Shack Chat: What do you think of The Super Mario Bros. Movie?

The Super Mario Bros. Movie has released into cinemas and so far it has done quite well. Some might even say extremely well. The gaming community has flocked to it, enjoyed it, soaked up all the goodness, and is left wanting more. A few of us have managed to go and see it for ourselves, and we’ve got some thoughts about Nintendo and Illumination’s creation. Take a look at our opinions and then let us know what you thought of the movie in the Chatty thread below!

Everything I could have wanted – Ozzie Mejia, Senior Mario Editor

I'm a man of a certain age, old enough to remember the first Super Mario Bros. movie as an abject disaster. I was a little kid who wanted to see adventures in the Mushroom Kingdom on the big screen, the same way Captain Lou Albano delivered them to me on the small screen in the late 80s. The first movie... that wasn't it. Yeah, it's more of a cult hit these days, but nostalgia comes around on just about everything, know what I mean?

Speaking of nostalgia, I don't care that this was 90 minutes of "spot the reference." This is a movie that knows who its audience is and appreciates the source material... mostly. (Ha... it's funny, because he doesn't like mushrooms.)

The story had me, the references had me, the sound effects had me, and even the 80s soundtrack had me after a while. The colorful design of the Mushroom Kingdom, the free and frequent usage of power-ups, and even the sillier bits of lore (the Mario Kart Blue Shell has an origin story... who knew?) made me so happy. The performances were excellent to the point that, yes, I forgot that I was looking at Chris Pratt after a while. Jack Black is the best Bowser. I will be taking no further questions.

Lastly, and this is something I'll go more into later, but the seeds for the series' future have me genuinely intrigued. No, I'm not just talking about the post-credits scene, I'm talking about... you know what? Just come back to Shacknews next week. I'll explain later.

I want a Kamek & Bowser spinoff – TJ Denzer, Unofficial Bowser expert/weirdo

I liked a lot of the stuff in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. It was a blast and stayed fun and exciting pretty much throughout the whole thing. It was definitely as fast-paced as everyone said it would be, but my spouse kept up with it and enjoyed it, and they don’t really even follow this stuff like I do.

I’m a huge fan of Bowser as The Original Video Game Boss, and I was really interested to see how well Jack Black would deliver the character. He most certainly exceeded my expectations alongside the awesome animation from Illumination. However, what I didn’t expect was how much I’d enjoy the dynamic between Bowser and Kamek. Bowser’s right-hand Magikoopa/advisor/nanny is a hoot throughout the film and I really enjoyed how he and Bowser bounced off of each other in each of their scenes. It was perhaps my favorite part of the movie.

I know Nintendo is probably going to do a Mario sequel with Yoshi or a Donkey Kong film, but having seen how Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek and Jack Black as Bowser interact, I want more! Give me a spinoff series of Bowser coming up with evil and sometimes silly plans and Kamek trying his darndest to advise Bowser, boost his confidence, and try not to get mauled in the process. I’d watch every new episode the moment it came out. Even if that doesn’t happen, I guess I’ll be okay as long as we get plenty more scenes of these two in future films.

I have the feels – Blake Morse, Peaches Peaches, Peaches Peaches Peaches

Before the Super Mario Bros. Movie even came out, it had me thinking about a lot of things. I know it’s essentially a fun romp family movie; and I’m not sure if this is a byproduct of getting older, but I caught myself reflecting on what video games and Mario in particular means to me. You see, I grew up a poor kid in a single parent household. Money was always tight and I spent most of my formative years living in and out of my grandparent’s house.

I never knew my dad and my grandfather was my male role model through my formative years. He did not get video games at all, but he saw how much I loved them. He was the one who got me an NES for the holidays despite being on a tight budget and put up with me hogging the TV playing the included Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cartridge all the friggin’ time. This wouldn’t be the last time my Grandpa straight-up bought me a console or helped me get one either, but let’s stay focused here.

I don’t think he could have ever imagined that encouraging my hobby would take me all the incredible places I’ve gone with my career in video games and how big of a role he played in making that possible. It’s been over a decade and a half since he passed, but the Super Mario Bros. Movie just brought up a lot of precious memories for me even before I saw it. And actually seeing the movie on the big screen took me right back to the days of sitting on the living floor in front of that old wood-panel CRT TV while the old man sat in his Lay-Z-Boy watching me and smiling. I owe so much to that guy and miss him and love him every single day.

Sure, I could’ve had all of those feelings without the movie being as fantastic as it was from start to finish, but I’m so glad I didn’t have to. The pacing was just as fast and exciting as playing the games and there was so much fan service. It kept me grinning from ear to ear the whole time. I was a kid again for an hour and a half. Now if only I could get Jack Black singing Peaches constantly out of my head I’d be fine.

It’s very good – Asif Khan, CEO/EIC/EIEIO

Once in a great while Nintendo releases something that changes the world forever. The Super Mario Bros. Movie may not be as much of a cultural touchstone as the release of the NES, Game Boy, Wii, or Switch, but this marks a huge milestone for the Big N.

Nintendo realizing the true value of their intellectual property warchest will go down as an important moment in the history of video games and entertainment. The movie itself is fast-paced and a great origin story for the Mario Bros. which provides people new to the franchise with an enjoyable time while also providing long-time fans with just about everything they could have ever wanted. The film is dripping with quality fan service.

Despite some questionable voice actor casting choices, the script is masterfully put together and the original soundtrack is a masterpiece. The movie has Shigeru Miyamoto’s hands all over it, with Nintendo’s attention to detail shining through in every single scene.

The Super Mario Bros Movie. is great, and I look forward to decades of high quality Nintendo video content to come.

Fantastic – Bill Lavoy, Conqueror

The Super Mario Bros. Movie was fantastic, and provided an experience that was suitable for adults who grew up loving Nintendo and Mario, and kids who are just getting their first glimpse into the worlds of these loveable plumbers. Fans loved it, critics not so much, but as the Super Mario Bros. Movie nears $1B billion, it’s clear that it was a huge success, and for good reason.

Throughout the whole movie, I just smiled and laughed. It was a delight from beginning to end, and I can’t wait to watch it again, and whatever Nintendo has planned for their next movie.

Thoroughly enjoyed it – Donovan Erskine, New Donk City resident

I wrote Shacknews’ review for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, so my thoughts on the film are already out there, but I’ll reiterate them here. The movie is incredibly charming, and I was genuinely impressed by how these characters were faithfully adapted. The bond between Mario and Luigi is great, and I dug the new take on Peach.

It goes without saying at this point but Jack Black was awesome, too. I was worried that the humor would be common denominator Minions-level stuff, but there are some damn good jokes that got a genuine laugh out of me. The soundtrack alone might be worth the price of admission, never have I pre-ordered a vinyl so fast.

That concludes our thoughts on the Super Mario Bros. Movie! Now we want to hear what you thought of Nintendo’s dip into the silver screen. Join us in the Chatty thread below.

Shack Staff

Shack Staff stories are a collective effort with multiple staff members contributing. Many of our lists often involve entires from several editors, and our weekly Shack Chat is something we all contribute to as a group.