"Game Over" Another disappointing Mario movie

By Mildred Dominici

Tejano Tribune Reviewer

It’s no surprise that the vast majority of my generation (Gen Z) grew up with the Super Mario Bros. franchise, so when word got out that the movie was coming out, it was only natural to expect a huge rush to the theaters, just like with this sequel. Especially considering that it’s

named after one of the franchise’s most iconic titles, Super Mario Galaxy (2007), for the Nintendo Wii.

A movie, or an hour-and-a-half-long commercial?

The magic of nostalgia didn’t last long. Many who expected an adaptation of the video game’s story were met with something entirely different; the only things it shares with the 2007 game are the title, the Star Festival, and a few scattered characters.

From the start, the movie feels rushed. It never pauses long enough to let anything sink in; instead, it throws a constantbarrage of video game references at the audience, references that, if you’re not part of that scene, won’t land on the first try. And in the fast-paced world we live in, most people aren’t going to spend their time Googling who “Mr. Game andWatch” or “R.O.B.” are. The film becomes a stream of fan service that, despite all its references, can’t hold itself

together.

The flanderization of once-loved characters.

Flanderization: The gradual exaggeration of a certain trait or traits in a fictional character's personality to such an extent as to distort their original characterization.

Unfortunately, most (if not all) of these beloved characters fall into that category described

above. Mario is the hero, because someone has to be. Luigi is his brother. Peach is the “strong” princess. And while I appreciate the attempt to move away from the “princess in distress”

stereotype, did they really challenge those gender roles? Not quite.

My biggest issue is the introduction of Rosalina, a character who, in the games, was meant to

break traditional gender roles and move away from the idea that women must be rescued, only to be clumsily kidnapped in the film by an equally clumsy villain, and then… be rescued?. This isn’t smart writing; it’s simply a repackaging of the same old trope. It saddens me that the

introduction of such a strong character like Rosalina was reduced to just 10 minutes of screen time, with a role soforgettable that, if we switched characters, the story wouldn’t change at all.

Messy storytelling for a not-so-complicated plot.

Mario games aren’t known for deep, complex stories, so it’s no surprise the film doesn’t have

one either. But that’s exactly the problem, it’s so simple and lacking in substance that it becomes even more disappointing.

An adaptation should serve as a strong introduction to the universe it explores. But if anyone wants to get into the worldof Mario through these two movies, I wish them good luck. Instead of taking the time to explore the games’ worlds, characters, or personalities, the film simply jumps

from one reference to the next, as if the audience were mindless consumers.

Setting aside its disastrous plot, I have to admit the animation is fantastic, as is the character design. But that’s alsothe bare minimum you’d expect from a film produced by a studio like Illumination under a Nintendo license.

Animation is an art form, not a means of consumerism, and I say that as a die-hard Nintendo fan. I firmly believe thatwhen you love something, you’re willing to criticize it for its own good. I just hope that, moving forward, the animation industry and film adaptations receive the attention and care they deserve.

2.5 stars out of 5