The Super Mario Bros. Movie seems to land halfway up the flagpole critically, with the animated movie from Nintendo and Illumination earning mixed results. The presentation of the Mushroom Kingdom gets high praise, but the plot–or lack thereof–keeps reviewers from going wahoo.
That may not matter for the commercial success of the movie, though. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is eyeing a $225 million opening weekend worldwide, which would put it in prime position to become the highest-grossing video game film of all time. Warcraft currently holds the crown at $439 million worldwide.
Mario voice actor Chris Pratt believes The Super Mario Bros. Movie won’t ruin your childhood because it’s “fantastic” in his eyes. And, to be fair, the first reactions to the film were pretty positive, albeit even then people pointed out the formulaic narrative.
GameSpot sister site Metacritic currently lists The Super Mario Bros. Movie with a 48 metascore at the time of publishing. Check out some review excerpts below:
GameSpot — 8/10
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie never feels reverent of the Mario IP, but it’s also never disrespectful. It’s a spot that might not have worked if the film weren’t so well put together–fortunately for us, though, The Super Mario Bros., could end up being one of the best big-budget action flicks of the year.” — Phil Owen [Full review]
Chicago Sun-Times — 3 out of 4 stars
“Even though Mario and Luigi are separated for a good chunk of the story, whenever they’re together they talk about how nothing can stop them as long as they’re together, and that’s a nice sibling message. With an ending clearly setting up further adventures to come, The Super Mario Bros. is a solid kickoff to a new chapter in this enduring, multi-platform franchise.” — Richard Roeper [Full review]
Variety
“The key thing The Super Mario Bros. Movie has that too many animated films don’t–I would say, without overstating it, that it links the film to the spirit of Yellow Submarine–is a rollicking aesthetic of transmutation.” — Owen Gleiberman [Full review]
The Hollywood Reporter
“As usual for Illumination films, the brightly colored animation pops in consistently appealing character and scenic designs. The brisk 92-minute running time is another plus, especially for younger attention spans; this feels especially welcome when so many bloated animated movies come closer to the two-hour mark.” — Frank Scheck [Full review]
Screen Rant — 3 out of 5 stars
“As a result, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is perfect for die-hard fans of the Nintendo brand, or those who have fond memories of playing the Mario games during their childhood. But, anyone without that love for Mario can skip this movie.” — Molly Freeman [Full review]
Slant — 1.5 out of 4 stars
“The film, then, does relatively little to justify its existence outside of serving as brand extension. It’s bright, bounces from one nostalgia-soaked moment to the next, and is meticulously designed to be as inoffensive as possible. But while presenting the long-standing characters of the Super Mario Bros. universe in the most innocuous light imaginable may please shareholders, given the innovative design of many a Super Mario Bros. game, would it have been too much for the film’s story to be a little more, well, super?” — Paul Attard [Full review]
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