April 5, 2023 is definitely a date to mark with a white stone for France. Because on the same day two major films made in baguette and croissant are released. The first is none other than part 1 of The Three Musketeers, a veritable French blockbuster which will perhaps relaunch genre cinema with ambitions in France, while the second film is the long-awaited Super Mario Bros The Movie, largely created in France, at Illumination studios in Paris. And yes, a large part of the production team is French and if you pay attention to the credits at the end of the film, you will see an incredible number of French artists. So chauvinism is fine, but what about the end result? Well, it all depends on your expectations, because even if the film is aimed at everyone, Nintendo has mainly targeted a particular audience, children; preferably those under 10 years old…
Let’s first start by making things clear and summarizing the substance of our thinking following the three press screenings (two in VF, one in VO) of this Super Mario Bros The Movie. Yes, we had a good time watching the film, even if it has many flaws that we will obviously develop in our review. But all the same, we were still entitled to expect something other than the non-existent scenario of video games. So yes, some will tell me that for once, it’s videogame accurate, but damn it, it was the right time to just put an end to this bad reputation of Mario games and go further in the lore. And yet, this is what the film attempts at the beginning, by integrating Mario and Luigi’s family into the story. We discover his parents, but also his uncles, aunts and grandparents. A family reunion which also casts doubt on the true age of our two plumbers. Are they young adults who have not yet left the family cocoon, or adolescents who have already left school to support themselves? One thing is certain, the two brothers are already on the job market, since they founded their small plumbing business, but still live with their parents. Until then, nothing shocking, after all, children who stay with dad mom even after their 40 years, it also exists in our reality.
The problem is elsewhere, in their attitude towards their parents, as if Mario and Luigi are still teenagers. It is enough to see how Mario leaves the table to take refuge in his room after a bad reflection from his father. We do not know if Nintendo wanted to cover their tracks, but the human relationship is disturbing, even incoherent. In any case, the whole film does not bother with a certain logic, but rather tries to play on nostalgia and fan-service, to the point of even forgetting to be a film where we tell a story above all. And with its duration of 92 min (including 10 min credits), Super Mario Bros The Movie will attempt the impossible: place a maximum of things in a minimum of time. The film then gives the impression of attending a 100-meter race, where everything is then dispatched.
TOO SHORT AND WITHOUT SCENARIO
It is on this point that the press and the public have been wrestling on social networks since the film’s release: the absence of a real script and character development. With 49% on Rottent Tomatoes for reviews and 98% for viewer reviews, Nintendo and Illumination’s film made the splits. One of the sticking points between the two clans is also at the level of duration. By removing the credits, there is only 1h22 of footage left, which is damn short to try to tell a story. Some argue that this is the ideal length for children. But in a world where our toddlers bingwatchent series like Paw Patrol, Ricky Zoom or LEGO Ninja, difficult to take such an argument as a defense strategy, especially when you know that an episode of these cartoons including about twenty minutes. Quite honestly, there was a way to stretch the film by 15 minutes without losing the attention of young viewers, who must in any case be instilled with the right reflexes from an early age…
Take for example Pixar and Disney films, which are suitable for both children and adults (and who always have something to tell), we often oscillate between 1h45/2h of film. The Incredibles 1 and 2, Ratatouille, Cars, Soul, Encanto, Moana, Frozen 2: 1h47, all have understood that to build a story, it takes time. But thinking about it, 1h22 (sorry, we don’t count the credits), with zero scenario, in the strategy of Nintendo and Illumination studios, it makes sense, it’s even logical, but it’s also the big problem of this movie. Mario and Luigi who live in New York are sucked into the Mushroom Kingdom. Luigi is kidnapped by Bowser who seeks at all costs to marry Princess Peach. And that’s it…Everything goes so fast that the meeting between Mario and Toad takes 45 seconds, watch in hand. Wondering how Mario was catapulted into the Mushroom Kingdom? To do what ? Be wary of him because he is ultimately an “alien”? Why bother with such futile explanations? The film uses so many shortcuts that it is obviously designed above all for children, who hardly need any context or explanation to grab their attention. In 2023, they still deserve better than that.
FAN SERVICE 1000%
To pass the pill and avoid any form of frustration, the film will therefore chain a maximum of references and other easter-eggs to please Mario fans and that they rally to Nintendo’s cause. And elements that refer to the universe of games from the Kyoto firm, there are literally everywhere. Between the Jump Man arcade terminal, the Punch-Out pizzaria, the car sticker which is none other than the famous Nintendo Seal of Quality, the Pikmin glass trinkets as a decorative element in a New York apartment, Mario who plays Kid Icarus on his NES in his room, the passages in horizontal scrolling, you will be amazed. Even Charles Martinet was hired to do the voice of a character who just happens to play the Jump Man arcade machine. If all these references are a real treat for Mario fans, we would have liked Nintendo to distil less of them, even if it means waiting for the next episodes, confirmed by actor Chris Pratt in an interview a few days ago. We also have a thought for him, especially after the bashing he was the subject of after the broadcast of the first trailer. Admittedly, the passages presented at that time were not a reflection of his very good dubbing work, but he did not deserve this controversy. Since we had the opportunity to see the film three times, twice in VF, then in VO, we can assure you that Chris Pratt is doing quite well in the role of Mario. It is true that Pierre Tessier did a remarkable job in French, just like the other dubbing actors, so much so that the VF extracts had even traveled to the United States, where he was taken as an example. On the other hand, to the question of whether the VF is really superior to the VO, difficult to answer, it is not even that obvious. If you can, do both sessions, VF and VO and like that, you will then have your own opinion.
“IT’S A MARIO MOVIE, WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?” lol
Among the reproaches that can be made to the film is this obsession with wanting to cram as many things as possible into 1h22. Was it really necessary to place Mario Kart in this first film and ship the sequence in a few minutes? Why didn’t you wait for a second episode to include a real race, with challenges, a real form of competition in order to justify the need to have access to these wacky vehicles? These 10 lost minutes could have been used to develop the discovery of the tribe of monkeys and the clan of Donkey Kong. Instead, a sequence sent in 3 minutes in which we vaguely see the places in an aerial shot and a few exchanges with the king in his tower. Even the journey between the Mushroom Kingdom and the Donkey Kong jungle is rushed into three shots, where we see Mario, Peach, and Toad traversing multiple environments. Putting in fewer things, taking a little more of your time, developing the characters, the universes, the worlds, the encounters, that’s how this Super Mario Bros The Movie should have been built. We know how conservative Nintendo is when we touch its icons, but in 2023, it might be time to trust that our mustachioed plumber is not just about princess rescues. And it’s all the more regrettable, because the film is full of qualities, starting with its truly incredible artistic direction. It’s colorful, it’s shimmering, the chara-design is really successful, especially Peach, which gives the impression of having come straight out of a Disney, imposing itself as a real princess drawn by the Uncle Walt. Moreover, special mention to this choice for having made him a strong character, who does not need any help to subdue the enemy with his wrestling holds.
Since we mentioned Donkey Kong a few moments ago, know that the confrontation with Mario is one of the great successes of the film, since this sequence manages to intelligently mix beautiful animation finds, the malignant references (without forcing too much) to the video game, well-placed humor and the honest use of the cat suit for Mario. This is not the case of the Tanuki which is unfortunately dispatched much too quickly in the final sequence. Anyway, each power is not sufficiently developed, and it is even frustrating. When we see Donkey take the flower of fire and see him do nothing with it, because the sequence goes a thousand an hour and lasts only 30 seconds in fine, there is enough to kick in a cushion. Obviously, everything has been thought out for kids, and those under 10/12 will no doubt love it, as there are so many things happening on screen, that it’s well done in terms of animation and production. The film does not give time to breathe and therefore to reflect, but as an adult viewer, we were also entitled to something more interesting. Just look at what Pixar, Dreamworks and other studios are capable of, there are always multiple layers to play for young and old alike. Linking sequences stuffed with references to video games is not enough to make a good film. We don’t teach you anything when we tell you that great works are remembered because above all they have a beautiful story to tell us. This will not be the case for Super Mario Bros. The Movie. So, we know very well that we won’t make friends with this criticism, but in truth, if we ask ourselves a little and want to advance the schmilblick a little, we are entitled to ask for something other than pixie powder. Some are more susceptible to illusion than others. For our part, it was a small disappointment. Again, it wasn’t unpleasant, but damn it hollow…
OUR RATING: 6/10
