couldn't be possible on a PS5, the film couldn't reach 60 frames per second (it seemed locked at around 24.) I had to count each frame myself, so I have no idea if the story was any good...that's not important, people are going for the frame rate.

Damn, why is nintendolife comment section so full of negativity as of late?!

Can't wait to see the movie with my boyfriend next weekend!

@GrailUK did you check with the projectionist whether they had it set to Performance Mode?

@wanghosom it’s just the usual suspects and at least one of them made their feelings clear months ago

@CharlieGirl I agree with you about the Germain Lussier review. I suspect that’ll more accurately reflect my feelings on the movie once I see it.

As far as the commercialization of cinema? There hasn’t been a time in my life where there weren’t movies that did this. Star Wars came out a few years before I was born. Once movie studios saw how much more money George Lucas made from selling merchandise than what was made at the box office, there was no going back. This affected both blockbuster movies and Saturday morning cartoons. When the Reagan administration lifted the restrictions on advertising to kids, every cartoon became an ad for action figures. 1989’s Batman movie was a merchandising juggernaut, which had every studio desperate to put out a similar project. Nowadays, Disney has a stranglehold on this market, owning Star Wars, Marvel, Fox, Pixar, and their own properties, so they make a mint off of selling every product that has Mickey Mouse or Spider-Man on it.

It seems like these days, it is harder to find films with artistic merit, rather than hyped-up toy commercials. In the 80s and 90s, there was much more balance between the different types of movies that were made with a higher budget. Unfortunately, it’s the fault of the movie-going public; we all stopped going the the theatre to watch the latest Scorsese or Fincher flick. Instead, we would only go if it was the amusement park ride of a superhero epic, and wait till any other type of film came to streaming platforms.

The pandemic greatly exacerbated this issue. In other words, story-based movies are still being made, it’s just that they’re lower-budget Netflix films, drowned out by the noise of the modern-day blockbuster.

@Impossibilium There's no question that this proliferation of adverts as cinema existed a few decades ago. I mean, you had Kenner releasing toys before Empire Strikes Back even hit theaters. You had fast food chains preparing kids meal campaigns for every Disney movie after The Little Mermaid.

But in a post Marvel Cinematic Universe world, this has bled into the movies themselves. Every blockbuster now feels a 90 minute ad for the next movie in the series and/or a studio going "hey kids, look at all these properties we own! buy merchandise of them!"

Germain Lussier can suck an egg.

People tend to turn very quickly on things hyped as being a love letter to fans.

Will check out once its out of BD.

Good to also get a review of the after party.

@Kid_Sickarus We fell out after Ghostbusters. I shouted at him to turn DLSS off because the image quality had a lot of ghosting...

I'm definitely looking forward to it. At first I was very skeptical but the trailers convinced me that I'll at least like it enough. I'm not a fan of Illumination's movies, for the most part. But, the thing is, the Mario IP does not lend itself to film storytelling. So I think good animation, lots of references/easter eggs, and a bunch of corny jokes is about what we can expect here. I'm ready to have a good time!

@CharlieGirl or you just dislike it because it has Chriss Pratt in it.
I for one am glad people are loving it.

@rockodoodle @Jayenkai @CharlieGirl @Kirby_Girl I think there is a way to do references in a subtle way. Not exactly the same thing, but I thought Turning Red had a lot of early 2000 references that were subtle and helped set the vibe of the film.

I can't get over Mario's voice. He is meant to be Italian

I clapped! I clapped when I saw the Millennium Falcon!

Early word on pretty much every movie is always super positive so I wouldn't really put a lot of stock into it right at the moment until more reviews starting coming out.

Not to say it can't be good, certainly possible, just that this pretty much always happens with every big release.

So people are expecting a movie based on the decades of video gameplay of a toy company to have a deep and engrossing plot line? Really?

I personally feel most of the entertainment media is catering to the 75% by dishing mediocrity to the masses that refuse to demand better. From magical teenagers to illogical monster hybrids, the script writing is beyond trash and people complain but streamers keep dishing it out.

I totally expect this to be a minion clone with Nintendo iconography and that’s ok.

Sounds like the film has been well received. Don’t know what that Germaine guy is talking about.

Is this the place where I can deposit complaints about Chris Platt? I read that it is original and novel to complain about Chris Platt's voice in this movie because people care what I think.

@wanghosom hate is the new sex. It sells, and it's edgy! Like Grandpa always said back in '55, "You can't go wrong with hate!"

@DwaynesGames oh, absolutely it can be done well. I love a multi-layered movie where you don't realise those things until the 3rd or 4th sitting because the movie's storyline is so engrossing that you fail to notice such background things.

And I firmly believe that a movie that's been worked on for years should have a little more depth than an episode of a tv show full of Easter eggs (thinking particularly of recent Treks)
If you have the time, money and energy to create a feature film, make it so that I walk out of the cinema talking to my mates about the story that we just experienced.

I expected this to be the next Scorsese, Gondry, Coen Brothers or Spielberg film. Highly disappointed the plot is not Oscar-worthy and I want my money back!

Despite some of the comments on here I'm excited to see the movie with my wife and two young kids. It looks like its going to be a good and enjoyable experience.

Can‘t wait to see it actually. And I don‘t see problems with too many references. That was one of the things that made me fall in love with Mario Odyssey.

And I think calling it just an Illumination movie won‘t do it justice. I‘m not a big fan of everything they do but people seem to forget that Myamoto was/is heavily involved. I‘m pretty sure he did everything to let it stand out from other films and let it have his own identity.

And by the way, before speculating we should just all go and see it when it comes out. No point in dooming it already.

@Greatluigi why does he need to base his opinion on other peoples?

@IronMan30 I really do hope Mario pulls a DeNiro face and says 'forgeddaboudit.'

@RubyCarbuncle I mean I've enjoyed Mario since the NES as well but I'm still hoping for a good fun movie over just "Hey check it out, it's a blue shell!"

If I want references I can also just play the games. With a movie, I want to watch something. Just hoping that part is also fun.

"I love how people make such definitive judgements about something before they've experienced it for themselves, it's one of my favourite things about the internet."

• No-one, ever.

Sounds like it’s exactly what it looks like, and looks really fun. I’m an adult so I have no expectations for a kids movie, but it’s kinda lame there isn’t a good story(allegedly).

Nice to hear the movie did what it set out to do. Hopefully I can watch it during the week when crowds are low. Not sure why everyone is harping about the story other than everyone wants to be a sith lord. It’s Mario. Aside from “Brooklyn plumbers end up in magical world”, never been much plot to the games.

I feel like I'm gonna land where Germain Lussier did.
The move looks shallow and riddled with poor decisions I can only assume are Hollywood influenced. I really enjoy Mario and therefore I'm very picky on such adaptions.

@Impossibilium @CharlieGirl I guess movies aren't just for either you anymore...? I mean, that's how film has done things from the very start.

Regardless of whether the movie is any good, as long as it makes enough money at the box office, that's what matters.

Look at The Angry Birds Movie, after all: Rotten Tomatoes gave it a score of 43%, but it made $352.3 million against a $73 million budget, more than justifying a sequel. And the sequel ended up being more warmly received than the first one (at 73% on Rotten Tomatoes), despite not making as much money ($152.8 million against a $65 million budget).

The Detective Pikachu movie got a Rotten Tomatoes score of 68%, but made $433.2 million against a $150 million budget, also justifying a sequel, which is in development right now.

Finally, the Sonic the Hedgehog movie got a Rotten Tomatoes score of 64%, but made $319.7 million against an $85-90 million budget, also justifying a sequel. And that sequel not only got a similar score of 69%, but made $405.4 million against a $90-110 million budget. And now a third movie is in development.

A movie generally has to make at least twice the amount of money than its budget at the box office in order to be considered a success. Anything less than that, and it's basically a flop.

The reason why the live-action Mario movie from 1993 flopped was not only because it was terrible (with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 28%), but because it didn't even make back its budget in box office returns (it made #38.9 million against a $42-48 million budget). Still, it became a cult classic in later years, and some people, myself included, love the movie, despite it being bad.

But if this new Mario movie can not only make back its budget, but have box office returns that are at least twice that budget, you can be almost certain that we will not only get a sequel, but other movies based off of Nintendo games.

That's why I argue that, even if you're not keen on this particular movie, at least buy a ticket, so that Nintendo will be more likely to make movies based on the games you actually prefer. After all, if this movie flops, we can kiss our chances of seeing a Zelda or Metroid movie good-bye forever.

@Colonel_Mustache Yeah, he does sound a bit like a stick in the mud. But he could very well be right. But as I said in my own comment above, what matters more is box office returns, not critical reception.

So for all we know, this movie could be mediocre at best, but if it makes at least twice its budget in box office returns, it could warrant a sequel and/or movies based on other Nintendo franchises.

So that's why I tell everybody that, even if you're not keen on this movie or the studio that made it, still buy a ticket anyway, because it means we're more likely to get the movie adaptations of games that we actually want, such as Zelda, Metroid, Star Fox, or Super Smash Bros.

I'm staying away right now from any Mario movie-related articles to avoid spoilers but I made an exception this time just so I could come here and say its nice to see these mostly positive tweets on the movie.

Awesome got some tickets for this week! Let‘sa go!!

@CharlieGirl Plenty of films that aren't just ads, well, assuming one has access to a decent cinema. Haven't been to any franchise films in two years at this point. Not planning on catching this, looks, as you implied, like a soulless big budget advertisement nor do I make it a habit of watching kids films anyway.

@nimnio It's clear that cinemas are struggling to run it and it was meant to be for the cinema's successor which got cancelled due to Covid.

@wanghosom just say your honest oppinion. i dont like the voices , that's not becouse of the things that people say but i just dont like it.

@GrailUK
oddly with animation its kind of a different story when it comes to framerate, with games its generally the fact that when consistent higher framerate generally=better gameplay due to the response times and whatnot but with movies and whatnot it can be this whole other more complex story, its why when you have people using AI to smooth out the animation on older media it ended up having this odd uncanny look and why some animation uses lower framerates as a stylized choice (Spiderverse being a big one, and scenes in the new puss in boots)

i think there has actually been cases of 3d animated movies having "performance issues" but thats usually reserved for some of those mockbuster movies you see (the kind which try to cash in on the latest animated film)

I'm going in blind as I know this film will be awesome!!!!!!!!!!

@Mgalens Thank you for your interest in Digital Floundering, unfortunately, there are no vacancies at present. However, we will keep your application on record in the event this changes.

It's nice to hear that people are enjoying it. For some dumb reason, I thought it was coming in late April.

I’m just hoping to have a few laughs and enjoy an afternoon with the family and friends. Sounds like the whole crew is planning to dress up as well.

@GrailUK
i am curious to see how the movie turns out since while i am the furthest from an expert on animation the movie does look nice and colourful.... like a Mario game, and the reviews do make it sound fun and at the very least something which fans would love.

thinking about how animation works though there have been some interesting looks into that aspect, one way it does seem similar to games is that theres many small aspects which go a long way into giving animation its "personality" its why 3d animated films started getting more "cartoony" overtime with all the bouncing and squishing, even mimicking cartoon smear frames.

@AhabSpampurse Criticism does not equal hate. People on the internet can get those two confused. Just because someone doesn’t enjoy the thing you like, it shouldn’t take away anything from your enjoyment of it.

@Mgalens Yeah, the movie looks fab I can't wait to see it.

@Impossibilium The thing is. The criticism more often than not gets to obnoxious levels.

Germain Lussier is the only one with enough chutzpah to tell it like it is!! #SuperMediocreBros #WakeUpSheeple

(😏)

@Nintendoh Were there any examples of movies existing solely as brand marketing before Star Wars? Maybe the older Disney films?

In any case, I was only stating facts about how the movie industry has changed, especially in recent years. I consider myself to be a part of the movie-going public I mentioned. I don’t remember the last time I went to a theatre to watch something that wasn’t a superhero flick. It’s just the way things are, not necessarily better or worse, depending on your perspective.

Those are probably paid reviewers, we have to see what the general audience have to say. And real people that enjoy films, not these cynical ***** that complain about every small detail.

So, it's basically built on "so many easter eggs", "hilarious" and "best family film". I know exactly what to expect from this new Minions installment.

@MegaVel91 I think it’s just a matter of how different types of minds see things. Some people just want to turn their brains off and enjoy a flashy movie, others enjoy studying films and giving them a critical analysis. As a girlfriend I once had proves, people like the former can get really annoyed at the latter.

I’m not saying you were doing this, but some people need to start distinguishing between legitimate opinions and people that are just trolling.

I’m not going to judge the movie until I see it. I hope it’s good, since, like Lussier said about himself, I’ve been a big fan of Mario for most of my life. His critiques though, match my potential worries about the quality of the film, and the more positive impressions sound like over-excited fans that would squeal at a shadow that had the shape of Waluigi. I am perfectly willing to be wrong, and I expect to end up somewhere in between the two opinions.

I remember the 1993 movie coming out when I was a kid and being utterly confounded as to what I just watched. "Passable" should be fine, which is about what I expect from Illumination.

While the winking may get tiresome, it helps to remember that you may be a huge Nintendo fan and have been for your whole life, the Easter eggs are for your benefit, so enjoy them because you're probably no longer the target audience. I'm sure my kids will enjoy it.

@Jayenkai you mean you don't like perpetual fan service??/s

I'll give it a watch at some point. I don't think it looks amazing, but it looks like it'll be enjoyable at least, which is something I never thought I'd say about an Illumination film.

As for the discussion on modern movies existing solely to sell merchandise/sequels, this is the movie equivalent of arguing that every modern game is a soulless cash-grab full of microtransactions. There are plenty of great films by passionate creators these days. People just tend to only focus on superheroes, Disney, and a few major franchises rather than seeking out anything new and different.

And note that I don't think there's anything wrong with enjoying superheroes, Disney, and franchises. People can like what they like. There are a number of franchises I like. I'm just pointing out that there's much more to film than those three things, and I find it to be dismissive to make those represent the entire industry. It would be like writing off indie games because you don't like Call of Duty or Fortnite.

@RareFan There’s no such thing as a “paid reviewer”, unless you count the fact that they might work for a company that pays them to review movies. No movie studio is going to pay a journalist or influencer for a good review. That would not only be expensive to do, the blowback from people finding out about such a scheme wouldn’t be worth the bad publicity.

What the movie studios actually do, is they may only let people that are already interested in the movie — or fans of the source material — see it early. And they also restrict those people from posting anything longer than a tweet, by putting an embargo on full reviews. That way, people that liked the movie can only express the generally positive quick impressions of the film, not having the space to list any criticisms they might also have. The reviewer that didn’t like it will be drowned out by the flood of good impressions, and not be able to defend their perspective until the review embargo lifts. And the reviewers agree to the embargo because, if they don’t, the movie studio won’t invite them to any more early screenings.

It is still audience manipulation, just not the way you might think.

People the moment a family movie doesn't have a insane kingdom hearts level of lore: 😡
Just can't be positive at all on this site anymore.

@Kirby_Girl Ugh, like that Silent Hill Revelations movie maybe, where the main characters literally ran into a different character or scene from the game every 5 minutes. Felt like watching a fanservice checklist.

Bunch of people saying this movie was "joyful?" Well we sure darn tootin' can't have any of THAT around here! The Super Mario Bros movie is being faulted because it (presumably) wasn't made to stand shoulder to shoulder with Citizen Kane, lol.

I love going to the Museum of Natural History, don't get me wrong. Loved the Liberty Science Center as a kid. I enjoy thoughtful, complicated and narratively beautiful films, too. But I also enjoy going to the amusement park sometimes, or watching a goofy, flashy anime. People do not need to be such joyless, condescending edgelords that they stop being able to enjoy simple fun. You get to enjoy all kinds of different things for different reasons, folks.

Could this be the first film with the words "The Movie" in the title that's actually any good?

@GrailUK "it seemed locked at around 24" - I snort laughed. Kudos.

@nimnio,

Totally agree, all the positives must be incorrect, and the negative reviewer, is the only person daring to tell it how it is. like some sort of movie whistleblower.

Then the people on here who were determined not to like this movie no matter what, as they hated Chris Pratt for some reason, or were upset the filmmakers and Nintendo snubbed Charles.... blah blah...

The movie will be fun for what it is, a celebration of one of Nintendo's biggest franchises, and at the end of the day all the reviews good or bad, are only based on the individuals subjective opinions, and the only opinion that should matter to anyone on here is their own.

I do however like the main negative reviewer, feeling the need to put a disclaimer that they are a massive Nintendo fan, how many times have we seen this before, it just sounds so ludicrous and a vain attempt to give their views far more weight than is needed, if the said reviewer does not like something just state it and stand by it...... no need to give some sort of false justification for doing so...

Bring on Wednesday!

Looking forward to seeing it w the kids this weekend!

@stinkyx I've heard "Odd Pod: The Movie... kinda" (on Amazon Prime Video in UK and USA) is pretty good!

(80s/90s nostalgia Muppet movie me and my friends made in lockdown... has cameos from 30+ Retro Gaming YouTubers, inc Ashens, DJ Slopes, Larry Bundy Jr, The Retro Future, Nostalgia Nerd, Kim Justice, Digitiser etc... and Violet Berlin from Bad Influence )

@Paej13

No one is saying the movie has to be Citizen Kane but it can still be a better movie. That's not a wild demand. lol We CAN have our cake and eat it too.

The newest Puss in Boots movie was actually really good even tho it's aimed at kids. Writing was pretry good and ending was satisfying. It's no Citizen Kane but it doesn't need to be. Just should AT LEAST show Some effort in the writing department as it does to stuffing references of powers ups.

It's wild Ppl think kids don't deserve thoughtful entertainment or that family movies can't be artistic. Miyazaki films say "hello"

@Impossibilium,

The problem with all this, is that not many people will watch those artistic movies, so the cinema chains need the big blockbusters to get their revenue up. There has to be a balance to all this.

@Kirby_Girl,

Why not wait until you have seen it, the majority of people seem to like this, the negative reviewer may be correct, but I will personally reserve judgement until I have watched the movie.

The latest Puss in boots movie is o.k, but not amazing... I tend to judge a movie as to weather or not it entertains me, and it's not a case of what we or kids deserve, as comparing any movie that has to work within the constraints of a popular IP, to a studio ghibli offering misses the point.

It sounds like a fun movie
Will enjoy watching it, maybe with my niece and mom

Remember folks, first reactions are almost always universally positive. Take them with a grain of salt.

@johnvboy I'm not making a judgment and just stating an expectation I'd be happy with. Also good for you if that's your bar. Not how I roll

@Kirby_Girl,

Like I said I just refrain from judging any movie until I have actually seen it. And this sort of argument gets us nowhere, you are right to have certain personal expectations, but I always feel this is never the best way to go into any movie. But totally get where you are coming from.

https://www.blu-ray.com/community/gallery.php?member=jonmoz

As you can see I do take my movies very seriously, but judge everything on it's individual merits, and do not go into a family movie expecting Citizen Kane. studio Ghibli are fine, but not really typical family entertainment, and for me need quite a lot of investment to work for western audiences, so for me a little overrated, but just my own personal subjective opinion of course.

@johnvboy like I said. I haven't judged it yet.

Got my tickets already and will be watching this Wednesday around noon!

Also funny how half these comments are going along with the somewhat mediocre tweet and are just being negative upfront about the movie.

It’s like a portion of you aren’t even trying to be optimistic

@Kirby_Girl,

Fair enough, hope you like it.

Edited my post.

@AstroTheGamosian

Buying a ticket for something one doesn't want to see in the hopes of getting something better in the future is not something I can agree with. Nintendo doesn't need my charity.

It is always a bad sign when reactions are praising everything else except the actual story.
My expectations are a bit lowered now.
Sure, easter eggs are fun, but you can't build a good movie on easter eggs.
Still, hope for the best.

@CharlieGirl Mario, the game character, by itself would be a big commercial skit, even WITHOUT cameos. The movie by itself is and would be a big commercial no matter how many cameos or references to games were in there.

Unless it wasn't about Mario, the game character, but about Mario, the artistic performer in the streets of God knows where.

@Kirby_Girl "No one is saying the movie has to be Citizen Kane but it can still be a better movie. That's not a wild demand."

No, it's not a wild demand to ask that the movie could be better. But better than what? I was teasing the commenters here who are complaining that this movie wasn't heavily story-driven despite not having seen the film nor knowing what the story is like as yet. These folks are basing their preemptive criticisms on the one fellow out of a dozen who said he was underwhelmed. For all you or I know, this Mario movie might end up being as adequately written and satisfying as the Puss in Boots movie.

Moreover, if anyone commenting here has implied they don't think children deserve thoughtful media, I haven't recognized it. When I said people didn't need to be so high-minded they couldn't enjoy simpler things, I did not mean to imply a dichotomy of simple vs. not-simple. You're right that there's a wide and wonderful variety of delight to be had in the world, and that includes serious art and slapstick humor and all the variations in between. My challenge is more to those who single out a thing for being on the simpler end of this spectrum and criticize it for that aspect. If this Mario movie is indeed a simple affair, more fan service than plot, that won't make it a bad movie. It will - judging at least by the overwhelming accounts of early viewers - be a fun and lovingly-crafted experience nonetheless. It doesn't have to be a Citizen Kane, or a Miyazaki film, or even a Puss in Boots, to be a fun or worthwhile experience.

And, again, who knows? Maybe it'll offer more than that and that one dude was just having a bad day.

@Crockin Any existing Mario game got a good enough story for you?

@GrailUK
just realized since framerate was mentioned, it would be one of the rare cases in the past decade or so of something Mario NOT being 60fps though given the animation style of the movie i imagine it would look REALLY odd running at that.

either way i feel it nailed the look and feel of Mario, havent seen the actual movie yet so cant speak for how good it is as a movie but its nice to hear positive reception especially from fans of Mario, as mentioned i feel at the very least it will be a lot of fun for fans.

@reporterdavid I like the Spanish voices.

English sound always weird.

@RubyCarbuncle Yeah. I'd prefer a Mario movie that had nothing to do with any Mario characters and was actually about a dog named Mario that ate squirrels.

Don't let me get started on how The Last of Us HBO series is full of references to The Last of Us game. Shameful!

@Kirby_Girl Don't watch any movie at all.

You'll find references even in old movies. Cord phones all over the place, ringing Alexander Graham Bell every painful second. Guns referencing the US 2nd ammendment. And pianos referencing Beethoven!

Movies have been a joke since forever.

I think ill enjoy it either way but have secretly been hoping it hasn't lost too much of its homeland flare in favour of north american popular culture and hollywood tropes. Fingers crossed. I wish i could see it on release but ill wait a few days and see a night session. I'm one of those people that thinks immersion breaking loud foods like popcorn and noisy people shouldn't be allowed in the cinema.

@Pickettfury Shigeru Miyamoto has been working closely with Ilumination for years.

I don't think that'll happen.

People are expecting a deep plot from a cartoon
about plumbers in a land of talking mushroom people fighting a giant turtle???

@Olmectron Really hope so. I can totally understand from a Nintendo business perspective if its more targeted towards north american/western audiences because that's where the box office dollars are. At the same time it is Shigeru Miyamoto passion project, and from his reputation, i don't think he would concede on much. Hopefully the success of this movie leads to more funding for Nintendo EPD to get an even more ambitious new mainline Mario game out in the non to distant future.

I heard that if you watch the Super Mario Bros. Movie with the sound off and play Dark Side of the Moon, Candyman shows up behind you and roasts you with a fire flower. #facts

I kinda expected "le epic references!!!!1!" to be the best part of the film lol, and all these folks are kinda validating that sentiment. I'm sure the references are good and will be well thought out, but like, c'mon - they're just references.

I'm just expecting an normal illumination film. Probably played by minions wearing mario costumes with a cork up their bum to avoid too many fart jokes.

@GrailUK : i genuinely laughed out loud to that.

Thanks.

I'm just being neutral here.
I will watch the movie and give my neutral opinion.

@wanghosom Me neither, but it seems pretty balanced between negative and positive to me.

First off, everything I've been able to learn about this movie from "insiders" seems to point to it being great, but a more for children then you might expect. But with that said ..

So you get an e-mail from someone telling you that you get to see a movie early, for free.

You go there and it's just hype central. Mario suits, freebies, Mario themed free food, photo ops ... it's just great.

Then before the movie starts some PR guy tells you all about how much work went into it, and "warms you up" they way the opening act at a comedy show would. They tell you what to look for, what to watch out for, explain the movie's themes and best parts, and might even hang a lantern on a few flaws.

THEN you watch the movie.

Afterword, another PR guy recaps how great it is and before you can think too much about anything you didn't like, they start reminding you of the movies best parts. This generally includes a clip show recapping the "best" and most iconic moments.

Then more fan fair, some more free things, and you go home ...

Then you write your "review". The level of BAD a movie has to be to not leave this experience and say you had a fantastic time is insane. It's so low that movie studios KNOW when they've gotten there, which is why in those cases they just don't do an early release.

TL:DR - Early reviews mean nothing. The reviews of Antman and the Wasp were easily as positive at these ones are. I personally think this is going to be a great movie, but I wouldn't put any stock in these "impressions".

I mean, it's a franchise where the main plot is rescuing a princess, having fun on the journey, and kicking Koopa and Gomba's asses on the way, sometimes with a cameo or two in a colorful world with catchy music.
It sounds exactly like what a Super Mario Bros movie should be, right? On my part, I'll be happy to go and have fun with it.

They casted chris pratt as mario and people were expecting this to be a cinematic masterpiece lol, that's honestly on you

a lot of the first 10 comments hit the nail on the head

this movie is beautiful as hell but i don’t think the story and essence of the mario franchise will be present , the movie seems too hollywood/corporate from the trailers .

@Fake-news that’s pretty good.
6 is solid, if it was under a 5 it wouldn’t be worth it for to watch it in the movies.

@CharlieGirl sounds like a click bait review to me. 😂

This is a kids movie, and if the kids likes it, it's fine. I don't care for it personally even though I like the Mario games, but I won't complain about it either. It is for kids and I'd rather hear their opinions about the movie than some 30-40 year olds.

Starting to believe Nintendo succeeds in whatever they wanna do? Other video game movies getting crappy reviews but the critics seem to really love this one. One of them even said it's one of the best family movies EVER? That's a pretty huge compliment for a video game adaptation. Or actually, any family movie.

As for the negativity. What the hell is this site turning to? We have a lot of people hating both Mario movie and the new Zelda despite having not played/ seen either one of them. What are you doing on a nintendo site if you hate all they do by default? If that's not trolling then I don't know what is.

In the meanwhile channels like youtube are full of people who are excited waiting for these things. I'm starting to think Nintendolife is turning to playstation/ xbox fans' trolling ground. Maybe us who love Nintendo should change a site. I'm sure there are other Nintendo sites with less trolling from these salty punks.

Well, I think that I will share my opinion with Germain Lussier's one. Also, after people in the comments mentioned Hayao Miyazaki... Why we haven't got a Studio Ghibli Mario anime movie, m? Or Mario anime movie from Mappa... Or, why this 2023 movie have a Western scenarist? Why not a Japanese one? Why not Miyamoto himself? "Sigh"

@Quarth «This is a kids movie, and if the kids likes it, it's fine.»
«It is for kids and I'd rather hear their opinions about the movie than some 30-40 year olds.»
But, a lot of Mario fans are ~30+ years old... And I personally don't think that the modern kids will understand and like Mario(games, movies, etc...). A lot of modern kids likes mobile gacha games, watch TikTok... I don't think that this movie was created for this "audience". At least I hope so...

It looks like a very well made, rather conventional kids action movie. The humor strikes me as typically American (contrasting cuteness with dark undertones) which is not my cup of tea. Production wise they seem to have gone all-out, the visuals are fantastic.

So, I’m not expecting to love it, but it could become a big success.

@Vyacheslav333 A lot of kids have Switch and play Mario games. I guess the constant references are for Mario fans of all ages, but story wise and joke wise, it would surprise me if it's not aimed at kids.

@Quarth «I guess the constant references are for Mario fans of all ages...»
But, make almost the entire movie consisting of Easter eggs and references? – it seems lazy and insulting, imo.
«...but story wise and joke wise, it would surprise me if it's not aimed at kids.»
Well, after these aforementioned movie's reviews, it seems like that this movie is aimed at kids...

The comments about the movie lacking plot are cringe. What Mario games have anything resembling a plot? The movie, as it should be, is aimed at kids, who love the games. If parents that grew up with Mario can sit through it and kids enjoy it, them mission accomplished.

@Jireland92 First reactions to Antman 3 made it sound like "Marvel is back!" yet it ended up being their worst reviewed movie yet. Still, guessing this movie will be great fun for it's target audience.

@Colonel_Mustache,

Always a tough one, as the people moaning are always unsure of what would constitute the perfect Mario movie, but are always very sure of what they do not like.

Meh. I’ll stick to games.

Not going to take on too much from a bunch of people who are basically paid to go and see the film. Tickets booked for 7.20pm on Wednesday, very much looking forward to it!

@CharlieGirl If anyone is going into this film expecting anything more than an easy watch that you can takes the kids to, then you’re going to the wrong film. Relax, take it easy and just try to enjoy the thing for what it is and not what it isn’t.

I obviously haven't watched it yet but sure I'm going to love it! Just don't take it too seriously, it's a film based on a video game, you should know it's not going to be a classic for the ages. Take it with a huge pinch of salt, take off your critics hat and just have fun with it! Let's a go!

It seems to have been well received by people who like EXPRESSING THEMSELVES with CAPITAL LETTERS!

I suppose the question I should ask myself is HOW MUCH DO I LIKE CAPITAL LETTERS!?

@Cia
It's all subjective. Each person has different expectations and wants.

I'm more concerned that anyone who poses even a slightly negative comment is labelled a hater or a troll. People seem to take it all much too personally.

Question: I missed Charles Martinet at the Mario Movie premiere... why wasn't he there , if he wasn't there...

Urgh. I'll wait for the Christopher Nolan version. 😀

Already booked my tickets for Friday. Haters gonna hate, it will be a blast.

@Olmectron games aren’t movies

An expensive commercial for Mario games that aren't even released yet.

It's disheartening to see how negative people are on the comment section of this website. You would think that talking about videoGAMES would bring a modicum of joy to people's lives but apparently most of you lost the ability to enjoy things for what they are. Furthermore so many of you make up your minds without having played (or seen in this case) what you believe to be a substandard product, based of the few tidbits of information that suit your negative narrative. And it seems that anything less than a masterpiece is now considered absolute and utter garbage.

9/10 people recommend this movie? Well then i guess the only one that thought it wasn't great must be right, because that's how thought it would be... Why even watch the movie if you're going in assuming that you'll hate it? What is the point of approaching things with such skepticism and negativity ?

And i say negativity because this is not having a "critical approach" towards things. A critical approach would bring you to the conclusion that it's probably ok if a movie based on Super Mario is not the new citizen kane. That it's ok if a movie catered towards new generations doesn't match the exact taste of 30-40 year olds...

@Nico85 Welcome to Nintendolife! Where the glass isn't just half empty, they're upset it's not the right glass. 😀

At best this film will be a funny family friendly with something for fans to spot but still a money grab at worst it will be a cynical family friendly, insults the fans money grab

Like if it's enjoyable great cash grab away. Like it's not going be Citizen Kane or a story that had to be told. It is just about a brand at the end of the day.

Sounds like it's going to be at least as good as the Sonic movies. Which is Ok I guess

@badmotorfinger74 that's how I feel. Also, unrelated, Badmotorfinger is Soundgarden's best album and you have great taste in music.

While other's opinions are entertaining to read, I'm gonna see the movie regardless of whether they're reviews are glowing or not. My birthday is in a couple of weeks. So it's on my birthday itinerary

This is supposed to be a lighthearted, funny, carthartic experience that celebrates the franchises and indoctrinates another generation into the Super Mario fandom. This was probably never going to be an Oscar winner (but who knows?). I look forward to seeing it.

@Crockin The Last of Us and Metal Gear Solid should take notes.

Videogames are ALREADY another medium for telling stories. It's fair to compare their plots with movies'.

Mario has never been complex in gaming. No reason for it to be complex in a movie.

Also, Shigeru Miyamoto worked closely with Ilumination. Is it wrong if the actual, actual, creator of Mario and Donkey Kong gave the green light to this? So, the Mario father doesn't know his characters enough. Shame on him.

@Cia I used to think that the Zelda negativity was the usual Zelda backlash before a game release, but thinking about it, you're right. There's so much negativity on this site recently, and it's everywhere. Maybe it's a way to release some steam from real life or something like that, but it would be a shame if this site turns into a huge negativity pool in a place that was meant to be a space to enjoy our hobby.

@Olmectron The context is Mario though, so let’s stay there. Huge Nintendo debut movie should have a really good story with all the references and nostalgia stuff as window dressing imo, not the other way around.

Ultimately doesn’t matter, I really don’t care, but I don’t think anyone would disagree that a better story would likely be a better movie. Also, miyamoto may effectively be the father of modern video games, but that doesn’t mean he’s always right.

I'm gonna wait for streaming but definitely going to watch it. Just looks like a fun entertaining movie.

@Ryu_Niiyama I must say that the 4 year old me was completely caught off guard by Super Mario Bros' strong plot(twist). No other book, movie or game has ever fooled me seven/eight times (or was it even more, I can't remember if the sub-castles also had a toad at the end...) in a row with the same trick, that is, "the princess is in another castle" (which is a superb way to build up excitement of course, haha, or was it anticlimatic...hèh, can't remember either) and then eventually doing the unexpected with Peach being there in the end, poooofff, magica:)l. Just kidding of course (regarding the plot(twist), we all know it was magical:)).

On a more serious note: I guess this movie is mostly aimed at (positively) reeling in younger-to-be-gamers, whilst their parents seeing the young ones enjoy themselves while taking a trip down memory lane themselves. Not sure if I will watch it, but I hope that those who do will enjoy themselves a lot:).

@CharlieGirl

i dont see that review in the actual article, am i missing something? or did it get edited out of existence, here?

the phrase "bad jokes and worse song choices" just gave me hives 😬

i think for all of my fretting and complaining from the perspective of a lifelong mario fan, i kind of was glossing over the fact that this is just going to be a bad movie. like, not because im picky about Mario, but because of course it is. 😟

fart sound
needle scratch
some-BODY once told me...

@JeanPaul

"...it would be a shame if this site turns into a huge negativity pool in a place that was meant to be a space to enjoy our hobby."

have you been into videogames very long? 😬

@Nico85

i promise you when im not bitching on this website about the mario movie, im enjoying videogames somewhere ☺️

@k8sMum

yeah i love how the pollyannas think they have special priveledge to label the rest of us trolls and haters.

know what? you got all the positivity you need IN THE BODY of the article! did you not notice that the entire thing is a promotional piece for the mario movie, with cherry picked positive reviews and no semblance of the critical backlash that will (assuredly, sorry to be negative 🙄) happen if it isnt already? what kind of response would you expect?

ive been around this particular block a few times. if you havent, enjoy your naivety while it lasts. if you have, you know how this will likely go down.

Sounds like this movie isn't the dumbster fire everyone claimed it was going to be, at least its going better than the Bob Hoskins film. I mean, I get video game films have got a bad rep, even with the few decent exceptions. But Sonic, Detective Pikachu, and now the 3rd Mario Movie look to be breaking that cycle. By reputation anyway.

Because this is a film and not a video game, I’m going to be looking for at least some depth and substance. If it doesn’t have that, don’t even think of giving this a fanboy high score, NintendoLife.

Good to see an almost entirely positive concensus. You won't always win everybody (just look at the baffling negative BOTW reviews), but if the bulk of your audience loves what you've delivered, then you're on the right path.

@BlueKnight07 it may not be an Oscar winner, but it's absolutely a shoe-in for nominee for best animated feature. I'd be shocked if it doesn't get that nod. But we have the next Spider-verse movie this year too right? That'll be a tough one to beat, no denying the visuals of that first one alone real put it on a whole nother level from the competition. I'm expecting the same with its sequel.

@Jayenkai Don't worry, soon the only easter eggs that will be left to use will be actual easter eggs.

I went to see it with my kids and while it is a solid 8 out of 10, the one thing that caught my eye was how many people (kids, complete families and couples) went wearing some kind of Mario or Nintendo branded clothes. Nintendo really is an stablished brand now.

Honestly... best animated movie I've seen since Onward in 2020.