The Gaming Historian: The Super Mario Bros Movie

[Alyce: Old Media Enthusiast]

The full story of the tumultuous development of the infamous Mario movie

[SmashTV]

Bob Hoskins once delivered a wonderfully expletive laden summary of this during a newspaper interview. I can't post it here, but search 'Bob Hoskins Super Mario Interview' and you can find it in the top three results.

For full effect, read it in his gravelly Cockney accent!

[karl100589]

Criticise the film all you want, I still insist Bob Hoskins was perfect casting for Mario.

[Powerline]

They went into some further detail in the "Console Wars" book. According to it, DeVito wouldn't make a decision without reading the script over, and Nintendo dropped him from the film without ever sending him a script. And while it could be played up for the sake of the book (for those that haven't read, the book is primarily about Sega of America's President during the rise of the Genesis and Sonic the Hedgehog), Sega was actually worried about the film all the way up to its release despite the bad press. Having it be a financial success was all Nintendo (and Sega) were truly worried about, and many in Sega thought a Mario feature-film would make gangbusters regardless of film quality, just because it had "Mario" in the title.

[Joe Neglia]

Nov 19, 2016 2:18:28 GMT -5 Powerline said:

They went into some further detail in the "Console Wars" book. According to it, DeVito wouldn't make a decision without reading the script over, and Nintendo dropped him from the film without ever sending him a script. And while it could be played up for the sake of the book (for those that haven't read, the book is primarily about Sega of America's President during the rise of the Genesis and Sonic the Hedgehog), Sega was actually worried about the film all the way up to its release despite the bad press. Having it be a financial success was all Nintendo (and Sega) were truly worried about, and many in Sega thought a Mario feature-film would make gangbusters regardless of film quality, just because it had "Mario" in the title.

Most of that (DeVito not committing without a script and everything thinking it was going to be a success on the Mario name regardless of how poorly it was turning out) is in the video.

[BorneAgain]

Everything I've read about the production of the film makes its failure feel so deserved. The constant belief about how Mario fans and kids would see the film even if it sucked felt so belittling and disrespectful to the audience that it falling on its face after its premiere was completely fitting.

[Powerline]

Nov 20, 2016 13:18:10 GMT -5 Joe Neglia said:

Nov 19, 2016 2:18:28 GMT -5 Powerline said:

They went into some further detail in the "Console Wars" book. According to it, DeVito wouldn't make a decision without reading the script over, and Nintendo dropped him from the film without ever sending him a script. And while it could be played up for the sake of the book (for those that haven't read, the book is primarily about Sega of America's President during the rise of the Genesis and Sonic the Hedgehog), Sega was actually worried about the film all the way up to its release despite the bad press. Having it be a financial success was all Nintendo (and Sega) were truly worried about, and many in Sega thought a Mario feature-film would make gangbusters regardless of film quality, just because it had "Mario" in the title.

Most of that (DeVito not committing without a script and everything thinking it was going to be a success on the Mario name regardless of how poorly it was turning out) is in the video.

How I heard him say it in the video was DeVito requested a script and it eventually just didn't happen.  Nintendo was PISSED DeVito wouldn't commit without a script.  Just the act of requesting the script put him out of contention in Nintendo's eyes, they saw that as unprofessional and arrogant, like they needed DeVito more than DeVito needed them.  Nintendo wanted someone that was just gonna shut up and say "yes" to the concept alone.

And I added that blurb about Sega just to show it wasn't just Nintendo that thought they had a winner.  The book even goes on to say Sega executives would make decisions with the idea that "Super Mario Bros." being a hit was a foregone conclusion, critical response be damned (and a handful of them claim to have always known production was a trainwreck).  They'd plan on Nintendo tooting their horn at conventions/events about the success of the film and think of how they were gonna try to take the piss out of them; whether they should find some stat to hit them with (like bad critical reviews) or just avoid mentioning the film altogether and find something else Nintendo was weaker on that year. To both Nintendo AND Sega, the idea of the film being a commercial flop was just impossible.

To be fair, I am just going off what the book said.  It's a fiction book, but most of the events and quotes come from interviews with Sega and Nintendo staff and their accounts of those events.  The story never divulges what parts are interviews/staff accounts and what's created by the writer himself to connect to another account.  So some of that might not necessarily be true.  But they spend a decent chunk of the book (which is primarily about Sega) discussing the film, so I get the idea the vast majority of what's written is from those interviews.

[A Platypus Rave]

I remember Leguizamo basically saying him and Hoskins only got through filming it with massive quantities of Alcohol.

[Mighty Attack Tribble]

I find the Mario Bros. movie kinda watchable, but I still find a good number of the creative decisions behind it absolutely baffling.

[tms]

Nov 18, 2016 18:49:54 GMT -5 karl100589 said:

Criticise the film all you want, I still insist Bob Hoskins was perfect casting for Mario.

It's also a more welcome interpretation of Luigi as a pretty affable, confident character instead of the borderline useless coward he's unfortunately been portrayed as for so long.

[Shai]

I have this on Dvd...i actually love this movie to an extent...it's one of those so awful it's great guilty pleasure movies for me.

[Non Banjoble Tokens]

I liked this movie as a kid. I'm not even sure why, but I think it has something to do with that scene where they're tossing that crystal around that night club trying to keep it away from Koopa's thugs while the song "Everybody Walk the Dinosaur" was playing in the background. I wanted to rip that scene off and use it in movie ideas I would come up with as a kid. I really needed a decent hobby looking back on it.