Super Mario Bros. MOVIE Reviews: What Are Critics' First Reactions?

The first reviews for the super mario bros. movie have arrived..

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The embargo for critics' social media reactions to The Super Mario Bros. Movie lifted, leading to the first reviews surfacing. 

Video game movies have long been held in a rather negative light, but that perception has finally begun to shift after heavily praised adaptations of The Last of Us , Sonic the Hedgehog , and more.

Coming up to bat next is The Super Mario Bros. Movie , bringing with it one of the most surprising, all-star voice cast ever for what has recently been revealed to be a relatively short first movie in, what could be, a new big-screen franchise.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie Early Reviews Released

Super Mario Bros. Movie cast

The first critics' reactions to The Super Mario Bros Movie emerged online, with these early reviews painting a pretty great picture overall for fans of Nintendo's iconic Italian plumber.

Fandango's Erik Davis called the adaptation "the ultimate love letter to every era of Mario," putting particular praise on the humor and Jack Black's Bowser:

"Wahoo! 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' is the ultimate love letter to every era of Mario. Loved the humor & especially Jack Black’s Bowser. I felt the same way watching the movie as I do playing the games. It’s just joyful. Also, stay for the credits!"

Gizmodo's Germain Lussier "really wanted to like it but did not." He criticized the flick as "overly goofy, bare-bones plot, filled [with] bad jokes:"

"I really wanted to like it but I did not. A few solid scenes capture the spirit of the game but mostly it's an overly goofy, bare-bones plot, filled w/ bad jokes & worse song choices. It looks great but I was more bored & annoyed than entertained."

Kinda Funny's Tim Gettys completely disagreed with any criticism of the music, going as far as to call it the "star of the show:"

"'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' was awesome. Teared up from hype more than once. The music is the star of the show. Nintendo fans are gonna be obsessed. I'm not sure ANY movie in history has ever had THIS MANY easter eggs. AND GOOD ONES!"

Isla Hinck praised the visuals and particularly how Anya Taylor-Joy's Princess Peach "is so cool in it:"

"Yo. 'The Super Mario Bros Movie' is awesome! So fun and so many nods! I loved it! And it's gorgeous! And Peach is so cool in it!"

GameXplain's Andre Segers called The Super Mario Bros. Movie "an utterly delightful thrill ride" that "nearly moved [him] to tears" even with its "somewhat shallow plot:"

"'The Super Mario Bros 'movie is an utterly delightful thrill ride that is as joyful as it is magical. It's a movie that is for Mario fans first, and despite a somewhat shallow narrative, is a blast. Nearly moved me to tears seeing Mario realized so beautifully."

Rendy Jones noted the "top-notch animation" and teased the "loving Easter eggs and cameos." He boiled the overall final product down to being "a Mario movie made by Illumination:"

"The Mario worlds are brought to life with top-notch animation and energetic action that will delight kids and fans. Full of loving Easter eggs and cameos. That said, it’s a Mario movie made by illumination and I’ll leave it at that."

Is the Mario Movie a Slam Dunk Win?

One thing every review seems to agree on is The Super Mario Bros. Movie managed to capture the essence of the franchise, which is certainly a good thing. Clearly, this is a true love letter to Mario that will reward fans with a plethora of Easter eggs - there are, at least, 33 classic characters appearing after all .

Generally, the reviews are in agreement the narrative is somewhat simple and perhaps not the deepest, but that should be of no surprise given its short runtime and young target audience. Clearly, what's there, combined with the humor and many Mario references, has been enough to enthrall most of these select critics. 

Although only Jack Black's Bowser and Anya Taylor-Joy's Peach were mentioned in these reviews as standouts, there was, fortunately, no particular criticism given to the rest of the cast. That will come as a relief to many given the widespread fear that an actor like Chris Pratt may not manage to pull off Mario .

Knowing all of this, it certainly seems the Mario movie will thrive with its biggest target audiences of younger children and die-hard fans of the Nintendo franchise. 

The Super Mario Bros. Movie hits theaters on April 5.

Super Mario Bros. Movie Off to Disappointing Start on Rotten Tomatoes

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Reviews   The Super Mario Bros. Movie review thread

  • Thread starter entut1
  • Start date Apr 3, 2023

entut1

  • Apr 3, 2023

mario movie review embargo reddit

Fox Brigade

if anyone wants a reupload of the gvg review let me know  

Raccoon said: if anyone wants a reupload of the gvg review let me know Click to expand...

Phendrift

What’d GVG give it?  

Phendrift said: What’d GVG give it? Click to expand...

maestrogeicho

maestrogeicho

Piranha plant.

Leviraps

Leviraps said: Would love if you still got it, knew i should’ve saved it when it dropped haha it’s spoiler free right? Click to expand...

Catsylvania

Catsylvania

entut1 said: -They think the movie will change the series forever and can't see the games and the movie stay separate after this movie showcased the impact of fully-realized characters and what a truly connected world can offer to the series Click to expand...

🤷‍♀️

The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) Review - CGMagazine

www.cgmagonline.com

Skipper93653

Chain chomp.

mario movie review embargo reddit

  • Apr 4, 2023

This movie is gonna be one of those movies that does not have a strong rotten tomatoes score but a strong audience score and honestly, audience score matters more as that is the opinion of ordinary people and that will drive most of the success via word of mouth.  

Lucifer

Catsylvania said: Hmm, I’ll believe that when I see it. Maybe in a new Mario RPG. Click to expand...

neil

Lucifer said: such as the Mario Bros not being from the Mushroom Kingdom is going to get imprinted in many adult and little heads because of this movie. Click to expand...
neil said: That's already the way the story was told in other TV series and the live action movie. He's been presented as an Italian-American plumber from New York many times. None of the backstory is relevant to games like Odyssey, Galaxy, the Super Mario Bros series, or any of the others, is it? Click to expand...

WestEgg

King of the Krocs

mario movie review embargo reddit

It did seem like they were setting up New Donk City to replace Brooklyn as the Mario/Donkey Kong origin city, but yeah that seems walked back now that the real world is back in the mix.  

balgajo

When embargo will be lifted?  

WestEgg said: It did seem like they were setting up New Donk City to replace Brooklyn as the Mario/Donkey Kong origin city, but yeah that seems walked back now that the real world is back in the mix. Click to expand...
balgajo said: When embargo will be lifted? Click to expand...
Skipper93653 said: in 6 hours and 31 minutes Click to expand...

Decoyman

Lucifer said: I wonder if they did that to make it more relatable to the general mass. They're almost interchangeable seeing as Pauline is in both as well. Click to expand...

Killer Bees

weird to have such a late embargo time  

ILikeFeet said: weird to have such a late embargo time Click to expand...
WestEgg said: I’ve seen speculation it was put in place before they moved the release ahead a few days. Click to expand...

lexony

ILikeFeet said: that was my expectations, but I was talking about the time rather than the date. I was expecting early morning reviews rather than afternoon reviews Click to expand...
Decoyman said: That and given the heavy inclusion of the Kong clan in the film, it would probably be too confusing to have Brooklyn exist in reference to Donkey Kong. It would've only made sense if DK and all the Kongs were introduced as part of the real world initially but it seemed to have been more of a priority to establish them in context of their own world. Click to expand...

That opening scene still gives me the chills. Hope there's a decent amount of moments in the movie that feel this intense.  

totofogo

thinkin bt pkmn 4

mario movie review embargo reddit

entut1 said: Worst-reviewed animation film by Illumination: Click to expand...

www.rottentomatoes.com

Hop (2011) | Rotten Tomatoes

www.rottentomatoes.com

totofogo said: Isn't this Hop? 24% / 53% Hop (2011) | Rotten Tomatoes Beneath Easter Island, in a giant factory that manufactures the world's Easter candy, the popular rabbit is preparing to pass the mantle to his son, E.B. (Russell Brand). But E.B. has no interest in the job and would rather be a drummer. He runs away to Los Angeles, where an unemployed slacker... www.rottentomatoes.com Click to expand...

Starphanluke

Starphanluke

I won't be surprised if this gets hit kind of hard by critics. But I wouldn't worry. It's a crowd-pleaser and great for Mario fans.  

DecoReturns

DecoReturns

Memento mori.

I just need this to succeed to see other Nintendo properties in film or TV  

Bonejack

The Ancient One

mario movie review embargo reddit

DecoReturns said: I just need this to succeed to see other Nintendo properties in film or TV Click to expand...
Bonejack said: Well congrats, you're getting that DK movie, otherwise they wouldn't have him featured so much in the Mario movie and likely would've gotten someone cheaper than Seth Rogen for VA. ;D Click to expand...

Skies

Starphanluke said: I won't be surprised if this gets hit kind of hard by critics. But I wouldn't worry. It's a crowd-pleaser and great for Mario fans. Click to expand...

Wait is the embargo lifting at 3pm or 12pm ET ?  

Nabbit

Heading to Lorule? Rent your equipment here!

Golden said: Wait is the embargo lifting at 3pm or 12pm ET ? Click to expand...

🍅

Oh shoot, i thought it was like rn. Thanks !  

Gartooth

Universal Madness

😆

9 mins left...  

It's time  

Magic-Man

IGN gave it an 8. Collider gave it a B+  

Pretty mixed on the professional critic end, enthusiastic from the nerd sphere and Nintendo fans, as I sort of expected. There isn't much plot, but everything else is so damn good.  

49 on MC rn, it will go up tho slant magazine in the mixt and only 4 scores.  

"paper mario thin plot", lol that hurts on multiple levels  

DiscussingFilm gave it a 4/5. Variety doesn't have a score, but it is positive.  

jazzyartist

jazzyartist

Jeremy Jahns: Liked it, would’ve liked more platforming action akin to the games, and more time with the brothers together.  

Yamanoi

I paid $70 for this tag

mario movie review embargo reddit

Telegraph 1/5 - https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/super-mario-bros-review-monstrous-animation/  

Golden said: 49 on MC rn, it will go up tho slant magazine in the mixt and only 4 scores. Click to expand...
Yamanoi said: Telegraph 1/5 - https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/super-mario-bros-review-monstrous-animation/ Click to expand...
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  1. The global review embargo for THE SUPER MARIO BROS MOVIE. will lift on

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