The Super Mario Bros. Movie is possibly one of the most talked about movies this past month. The film premiered in theaters on April 5, 2023.  It’s only been out for less than a month and already has grossed over $1 billion worldwide, causing this film to be one of the highest-grossing movies in 2023.

The movie, based on Nintendo’s famous Mario franchise, was produced by Universal Pictures, Illumination, and Nintendo. The voice cast includes Chris Patt, Jack Black, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Seth Rogen, and many more. The film features Mario and Luigi, everyone’s favorite Italian-American plumbers, who are taken into an alternate world. They then have to fight in a battle between The Mushroom Kingdom and Koopas.

Kayla Williams and Valerie Parada sat down and discussed their thoughts and their experience watching the film.

KW: What drove you to see the Super Mario Bros?

VP: What drove me to see the movie was the fact I grew up playing games of Super Mario such as Super Mario Kart. I thought It would be a good movie to watch and see if I could get any nostalgia out of it.

KW: How did you feel about the portrayal of Princess Peach in the movie compared to her role in the video game?

VP: If I’m not mistaken, in the game itself, she’s the one who needs to get saved rather than her saving something or someone. So it is for sure something I was not expecting within the plot, but I must say I love the casting for Princess Peach and the overall outcome of the love she has been getting.

KW: Were there any characters that you believe could’ve been left out of the movie?

VP: I do feel like they should have left out the other kingdoms, mainly because they added them but never really touched upon them again. But overall, I do think the characters they added were good, even if they were missed out in the plot.

KW: What are your thoughts on the style of animation?

VP: I liked and enjoyed the animation style, it was very well done and very impressive. Usually, movies have that touch of really good animation and bad animation all in one, this movie on the other hand was really well thought out with animation and effects.

KW: How did you feel about the portrayal of the real world within the movie?

VP: I never thought about the fact they could have added the portal of the real world within the film, I’ll admit I walked into the movies not watching the full trailer. So, I had not heard about the storyline. I really liked it though. They touched upon how they started their company and how they made it into the mushroom kingdom. I loved the portrayal.

KW: Do you think the plot was rushed?

VP: I do think the plot was very rushed, they quickly got to the main point. I wished they would have gone more in-depth on the other kingdom and more on Princess Peaches’ past.

KW: What were your thoughts on Chris Pratt’s portrayal of Mario?

VP: I think he did well for the most part. I watched him through Jurassic World and Marvel but never in an animated movie that I’m aware of. So it was definitely different to hear him in this movie, mainly because he has a very strong voice.

VP: Would you recommend this movie to a friend?

KW: Definitely! I think it was such a cute and funny movie. The animation was astounding, so yeah, I would definitely recommend it to a friend!

VP: Do you think this movie could have had more adaptations from the original video game?

KW: I think it didn’t need to have more adaptations. I think the producers and writers really just wanted to make it simplistic and fun, not overwhelm the audience. They also wanted to establish some familiarity, so that even if you never played the game, you’d have fun watching it.

VP: What was your overall impression of this movie?

KW: I thought it was a good movie. The animation was excellent. I thought the storyline and its pacing was too quick. But overall, I enjoyed the experience.

VP: Do you think this movie was over-modernized?

KW:  I don’t think it was really over-modernized. I like that they kept it to a minimum and really focused on the storyline rather than trying to incorporate a lot of today’s technology within the movie.

VP: Did you have any low expectations walking into the theater?

KW: I did have low expectations when I walked into the theater. I held it to the same level that I would with the Sonic Hedgehog Movie. But, I admit that I misjudged it and  I am happy that I went to see it.

VP: What do you think the hidden message of the movie was? (If any)

KW:  I don’t think it was that deep of a movie to have a really deep hidden message.

VP: Was there something you didn’t understand from the movie?

KW: I pretty much understood everything. Even if you have never played Super Mario Kart, you’d completely understand the movie.