Alright, so who else is super pumped for the Super Mario Bros. movie coming out in April on Nintendo and Illumination? Well, if you ask me and all my friends, we’re super, duper pumped. But, if you ask Twitter, well, you might get a different answer. A very different answer.
And, that doesn’t necessarily mean a wrong answer. It’s just different, and most of that falls squarely on Chris Pratt’s shoulders. As first reactions to the Super Mario Bros. trailer for the film showed, some people find his voice “jarring” sounding like Mario, while others are much more excited about Jack Black’s performance as Bowser. But you know what? I’m excited for it all, including Pratt’s voice, and I have five reasons why. Here we are!
The voice cast is phenomenal
As mentioned, I’m actually very excited about Star Lord’s performance as Mario. I’ve never been into the whole “worst Chris” argument, and I thought he was pretty awesome in the LEGO movies, so I really don’t have a negative opinion on the sparse lines that we’ve heard of him in the trailer so far.
actually, I like the little inflection he put in his voice when he said, “Mushroom Kingdom, here we come!” at the end of the trailer. Of course, it’s definitely sounds like Pratt, but I also didn’t want Mario to sound like Charles Martinet for the whole movie. God bless the man, but he only says lines like “Let’s go!” and “Ya-ha-ha!” in games. So, honestly, I don’t think I could tolerate that high-pitched voice for an entire movie. Sorry!
Look, I’ll reserve judgment for when I see the eventual movie, but I already know Jack Black is going to kill him as Bowser in the trailer alone. I also love Keegan-Michael Key with his amped up performance as Toad, and honestly can’t wait to hear more from Charlie Day as Luigi. Plus, I’m absolutely in love with everything Anya Taylor-Joy does, so I can’t wait to see her performance as Princess Peach. Throw in Seth Rogan as Donkey Kong (who, given his voice acting background, will probably sound like the actor himself), and I’m actually really intrigued by all these talented people voicing some of my favorite characters. of all times. It’s phenomenal.
The film’s success could pave the way for more animated video game adaptations
Look, I’m probably America’s biggest advocate for video game movies, but even I I must admit that many of them are not very good. Like, I loved the first one sonic the hedgehog movie, even calling it the best video game movie of all time, but here’s the thing: I wish more video game movies weren’t live-action. I know, I know, it doesn’t make much sense, ’cause I just said I like it sonic the hedgehog movie, and it is (mostly) live action. But, I really think video game movies could be even better if they stuck to a medium they’re even closer to than live-action, which is animation.
I know the anime Ratchet & Clank the movie was not very good. I am well aware of this. That said, while Ratchet & Clank is a wonderful PlayStation series, it didn’t really have Sony behind it like Nintendo is behind this new one Super Mario Bros. film. Honestly, I think more love and care (and pizzazz) could be put into a video game movie if it’s animated and has the full support of the video game company. I hope this film will pave the way for other animated video game adaptations. Good! An anime The shadow of the colossus movie on the big screen would be seriously knee-deep!
I’m interested to see how the movie’s plot will fit into the already established Mario Bros. lore.
If you read my bio, you’ll know that I’m a Nintendo fanboy for life! Funny story, but when I was only three my dad said he lost me at the airport. After looking everywhere he finally found me in an arcade staring at someone playing donkey kong. So when I say I’m a Nintendo fanboy for life, I mean it. I roll or I die with Yoshi.
Being this kind of a fan, I know a lot about the Super Mario Bros. traditions. I’ve seen every Nintendo cartoon, played every game (yes, even Mario Hotel, Mario disappearedand Mario’s Time Machine), and I even dressed up as Mario once or twice (or three) times for Halloween. So I’m really interested to see how this film adds, and maybe even changes, aspects of the lore. We’ve already seen an entire kingdom of penguins in the trailer, which is unlike anything we’ve ever seen in games or other media. So I’m excited to see what’s added for this movie. I can not wait !
As a big apologist for the first movie, I want to see if this new animated movie will be any better than the live-action original.
I recently wrote an article in defense of the original Super Mario Bros. movie, and yes, I learned to love the movie. It has not always been so. In fact, many moons ago, I once called it one of the worst video game movies of all time, placing it at number two. I had a lot of bad memories of this movie as a kid, and it wasn’t until I saw it again recently as an adult that I came to not only appreciate the movie, but also to respect the nerve it took to make such a bizarre video game adaptation.
I wonder if the new animated movie could replicate the games even better. It already looks like it will in the trailer, with Bowser holding an invisibility star and our main landing in the Mushroom Kingdom, but just because the animated movie looks more faithful than the live original, it does not necessarily mean that it will be better. Perhaps the original, which we still talk about today (usually not for the best reasons) will always be the more unique and interesting movie of the two, so I’m excited to see if this new movie can top it. .
Granted, most people will probably say that the recent trailer alone was already better than the first one, but still! I now like the original, so I want to be even more impressed with this new one.
If All Goes Well, The Sky’s The Limit For Other Nintendo Video Game Adaptations
Finally, remember how I said I hoped this would work well so we get more anime video game movie adaptations in the future? Well, the sky is the limit for several other Nintendo franchises if this one is making a lot of money. Don’t forget that Nintendo recently bought its own animation studio, so they probably have more movie ideas in mind. Can you imagine what those ideas might be? Because I can!
Just think, what if we had a donkey kong movie after that, then a The Legend of Zelda movie, then a metroid movie, then a Kirby movie (you see where I’m coming from), and finally, a star fox movie, which could ultimately lead to (Donkey Konga roll, please)…a Smash Bros. film! So go. No sane Nintendo fan would want to see this on the big screen. We already have the MCU, now give us the NCU. Come on, Nintendo. You know we want it!
Are you as motivated as me for the Super Mario Bros. film? For more information on all things Mario, be sure to drop by here often.
