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The Super Mario Bros. Movie First Reviews: Packed with Nostalgia and Easter Eggs, but Mostly Aimed at Kids

Critics say the movie has lots of fun details for observant fans of the franchise, but the thinly plotted story may leave some viewers wanting more.

by Christopher Campbell | April 4, 2023 | Comments

TAGGED AS: Animation, First Reviews, movies, Video Games

Are we finally getting a proper Mario movie featuring all our favorite characters from the games? The Super Mario Bros. Movie is out this week, and many of the first reviews are calling it a fun and faithful animated adventure. Whether you’re a hardcore fan of the Nintendo franchise or nostalgically curious, there’s apparently a lot to enjoy in the video game adaptation. However, if you have no relationship to the characters and the iconography, the movie’s simplistic script and onslaught of Easter eggs aren’t likely to convert you.

Here’s what critics are saying about The Super Mario Bros. Movie:

Does it live up to expectations?

Purposefully focusing on a simple and beautiful adventure, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a solid success.
– Brandon Zachary, CBR

For better and worse, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is exactly what you’d expect from a Mario movie made by Illumination Entertainment.
– Reuben Baron, Looper.com

For some people, perhaps, it will be a point in the win column that “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is exactly what it looks like, and nothing more.
– Josh Spiegel, Slashfilm

Does it honor the games?

The fast-paced action effectively approximates the gaming experience.
– Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter

If you’ve ever wondered what it would feel like to be inside a Super Mario Bros. level, this film gets deliciously close.
– Lex Briscuso, The Wrap

The movie doesn’t so much duplicate the logistics of a Mario game as conjure the spirit of the game.
– Owen Gleiberman, Variety

It’s the ultimate in comforting familiarity.
– Jake Wilson, The Sydney Morning Herald

The only difference from the Nintendo games is that viewers don’t have to replay a section 45 times because they keep getting nicked by a rogue Koopa shell.
– Matthew Huff, AV Club

It leaves one feeling like they’re standing to the side and watching someone else play a video game.
– Zaki Hasan, San Francisco Chronicle

Chris Pratt as Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

(Photo by ©Universal Pictures)

Is it packed with Easter eggs?

Perhaps the film’s greatest asset is its clever reliance on the treasure trove of IP that Nintendo has to offer.
– Matthew Huff, AV Club

This movie has a lot of fan service… This is not a bad thing; in fact, it is quite the opposite. Whenever it was possible to sneak something in, they did it.
– Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

The quantity of in-jokes and Easter eggs is high enough that fans of the games will likely enjoy themselves while watching it… The fan service really works.
– Reuben Baron, Looper.com

There is some super fun stuff thrown into the background, even if it adds literally zero to the story itself.
– Germain Lussier, io9.com

I found myself craving A LOT more video game humor than I was given (there were SO many missed opportunities for Nintendo jokes).
– Christie Cronan, Raising Whasians

Far too often, The Super Mario Bros. Movie feels like it’s simply content to check off to-do notes and scratch the viewer’s nostalgia itch. That is, the film is a series of Easter eggs in search of a story.
– Paul Attard, Slant Magazine

Does it help to be a fan of the games?

You don’t have to be a Mario fan to respond to it, but the film is going to remind the millions who are why they call it a joystick.
– Owen Gleiberman, Variety

While the references are sure to charm Nintendo lovers, and the standard Illumination-style cartoon humor will please youngsters, the film otherwise doesn’t have a ton to offer.
– Matthew Huff, AV Club

Even Super Mario superfans might prefer the game.
– Peter Bradshaw, Guardian

(Photo by ©Universal Pictures)

Is it mostly for kids?

From its very first scenes, it’s clear The Super Mario Bros. Movie is made for children.
– Germain Lussier, io9.com

For certain demographics (i.e. families lamenting the fact that it’s been months since a major kids movie hit theaters), this is going to be an absolute godsend.
– Christian Zilko, IndieWire

The Super Mario Bros Movie is very much a kids’ movie that adults will have fun with.
– Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

It’s one of the best kids’ films in recent years.
– Ross Bonaime, Collider

If you’re a parent, you’re probably already going to see The Super Mario Bros. Movie regardless of what critics say, and you’ll probably have enough fun with it not to feel disappointed.
– Reuben Baron, Looper.com

Kids will have a blast, especially with its nods to popular games, such as Luigi’s Mansion and Mario Kart. However, its childish sense of humor and lacking narrative fall short.
– Jeff Nelson, Showbiz Cheat Sheet

But is it still entertaining?

The film features one jam-packed sequence after another, one highlight being Mario’s titanic battle with Donkey Kong.
– Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter

It’s is a serious blast, with a spark of enchantment — that je ne sais quoi fusion of speed and trickery, magic and sophistication, and sheer play that… well, you feel it when you see it.
– Owen Gleiberman, Variety

Even if it’s not your thing, everyone should find a way to coexist with this franchise very quickly.
– Christian Zilko, IndieWire

(Photo by ©Universal Pictures)

How does it look?

This is a gorgeous movie. The 3D animation works extremely well. It is bright, vibrant, and colorful.
– Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

The film looks gorgeous… The attention to the world-building is perhaps the film’s best achievement, constructing an entire universe that feels colorful and unique compared to anything else in recent film.
– Brandon Zachary, CBR

I was pleasantly surprised how the bright colors and crisp visuals expanded the Super Mario universe to the big screen in a fresh, exciting way.
– Christie Cronan, Raising Whasians

The different worlds of the film—the Mushroom Kingdom, the Jungle Kingdom, Bowser’s Kingdom, and more—are all so rich and full of life.
– Lex Briscuso, The Wrap

Stunningly beautiful… The movie might work even better if you could mute it, pause, and zoom around its designs.
– Germain Lussier, io9.com

While the animation is crisp, it’s not enough to overcome the film’s many deficiencies in every other aspect of its composition.
– Sean Mulvihill, Mulviews

It’s visually bland in ways that reminded me of European knockoff animations.
– Peter Bradshaw, Guardian

What about the script?

Parents shouldn’t expect a Pixar-level experience, but Matthew Fogel’s script has as at least as much narrative heft as the best Mario games.
– Christian Zilko, IndieWire

Fogel is asked to juggle an insane amount of elements here, and yet, he’s able to make all these parts come together in a satisfying way.
– Ross Bonaime, Collider

The plot is as basic as can be, and character development is clearly not a priority.
– Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter

It might not have the depth of something like Turning Red, Wolfwalkers, or Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio but it’s not trying to.
– Brandon Zachary, CBR

When it comes to molding all that gimcrackery into, you know, a story, they lose the electronic pulse that made the game addictive.
– Owen Gleiberman, Variety

It is very formulaic and was clearly made so that even the youngest fan can understand and enjoy it.
– Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

A lot of the film’s jokes don’t land, at least for an adult audience, which will certainly make up a vast group for this picture.
– Lex Briscuso, The Wrap

The Super Mario Bros. Movie feels as if Fogel was handed a list of iconic video game elements and was told to reverse engineer them into a barebones story.
– Sean Mulvihill, Mulviews

(Photo by ©Universal Pictures)

Do any of the voice performances stand out?

One of the film’s biggest MVPs is Keegan Michael-Key’s Toad, who is responsible for half of the movie’s most comedic moments.
– Lex Briscuso, The Wrap

Jack Black, who voices this horny demon [Bowser], gives a stupendous performance.
– Owen Gleiberman, Variety

The real standout here is Jack Black as Bowser. His penchant for the grandiose makes him the perfect choice for the character.
– Ross Bonaime, Collider

Jack Black as Bowser is one of his best performances ever. My favorite character hands down.
– Christie Cronan, Raising Whasians

So it has a good villain?

Having a villain who’s a vulnerable ogre you’re at once appalled, amused, and fascinated by makes this a very different sort of kinetic kiddie fantasia.
– Owen Gleiberman, Variety

He’s the full package: menacing and vicious with a soft and insecure side that bubbles over at the perfect comedic moment.
– Lex Briscuso, The Wrap

Black’s performance makes Bowser more than just a villain to be toppled.
– Ross Bonaime, Collider

What about Chris Pratt’s work as Mario?

What Pratt does works. I promise you that. It makes sense and even if it bothers you at the beginning, you are going to quickly forget it as the movie continues.
– Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

Sorry to disappoint, but Pratt is a good choice for Mario, finding just the right amount of inflection for the character and without sounding like little more than a collection of the character’s famous lines.
– Ross Bonaime, Collider

Pratt nails a modernized, slightly subdued version of a stereotypical Brooklyn accent that comes off natural and inoffensive, a logical portrayal of the Mario character.
– Lex Briscuso, The Wrap