The Super Mario Bros. movie isn’t off to a good start for the current composite score, as the film has a “Bad Movie” rating of 54% at the time of writing. The Super Mario Bros. movie marks Nintendo’s first foray into film since the disastrous launch of the live-action Super Mario Bros. in 1993, which compares to a Rotten Tomatoes score of 28%.
Game-to-movie adaptations have been in the works lately, with the Sonic the Hedgehog movie being well-received and HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us proving to be a huge success. With Nintendo and Super Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto involved in the Super Mario Bros. movie, many are hoping the movie will keep up the trend of high-quality video game adaptations. Unfortunately, if early reviews are any indication, the Super Mario Bros. movie fell far short of expectations.
As of this writing, there are 74 reviews for the Super Mario Bros. movie on Rotten Tomatoes, so it’s entirely possible that the film’s overall score will still fluctuate in one direction or the other. However, it seems likely to remain around 54%. Judging by the reviews, it seems that many critics were disappointed with the basic plot. Others complained that the movie felt like a long-form commercial for the Super Mario game. However, the film was not without positive reviews.
Super Mario Bros. Movie Review
Several critics raved about the Super Mario Bros. movie, praising its score, vivid visuals, sense of humor and fun. Plus, Chris Pratt’s portrayal of Mario seems to have been generally well-received by critics, which may surprise fans. In any case, if one is already a big fan of the Super Mario series, the movie adaptation is still a safe bet, but maybe those who don’t really like the series might not enjoy it as much.
It’s safe to say that Nintendo could have wished for a better review of the Super Mario Bros. movie, but the most important measure of the movie’s success will be its box office performance. The Super Mario Bros. movie may well end up being one of the top-grossing blockbusters of the year, but less-than-favorite reviews might have hurt it a bit. If the film is a success, one has to imagine many more Nintendo games being adapted into films.
The Super Mario Bros. movie will premiere in theaters on April 5.