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Post by Mighty Attack Tribble on Apr 18, 2023 17:38:06 GMT -5
The movie is at 58% on Rotten Tomatoes out of 235 reviews; which means if 5 reviews are different, it's "fresh", and I think that shows a big issue with these kind of review-aggregation websites. The bigger issue is the public's misunderstanding of the role of critics (and, in a lot of cases, this can be applied to critics themselves). The majority of bad reviews criticise the paper-thin plot, one-dimensional characters, and the padding of the runtime with a gargantuan number of easter eggs. They're not wrong. The plot is paper thin, the characters are one-dimensional, and there's an overwhelming number of references to the Mario franchise. In all those ways, it's a bad movie if you're looking for anything more than that. On the flip side, if you are looking for more than that in a Super Mario Bros. movie... why? It's a movie that knows exactly what it is and what it should be, which is the single biggest problem with Nintendo's first foray into Hollywood back in '93. |
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Post by BorneAgain on Apr 18, 2023 17:43:01 GMT -5
You know the funny thing is that if you combined the elements from the Sonic films and the Mario movie, you'd probably have one hell of a flick. You'd get the deeper characterization and arcs from the former and the full blown embracing of the world/aesthetics of the latter melded to together to make a genuine video game love letter with some real depth.
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Post by Mighty Attack Tribble on Apr 18, 2023 17:57:54 GMT -5
You know the funny thing is that if you combined the elements from the Sonic films and the Mario movie, you'd probably have one hell of a flick. You'd get the deeper characterization and arcs from the former and the full blown embracing of the world/aesthetics of the latter melded to together to make a genuine video game love letter with some real depth. I think it's almost inevitable that Universal and Paramount come to an agreement and we see a Mario and Sonic crossover movie. Too much money left on the table to not do it. |
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CMWaters
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Post by CMWaters on Apr 18, 2023 18:08:31 GMT -5
You know the funny thing is that if you combined the elements from the Sonic films and the Mario movie, you'd probably have one hell of a flick. You'd get the deeper characterization and arcs from the former and the full blown embracing of the world/aesthetics of the latter melded to together to make a genuine video game love letter with some real depth. I think it's almost inevitable that Universal and Paramount come to an agreement and we see a Mario and Sonic crossover movie. Too much money left on the table to not do it. Problem with that is the profit splitting in the end. It's part of the reason why Freddy vs. Jason took forever to get made, before the Friday the 13th rights went to New Line (sort of, messy situation there). Not only in this case would it be the Universal and Paramount profit sharing, but the Nintendo and Sega ones as well, which for a movie I'm sure is trickier than just putting them in the Olympics together or having Sonic guest star in Smash Bros. |
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Post by The Summer of Muskrat XVII on Apr 18, 2023 18:44:46 GMT -5
The movie is at 58% on Rotten Tomatoes out of 235 reviews; which means if 5 reviews are different, it's "fresh", and I think that shows a big issue with these kind of review-aggregation websites. The bigger issue is the public's misunderstanding of the role of critics (and, in a lot of cases, this can be applied to critics themselves). The majority of bad reviews criticise the paper-thin plot, one-dimensional characters, and the padding of the runtime with a gargantuan number of easter eggs. They're not wrong. The plot is paper thin, the characters are one-dimensional, and there's an overwhelming number of references to the Mario franchise. In all those ways, it's a bad movie if you're looking for anything more than that. On the flip side, if you are looking for more than that in a Super Mario Bros. movie... why? It's a movie that knows exactly what it is and what it should be, which is the single biggest problem with Nintendo's first foray into Hollywood back in '93. The first review I read mentioned the paper thin plot and my thought was “It’s a f***ing Super Mario movie, what were you expecting?” |
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Post by Mighty Attack Tribble on Apr 18, 2023 18:56:21 GMT -5
Problem with that is the profit splitting in the end. It's part of the reason why Freddy vs. Jason took forever to get made, before the Friday the 13th rights went to New Line (sort of, messy situation there). Not only in this case would it be the Universal and Paramount profit sharing, but the Nintendo and Sega ones as well, which for a movie I'm sure is trickier than just putting them in the Olympics together or having Sonic guest star in Smash Bros. True, but I can't imagine a deal not being worked out at some point. Studios seem to be a lot more co-operative these days when it comes to big IP movies if the earning potential is big enough. |
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Post by Mighty Attack Tribble on Apr 18, 2023 19:11:55 GMT -5
The first review I read mentioned the paper thin plot and my thought was “It’s a f***ing Super Mario movie, what were you expecting?” Exactly. You should not judge a movie for not being Citizen Kane or Gone with the Wind if it's just trying to be Super Mario Bros. It's a point that seems to be lost on a lot of critics, as well as people in general. Judge movies and shows on their own merits first and foremost. |
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Post by BayleyTiffyCodyCenaJudyHopps on Apr 18, 2023 20:49:03 GMT -5
Eh, I see where it could have had more “meat on the bones”. I don’t want a Martin Scorcese This Is *Cinema* Mario movie with angst and Rolling Stones songs for ironic mood, but some of the characterization felt, I dunno, a bit….rushed? Like I was really enjoying the tense dynamic with Mario and Donkey Kong, then all of a sudden okay, they’re working together well. As if part of their arc was cut out for running time. That’s happened with films I love but I did notice that a little.
I think Nintendo was very careful with this movie- they wanted Mario to be likable and play his hits, and it accomplished that I feel. And I know I’m biased because I’m Sonic Trash and I love the Freedom Fighters and the Wachowskis and I think they positively add to Sonic’s world, but since I’m not controlling the character and I’m just watching them, story and character are gonna be my #1 wanted thing with game adaptations. So Mario here was a plucky short guy who wanted to be big and important and make his folks proud. Cool, fine. I like it. That’s a good motivator for him outside of “Wahoo!”
It’s not meant to be Oscar Bait, just like Sonic wanting a family and not to be lonely isn’t supposed to be The Great American Movie. But hey, Ben Schwartz legit got choked and emotional doing some of Sonic’s scenes. They’re trying to please the fans first and foremost, you can’t say they’re just lazily throwing any old crap at the audiences.
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Post by Mighty Attack Tribble on Apr 18, 2023 21:08:17 GMT -5
I think Nintendo was very careful with this movie- they wanted Mario to be likable and play his hits, and it accomplished that I feel. When one considers that the first attempt at a movie led to Nintendo rebuffing any and all attempts by American studios to make movies from their IPs for 25 years, it's really no surprise at all that they played this one as safe as they possibly could. |
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Post by BorneAgain on Apr 18, 2023 21:10:13 GMT -5
The reason I'm a bit reluctant to wholly agree with the sentiment of "Its a Mario movie, what did you expect" is that stuff like the Mario RPG titles and even little stuff like Rosalina's story in Mario Galaxy 1 hints that the series is capable of decent emotional depth in the right hands. I don't think it has to be an either/or situation, a film can be light and accessible without necessarily having to be barebones in some of its character arcs and rushing its pacing. Even putting aside the surprising depth of something like Puss in Boots 2, a Mario movie close to the emotional beats of the early Shrek films doesn't feel like too much of an ask.
Most of the slack I'm willing to cut in regards to the Illumination movie is less that its Mario and more that its the first real big Nintendo film (TPC's efforts with Pokemon excepted). Them making the safest and most marketable Mario movie possible to get their foot in the door with a major motion picture is something I can totally understand, it would just be nice to see something a bit more exploratory in whatever follows.
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Post by Mighty Attack Tribble on Apr 18, 2023 21:31:55 GMT -5
Most of the slack I'm willing to cut in regards to the Illumination movie is less that its Mario and more that its the first real big Nintendo film (TPC's efforts with Pokemon excepted). Them making the safest and most marketable Mario movie possible to get their foot in the door with a major motion picture is something I can totally understand, it would just be nice to see something a bit more exploratory in whatever follows. Agreed. When the sequel comes around it shouldn't be too much to ask for something a little more daring. That said, given Illumination's track record, "more of the same" is a much more likely prospect. |
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Post by Mozenrath on Apr 18, 2023 21:44:47 GMT -5
I think it's largely successful at what it's setting out to do, but I'll grant people with issues that the movie does feel sometimes like segues OUGHT to be there, or setup for certain things, and it's just not present. I don't know if the intention was to keep it to 90 minutes so some of that stuff was cut to the bone, or maybe that approval form Nintendo meant needing to keep it very simple to get okayed, or if they were just too focused on big set pieces to really care about that, but it's probably my biggest issue and something that, even as a kid's movie, they could have done better on.
It doesn't sink it for me, but it does stand out as a flaw when judging it, as it ought to be judged, as a family film.
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Post by The Summer of Muskrat XVII on Apr 19, 2023 8:59:10 GMT -5
Having just watched the movie, yeah it’s pretty thin. It’s still an incredibly fun movie though, and pretty much what you’d expect from an Illumination Mario movie. And quite frankly, sometimes “Fan Service: The Movie” is perfectly acceptable to me
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Post by HMARK Center on Apr 19, 2023 14:16:32 GMT -5
The reason I'm a bit reluctant to wholly agree with the sentiment of "Its a Mario movie, what did you expect" is that stuff like the Mario RPG titles and even little stuff like Rosalina's story in Mario Galaxy 1 hints that the series is capable of decent emotional depth in the right hands. I don't think it has to be an either/or situation, a film can be light and accessible without necessarily having to be barebones in some of its character arcs and rushing its pacing. Even putting aside the surprising depth of something like Puss in Boots 2, a Mario movie close to the emotional beats of the early Shrek films doesn't feel like too much of an ask. Most of the slack I'm willing to cut in regards to the Illumination movie is less that its Mario and more that its the first real big Nintendo film (TPC's efforts with Pokemon excepted). Them making the safest and most marketable Mario movie possible to get their foot in the door with a major motion picture is something I can totally understand, it would just be nice to see something a bit more exploratory in whatever follows. That, and I can't really blame people for going into a theater and wanting to see a movie make use of the trappings of cinema to deliver a different experience than what comes via a video game. If the plot is thin and the characterization is lacking, then yeah, it's fair for a moviegoer to say "that's fine for a video game, but I don't like that for a movie." It'd be silly to try and do too much with a property like Super Mario Bros., but just hitting the basics of character arcs, pacing, worldbuilding, etc. is something that isn't too much to ask for, and if someone felt like they didn't get it here, that's their right. I can't say for sure since I haven't seen this one, but a lot of modern IP movies tend to suffer from this, a feeling like we're kind of leaping from story beat to story beat without much regard for how it suits the characters' developments or the movie's narrative arcs, because the studios want these films ready go, set at a decent run time, and able to roll in big bucks by playing things fairly safe. WB films have been really bad about that in recent years, whoever's in charge of editing over there is an absolute butcher. |
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Post by chrom on Apr 19, 2023 20:18:04 GMT -5
Peaches has hit the Hot 100 Billboard, coming in at 83.
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Post by y4j1981 on Apr 21, 2023 22:34:01 GMT -5
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Post by chrom on Apr 23, 2023 16:17:14 GMT -5
Mario has made nearly double the box office of the second most successful video game movie, Warcraft.
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Post by chrom on Apr 24, 2023 18:23:49 GMT -5
You know, if Pascal doesn't want to do it, Danny DeVito would be a perfect Wario.
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Post by tirtefaa on Apr 24, 2023 18:50:26 GMT -5
I haven't seen it, and I have no real interest in seeing it, but I was curious about something.
Are Mario/Luigi/Peach a strong enough IP to exist outside of the basic Mario universe?
Instead of facing off against Bowser or any of the other recognizable villains in favor of a completely original character made for the movie? I think by at least doing this, you provide an opportunity to develop the characters if they feel it's important for the franchise.
Yeah, I know that long time fans might be upset about that, but when it comes to the main Mario games, it's incredibly cut and dry.
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Post by Push R Truth on Apr 24, 2023 18:54:14 GMT -5
You know, if Pascal doesn't want to do it, Danny DeVito would be a perfect Wario. Danny DeVito as Wario is about the easiest casting since JK Simmons as Jonah Jameson or Nic Cage as Nic Cage. |
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