Super Mario Bros. Movie: Critics, Fans, and a North American Perspective

The Super Mario Bros. Movie marks another bold attempt to bring the beloved plumber’s adventures to the big screen. This time, Nintendo opted for a safe route with live action mixed in by moving toward animation, recalling the less forgiving memories of the 1993 adaptation. Illumination Entertainment was entrusted with the project, a studio known for box office hits. Trailers promised a vibrant, faithful take on the source material. Yet critics were cool toward the film and handed it low ratings, while audiences in North America responded more warmly. What went wrong, and is it really, as the game would say, the princess in another castle? This piece examines the reasons behind critics’ dissatisfaction and offers several arguments why the new Mario adaptation deserves a chance, especially for fans in Canada and the United States.