Super Mario Bros.
by Annabel Jankel, Dean Semler, Rocky Morton
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DVD details
Actor: Bob Hoskins, Dennis Hopper, Fisher Stevens, John Leguizamo, Samantha MathisDirector: Annabel Jankel, Dean Semler, Rocky Morton
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
Producer: Brad Weston
Producer: Fred C. Caruso
Writer: Ed Solomon
Writer: Parker Bennett
Writer: Terry Runte
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Running Time: 104 minutes
Published: 2003-06-01
DVD Release Date: 2003-06-03
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Product features:
- Buckle up and hang on tight -- the discovery of a parallel universe launches you into the adventure of a lifetime! Mario and Luigi, two wacky plumbers, undertake a daring quest to save a princess in "Dinohattan" -- a hidden world where the inhabitants evolved from dinosaurs! Mario (Bob Hoskins -- WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT) and Luigi (John Leguizamo -- REGARDING HENRY) face deadly challenges from a d
DVD Reviews of Super Mario Bros.
DVD Review: Super Mario Bros... The Review!
Summary: 5 Stars
Just recently I dusted off my cabinet and watched a video I hadn't watched in almost ten years... Super Mario Bros., the 1993 film. As the very first film adaptation of a video game, this movie is notorious for being the worst or best movie ever depending on who you ask. I believe people should watch this movie with an open mind, however I don't think it's nearly as bad as many make it out to be.
I am a huge Mario fan and own all his games, and personally, I really didn't have a problem with this movie. If some would just forget about the games for a moment and watch this movie without harping on all the ways it's different from the franchise they may come to appreciate what a theatrical achievement it really was. There certainly were a few definite problems with it, but I think people deride it too harshly and fail to realize what it was really made for. It wasn't meant to be exactly like the Mario we know now, they used their imaginations to create a Mario never seen before, and with Mario being still a young and under-developed character at the time this was no easy task.
I will begin my review by stating of conceding to an extent with the negative response from the film, being the more commonly-accepted side. No movie is perfect, so it's only fair to point out some of the times where I felt the movie could have been done better:
THE BAD
The main problem, I think, with the movie, is not the movie itself, but that it had the capacity to be much, much better. That's not saying that final result was bad, just that if they really were able to capture all the essence of Mario on one live-action movie it could have had the potential for best picture. Unfortunately though, Mario is a difficult character to portray fully with all facets present, and being such a fantastic character known and loved anywhere and everywhere, it's no wonder this film has been so heavily criticized as a result.
There were some aspects that bothered me, such as a clean-shaven Luigi, a humanoid Koopa, a hippy Toad and the Mushroom King. I felt these deviations were unnecessary. I still don't know why Luigi was minus his mustache but I believe it was because John Leguizamo was loathe about sporting it and Rocky Morton, one of the directors, thought it took away from the character they were trying to express. Koopa probably could have been much better as a Koopa and Yoshi as a more friendly-looking Dinosaur, with all the numerous characters as they really are and not warped. Toad was a bit of a disaster and accomplished little else than a discordant hillbilly having to be put up with, while at the same time being an aberration of Toad. (As you can see though, even now I sound like someone raving about the canonical issues and I could pointlessly go on and on, but the point is to look past all this when watching the film.)
The Goombas posed a threat to my liking. Even though effect-wise they were well-done, just looking at them normally gives me the creeps. With shrunken heads expressing way too much emotion and grunting moans, this made it disturbing for children and too outlandish for adults. Another problem I had with the film was its assertion that Darwinism and The Big Bang is truthful, which was really unneeded and it only accomplished repulsing Christian families from it.
And now my biggest pet peeve about the entire movie was the numerous adult themes. With language, sensuality, much harshness and some sci-fi violence, if anything tore the movie apart at the box office, this was it. If you're going to make a film with adult themes base it off a video game targeting an adult demographic, not a children-friendly universal icon like Mario. This was the main fall-on-face flop of the film, and had they gotten a "G" rating it surely would have done much better, with the majority of the viewing audience being avid young Super Mario fans.
THE GOOD
Although, canonical conniptions and racy-tones aside, this movie was truly great. The first thing is the crucial impact this film had on Mario. Though the film was a flop reception-wise, it still introduced Mario to mass audiences in a theatrical setting and even played a part on Mario's development. The disputed "Mario" surname originated from this movie, the film brought back Daisy after a 4-year-long hiatus from Super Mario Land, it helped materialize the idea of Mario and Luigi in their plumbing profession and it helped contributed to Luigi's personality as the more comical and awkward of the two bros. It even introduced Luigi as having affection for Daisy. Like it or not, people who hate this movie can't deny the critically needed boost it provided to the franchise.
Another thing worth noting is the acting. Following Captain Lou Albano's footsteps, Bob Hoskins portrayal as Mario was a spectacular new take on the character. Hoskins nailed the role perfectly and even added aspects to the character that still endure today. Newcomer Leguizamo as Luigi was very well portrayed (though not quite as well cast as Mario), and Dennis Hopper did well as a slimy reptilian with Samantha Mathis as Daisy, the Princess of Sarasaland. It must be remembered that these were the times before Charles Martinet and the universally accepted nature of Mario, a time where there was still much imaginative work to be done.
The special effects were another huge contributing asset to the film. They are obviously dated now, but when they were shown in 1993 the result was mind-blowing. The critics that saw the movies noted how "eye-popping" the special effects were and how the movie excelled highly in that regard. The scene where Daisy's head is shown calling for help through a rockfall using a sand-effect has been used in many movies following it, Yoshi was well done on the effects side, and the Goombas with computer-generated expressions were impressive effects as well. The de-evolution screen was well-done for its time and the multiple explosions and real-life sets had me wondering if what I saw was real.
My favorite aspect of the movie and one quite I tip my hat to is the spot-on comedy. The movie was action-packed while at the same time being really funny amidst a dystopian storyline setting. The jokes were witty, sharp and just plain hilarious at times, which made the film all the better. The Mario references spread-out throughout the whole movie added a real comedic effect and feel to the overall film, just like icing on the cake. It even had some political satires with Koopa on VOTE posters along "Dinohattan".
The story was one last aspect I will emphasize on. I think the story for the movie was well-written with many plot-twists and clever undertakings people wouldn't expect. Just think of what they had to go on: a plumber defeats a Koopa King and saves a Princess. The earlier Mario games had very primitive storylines and how well they played things up deserves to be commended. One part is where Mario and Koopa are fighting over a rock from a meteorite that will merge dimensions as Koopa wants but Mario drops it and one of Koopa's hirelings grabs it. Luigi and Daisy go after her, while Mario bluffs and holds his shoelace, giving the false connotation that he has the rock in his possession. This causes the viewer to care about Mario and Luigi as they split off in different scenes, making it exciting in both regards rather than if it was executed differently.
This movie in and of itself was very entertaining, with some fantastic acting and comedy, and some people need to stop complaining about its differences from Mario and just accept the movie for what it is. Bottom line, if you want to see a movie that completely emulates the happy guy who stomps on Goombas, says "yahoo!" and jumps into pipes, you will be sorely disappointed. However, if you change your mindset and just want to see a funny, action-packed film with effects, actors and adventure galore with a whole new spin on Mario, IT'S A BLAST.
Description of Super Mario Bros.
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