The Super Mario Bros. Moviewill be top of the box office this weekend and could well win over audiences in the process, but when it comes to critics the movie is heading the same way as the 1993 live-action version. The first wave ofRotten Tomatoesreviews landed with a general consensus that the film may have plenty ofbright, colorful characters and landscapesbut falls massively flat when it comes to the execution and an average 46% score.
The Super Mario Bros. Moviegets a pretty unrivalled run at the box office this weekend, but the hype and social media presence of the movie has been growing to a point where success is guaranteed and a new cinematic universe is coming no matter what. When it comes to the first opinions of the movie though, terms like “sterile”, “eyeball drillingly inane” and “a gruel-thin plot” are not really the shining endorsements that Illumination, Universal and Nintendo would be hoping for. How audience reviews compare to his is something that is yet to be seen, but it is clear thatChris Pratt’s Mario voiceis the least of the movie’s worries when it comes to critics.
One thing that has been unanimously agreed on is thatThe Super Mario Bros. Movielooks good, but as we have seen in the past that can over cover so many cracks. When it comes to scathing reviews, the BBC’s Nicholas Barber pushes it to extremes by commenting:
“Any adults accompanying those children may wish they were watching the Hoskins and Leguizamo film instead.”
Related:The Super Mario Bros. Movie Set for Massive Box Office Opening
Not Everyone Hates The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Although the reviews forThe Super Mario Bros. Moviehave not started off great and could well drop even further in the next few days, not everyone is hating on the new big screen outing for everyone’s favorite plumbing duo. There have been some critics who have been quick to praise the film for sticking to the basic Mario set up and running with it.
Movieweb’s Julian Romanwas among those to see something in the movie that many critics have missed, mainly its sense of fun and the world of nostalgia it brings to those who remember growing up with the classic Nintendo video game. He noted:
“The film looks amazing. Directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic (Teen Titans Go! To the Movies) vary perspectives as the characters journey through vibrant but familiar landscapes. These aren’t side-scrolling escapades. Mario and Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen) chase each other on acrophobia-inducing elevated platforms. They whiz past gnarly Koopas in a spectacular, gravity-defying rainbow racetrack. The filmmakers successfully recreate the games' best settings. I spent countless hours as a kid playing Nintendo and Super Nintendo. You can’t help but smile seeing treasured memories come to life.”
Like many movies of the last few years,The Super Mario Bros. Movieis another opinion divider, but what ultimately matters is how much money the film can make to justify its existence. On that front, there seems to be nothing that will stop the animated movie racing to the finish line as one of the year’s box office success stories.
