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Credit: Nintendo / IlluminationBefore it was released, The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) was panned by critics. However, public opinion has proved them wrong, making the film one of the most successful animated movies ever.
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The Super Mario Bros. Movie, based on the game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto, tells the story of Mario and Luigi as they try to reunite while helping Princess Peach save the Mushroom Kingdom from the evil Bowser.
The highly-anticipated film stars Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, and Mario’s original voice actor Charles Martinet as Mario and Luigi’s father, Giuseppe.
While fans of all ages were excited for the movie to come out, critics tore it to pieces, eventually giving the film an average Rotten Tomatoes score of 56%, making it certified rotten. However, in a surprising move, the public completely disagreed.
Audiences Have Loved Mario
While critics have universally panned The Super Mario Bros. Movie, audiences worldwide have turned up in droves. This caused the movie to earn the highest-grossing box office opening ever for an animated film.
On top of that, audience members have shown up on Rotten Tomatoes to give the film a massive 96% audience score. That’s higher than recent critical darlings like John Wick Chapter 4 (2023) and Dungeons & Dragons (2023).
The Super Mario Bros. Movie found the perfect balance of being entertaining for children while also scratching that nostalgic itch for older fans. Most of the audience reviews talk about all of the Easter eggs, the fantastic environments, and just how fun it is. Apparently, that’s not enough for critics.
Critics Don’t Understand The Super Mario Bros.
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The criticism directed toward The Super Mario Bros. Movie is consistent, claiming that while the movie looks great, it doesn’t have an engaging story or any emotional complexity. To this, fans have staunchly replied, “Well, duh. It’s Mario.”
While there are obviously exceptions to the rule, Mario games have never been known for their emotional depth or epic stories. They’re about being colorful and having fun. They’re about being colorful and having fun. That’s why you usually see everyone’s favorite plumber participating in parties, various sports, and a fun round of Mario Kart. And the movie absolutely nails that.
It honestly seems like movie critics don’t understand video games, period. For example, one critic went so far as to say that the film” has all the charm of an unplugged Game Boy.” For those who don’t know, the Game Boy runs on batteries.
Movie reviews: 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' has all the charm of an unplugged Game Boy https://t.co/RyyrJPe8Xy pic.twitter.com/ivXm2Endac
— CTV News (@CTVNews) April 6, 2023
The fact of the matter is critics didn’t understand what Mario products are on a fundamental level. They’re technically well-executed, a lot of fun, and not that deep. The movie captures that energy perfectly, and if the critics can’t see that, that’s on them.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is set to break one billion dollars at the box office, meaning there will probably be many more movies like this in the future. Hopefully, critics can find the plug for their Game Boys and catch up with the rest of us.
What did you think of The Super Mario Bros. Movie? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!
