The journey to the big screen undertaken by Mario and Luigi – the ubiquitous plumbers that were the heroes of the video game series of the same time – has been a long and storied one. The dismal failure of the attempt to bring these characters to the world of cinema produced thirty years ago forced Nintendo (a notoriously protective company when it comes to their popular properties) to hold these characters very close to their chest, in the fears that further attempts to adapt them to a different medium like the film would prove to be just as disastrous. Even as a cult classic, Super Mario Bros. is not the best representation of these characters or the world they inhabit. However, it seemed inevitable that we would eventually see another cinematic outing for these characters, and through meticulously choosing the right collaborators (which turned out to be Illumination, known for their radically successful and always reliable animated films), these characters have once again made their way into cineplexes, this time in the form of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which sees a considerable improvement from the previous film in virtually every way, while still capturing the spirit of reckless fun and childish joy that many similarly-themed films tend to try and embody, but rarely succeed unless with the participation of very strong collaborators. The team behind this film were deeply committed to bringing this story to life in a way that was honest and faithful, a solid and accurate representation of not only what audiences have come to expect from the character of Mario and his motley crew of cohorts, but also what those responsible for maintaining his legacy would want us to associate with these characters. This does mean that The Super Mario Bros. Movie is unquestionably one of the most faithful video game adaptations we’ve seen in years, but also one of the most uninspiring, since its over-reliance on traditions become extremely dull, distracting from the potential this film had to be a masterful and entertaining revisiting of these characters in a different medium.

One should never underestimate nostalgia – new stories and concepts are introduced to the broader culture every year, and while these are often exciting and revolutionary in their own way, they are also overshadowed by those works that we cherish from our younger years. Mario is perhaps the most iconic video game character of all time (or at least right at the apex, along with a select few other characters), so it makes sense that people would have a sincere passion for anything relating to this character and the folklore that surrounds him and the other beloved characters that reside in this narrative. Unfortunately, nostalgia on its own is never strong enough a propellant to keep an entire film afloat, and we have seen many films fail because they bank on emotion more than logic, which is a poor choice, since it often highlights precisely how unoriginal Hollywood can be. The Super Mario Bros. Movie claims to be an origin story, and it will probably be most appreciated by those who are on board with such an idea, whereby the entire first half is taken up by speculation on how the character earned his powers and skills, which is an understandable but mostly dull choice, since it doesn’t tell us anything we either already knew, or could assume based on common sense. It’s never clear who this film is marketing itself towards, since it is difficult to imagine any group getting more value out of this film than others – younger audiences may be dazzled by the bright visuals and slapstick humour, while those who grew up with this franchise will feel those familiar pangs of nostalgia, which can bring a lot of joy, but this sensation is fleeting, since it wears out its welcome, and once the novelty wears off, there is nothing about this film that keeps us engaged. Putting all your faith and stock into audiences appreciating this film based on the feeling of fondly remembering the carefree days of playing Mario games seems like a poor choice, at least artistically, because while it does follow a structure that is immensely successful, it often feels like a bundle of missed opportunities, and a film that is mostly quite lifeless outside of a few clever callbacks to the character’s origins, without actually saying anything that we could discern from simply playing these games. A film like The Super Mario Bros. Movie doesn’t need to be smart or subversive, but some tact would not go amiss, which is primarily where the film starts to fall apart.

At the very least, one would expect a lot of promise from the voice cast, because The Super Mario Bros. Movie did attract a considerably strong ensemble, most of which seemed to be perfect fits for these characters. However, what they didn’t realize is that not every role needs to be cast with a star – having an eclectic supporting cast to act alongside more reliable, professional voice actors seemed like a good approach, which is precisely why this feels like such a disappointment. For decades, Charles Martinet has been the voice of Mario, and not only is he still active and dedicated to his craft, he was even cast in this film, albeit in a minor supporting role that one has to imagine only existed to appease those who felt like refusing to cast him in this film was an unfortunate oversight. To add insult to injury, the role of Mario is occupied by Chris Pratt – and even putting personal feelings aside, changing the character, who is perhaps one of the few examples of a stereotype that is actually quite beloved and rarely causes controversy, with an actor who is not known for having an iota of versatility, was deeply foolish and a profound missed opportunity to do something special. Pratt doesn’t capture the spirit of Mario at all, and essentially voicing himself with a vaguely Italian-American accent almost seems like a more harmful stereotype than anything Martinet, who spent years crafting the identity of his character, would have done with the role. The best and most expressive performances come from Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black and Keegan-Michael Key, all of whom actually put expression and nuance into voicing these characters, which at least makes their characters faithful to the source material, while still not particularly groundbreaking. It becomes slightly disappointing to see just how far this film is willing to go when it comes to exploring these characters without actually saying anything meaningful, and while no one comes to a film like The Super Mario Bros. Movie to be mentally stimulated or emotionally moved, some nuance would have certainly be appreciated.

Unfortunately, there is something inherently troublesome about this film, which has nothing to do with the story or artistic prowess (both of which are strong), but rather the experience as a whole. There’s a quality at the heart of The Super Mario Bros. Movie that feels quite limp and lifeless, almost as if this film was far too worried about taking any risk, since experience had shown that ambition is always preferable, but it can lead to results that may be against the spirit of the brand, whether intentionally or otherwise. Overall, as a film it feels like a slight disappointment, since you can easily see the strings of Nintendo executives puppeteering absolutely every decision – each plot point has been evidently subjected to as much scrutiny as possible, each line of dialogue and visual choice being carefully curated to adhere to the identity of the franchise, rather than being particularly resonant on an artistic or creative level. It often makes the film feel lifeless and over-produced, since the flaccid narrative (which was cobbled together from the most conventional and formulaic plot structure imaginable) and overly conventional approach to this material is simply just not that interesting, and essentially starts to bore us after a while. It’s clear that those in power wanted to keep everything about this film within arm’s reach, and while this is a great business strategy, especially for a property as iconic as Mario, it can be artistically vapid, and serves very little purpose outside of showing the power executives hold over the creative process, and how it essentially can be difficult to get anything valuable when the apron strings are never cut. It isn’t necessarily artistically corrupt, since there are some strong moments, but it is mainly just a passive, overly conventional exercise that never amounts to anything worthwhile, outside of being mildly entertaining on a superficial level.

When it comes to describing this film as a whole, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is essentially everything you would expect it to be, but not necessarily what these characters always deserved. It is undeniably very entertaining, and a strong and forthright sense of humour, and impeccable animation that reminds us of the virtue in more simple but effective designs. The major flaw is that it never amounts to too much, and it often just feels like it is going through the motions that normally occurs with the majority of video game adaptations, which usually do their best to play it safe, which ends up being a reliable way to be uninteresting. Even some of the worst-reviewed films of this nature usually carry some praise around being “everything you want it to be” – The Super Mario Bros. Movie is essentially everything you’d expect a film micromanaged by overprotective executives may look like, which is not the most pleasant of experiences. It is the cinematic equivalent of a paint-by-numbers activity, a film defined by its conventions to the point where it is almost crippling, which is never an ideal scenario, especially not with material that had this level of promise. It is not ever likely that we will see a more gonzo or experimental version of this material (at least not officially – the fact that the most creative work has been in unofficial or unauthorized parodies is quite telling about how willing Nintendo is to give this material over to those who may be more willing to experiment), and unless a sequel is commissioned, this might be the only cinematic outing we see for these characters in our lifetime, which is disappointing but not surprising. Perhaps the infectious garnered by younger viewers will be at least touching enough to be worth the price of admission, but for everyone else, it’s a relatively mediocre effort, one in which gorgeous animation and some strong choices visually and musically are the most entertaining aspects, having to make up for an impoverished narrative and the sense that this is not a film that necessarily wanted to do anything other than the bare minimum.