Super Mario Bros. Movie, The (Blu-ray 3D Review)
Director
Aaron Horvath, Michael JelenicRelease Date(s)
2023 (March 26, 2026)Studio(s)
Nintendo/Illumination/Universal Pictures (Turbine Medien)- Film/Program Grade: B
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: F
Review
[Editor’s Note: This is a Region-Free German Blu-ray 3D import.]
The bad taste left in the mouths of Nintendo after the complete disaster that was 1993’s live action version of Super Mario Bros. forced the company to abandon the idea of adapting their popular video game characters to other mediums. Coupled with this was their then-recent allowance of other companies to make video games based upon the Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda franchises. This worked out very poorly as well, and it wasn’t until the 2000s that they began to toy with the idea of making films again. Teaming with the animation studio Illumination (responsible for the popular culture-invading Despicable Me series), the result was one of the biggest and most successful films of 2023: The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which earned nearly $1.4 billion dollars at the box office upon its theatrical release.
Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) are two down-on-their-luck plumbers trying to make a go at their own business with little to no support from friends and family. Attempting to close a flooding water main, they accidentally stumble upon a warp pipe, which transports Luigi to the Dark Lands, home of the evil Bowser (Jack Black), while Mario winds up in the Mushroom Kingdom. There he meets Toad (Keegan-Michael Key), who takes him to meet Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy), who’s fighting against Bowser and his Koopa army before he takes over the Mushroom Kingdom and forces her into marrying him. Mario must learn to navigate this new world and adapt to its ways, recruiting the mighty Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen) to help rescue his brother and defeat Bowser. Also in the cast are Fred Armisen, Sebastian Maniscalco, Kevin Michael Richardson, Rino Romano, John DiMaggio, Jessica DiCicco, Scott Menville, Eric Bauza, Khary Payton, Juliet Jelenic, and the original voice of Mario and Luigi, Charles Martinet.
Walking into this film, I was expecting more of a mess. A fun mess, but a mess nonetheless. What I discovered was that the film’s main characters actually had goals, obstacles to overcome, and aspects of their lives that adults can actually relate to. Mario and Luigi wanting to prove themselves to their family is admirable, and something that many people can identity with. Them being thrown into the Mushroom Kingdom and becoming heroes, which spills out into their reality for their family to see and appreciate, is good writing. It may be a little on the nose and perhaps a bit generic, but there’s some structure there, and I wasn’t necessarily expecting that from this film. After all, how do you make a movie out of something like Super Mario Bros.?
For one thing, the filmmakers draw upon the entirety of the video game franchise, and not just the first couple of games or so, which they go more heavily into in the sequel(s). And since Mario got his start as a protagonist in the Donkey Kong arcade game, it’s only fitting that he appear in the film as well (as portrayed in the later Donkey Kong Country series). As far as references are concerned, they’re myriad, but they don’t necessarily interfere with the plot. Most of the action is kind of run-of-the-mill and there are some tonal issues as to be expected, mainly when things get a little too lighthearted in what are supposed to be more serious situations, but nothing ever feels too forced or overwrought... aside from Bowser.
There’s definitely been some Jack Black blowback happening since some moviegoers are seemingly tired of seeing him pop up in everything, and this may have been where that trend started. Bowser’s love song to Princess Peach became a viral sensation, but it also feels like a Tenacious D one-off. The film goes a little too over the top with its main villain, even making him a figure of fun and cutting the legs off any seriousness we’re supposed to be feeling when he does bad things. But can you really take this film that seriously? No, you probably shouldn’t, but since the core mechanics of the story are there, it’s too bad that the villain is more of a figure of fun than a threat. It’s just something that big budget franchise movies are frequently guilty of.
Nevertheless, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is harmless fun. It’s definitely better put together than its 1993 counterpart, that goes without saying, but one would argue that it’s less interesting by comparison. Even so, the 2023 version is enjoyable with some clear thought put into its narrative, and that’s about as much as you could hope for from something aiming for such mass audience appeal.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie was animated digitally and finished at 2K resolution, then framed theatrically at the aspect ratio of 2.39:1 (with some minor TV-based segments framed at 1.78:1). Turbine Medien presents the film’s Blu-ray 3D and 2D presentations encoded to a dual-layered BD-50 disc. It features a vibrant 3D experience with amazing depth in the image. The film is rich with splendid color and background subtleties, which the extra dimension takes full advantage of, bringing us into the environments of the world and actions of the story with precision. Though it lacks the HDR grading of a 4K release, everything is sharp and well-saturated. From the various locales in and around the Mushroom Kingdom to the shadowy backdrops and landscapes of the Dark Lands, as well as the colorful jungles and the gorgeous hues of Rainbow Road, everything is bursting with deep shades of color. Contrast offers deep blacks in the darkened environments, but also daytime sequences that are awash in overtones and undertones, which serve the 3D well. There are also no encoding issues. For Blu-ray 3D fans, this is a quality presentation.
The main audio options include German and English Dolby Atmos with subtitles in German, German SDH, English, and English SDH. The Dolby Atmos track is mostly a stellar surround experience with frequent directionality and overhead response, but it’s mixed a bit too low, requiring a volume adjustment. Dialogue exchanges are clear and Brian Tyler’s and Koji Kondo’s score is symphonically sweeping. Sound effects are given a gargantuan amount of attention, working all around the sound space, with plenty of deep bass response to back them up. Aside from the track needing to be cranked up a few notches, it’s a powerful track. Additional audio options included French, Spanish, and Italian 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus, as well as additional subtitles in French, Spanish, and Italian.
The Region-Free Blu-ray 3D release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie from Turbine Medien (#13 in the Turbine Collector Series line) sits in a clear Amaray case with dual-sided artwork featuring one of the film’s theatrical posters with the German title on one side and the main theatrical poster with the English title on the reverse. No extras have been included, but the film is also available on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD with extras.
Color me surprised that The Super Mario Bros. Movie works in a way that I wasn’t expecting, while also paying homage to the entirety of its franchise without feeling overly nostalgic or too overstuffed. It’s a fun movie and though I’m late in getting to it, as well as its Blu-ray 3D release, it should belong on every Nintendo and Blu-ray 3D fan’s shelf, as well as the shelves of those who enjoy simple but well-made movies, regardless of age.
- Tim Salmons
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