‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’: Aesthetically pleasing in spite of flaws

Film based on Nintendo character lacks substance behind snazzy animation

BY FINN KIRKPATRICK ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Few figures in pop culture history have seen and done more than Mario, the fictional Italian-American plumber and face of video game giant Nintendo. Since making his first red-capped appearance in the 1981 arcade game “Donkey Kong,” the mustachioed man has journeyed far beyond the confines of a construction site terrorized by a hostile ape. He’s taken adventures through the galaxy, participated in terribly dangerous go-karting and even had a go at “Dance Dance Revolution.” On Wednesday, April 5, Mario unlocked yet another achievement on his ever-expanding list — starring in a perfectly mediocre animated film by Illumination.

When the movie opens, Mario (Chris pratt) and his brother Luigi (Charlie Day) have just quit their stable jobs to start their own plumbing business. After a failed first job, they find themselves dejected. But on the news that night, Mario and Luigi see that a burst underground

ACCEPTANCE FROM PAGE 1 cepted

While early decision applicants were informed of their admission in December, regular decision applicants waited until March 30 of this year to hear back.

“I wanted to pull an all-nighter the night before so I could sleep during the day,” Nguyen said. “Just get rid of the anxiety. It didn't work. I ended up staying up for 24 hours. I just couldn't sleep.”

“I had this unwavering confidence that lasted until seconds before I actually opened my decision,” Hughes said.

Once the clock struck 7 p.m. EST on decision day, applicants logged onto a secure portal to learn whether they had been accepted.

“When the time came, I put on some Beyoncé,” Nguyen said. “The portal was blank at first. I saw the status update and then screamed.”

“I opened it with my mom and my brother next to me,” said Carlos pino, an early pipe has put the entirety of Brooklyn in danger — and Mario thinks that they can be the ones to fix it.

When this plan inevitably goes awry, Mario and Luigi find themselves sucked into a mysterious green pipe that sends them flying through a black abyss. Their courses eventually diverge, with Luigi ending up in a ghastly, lava-filled kingdom ruled by Bowser (Jack Black) and Mario finding himself in the more jovial Mushroom Kingdom ruled by princess peach (Anya Taylor-Joy).

The film follows Mario’s quest as he, peach, Toad (Keegan-Michael Key), Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen) and more try to rescue Luigi, while simultaneously uncovering Bowser’s true ambitions. It’s a very simple story with little intrigue, and viewers are never left on the edge of their seats as a result. The conflicts that the characters face are inconveniences at most and rarely turn out to be anything consequential.

The uninspired, risk-averse nature of the story is somewhat counteracted by the film’s animation — which perfectly captures the essence of its source material, despite not being the most inventive stylistically. From the shell-protected Koopas to the mushroom-headed Toads, staple Mario characters look the best they ever have. And as locations like peach’s Castle and the Kong Kingdom get introduced, Mario fans will undoubtedly feel giddy from the sheer attention to detail paid to these places. decision admit. “It was kind of surreal to be honest.”

But the narrative is too fast-paced to make all of these settings feel significant.

There’s no time to stop and smell roses in “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” as the film’s plot only seems to care about getting from one place to the next, failing to dedicate any time to advancing the plot within these locations. The movie really only cares about the events that directly impact its story, which is upsetting given that this story is not compelling enough to hold up on its own.

Similar to the video games the movie draws upon — which are designed to be aesthetically pleasing instead of story-driven — the film could have leaned heavily into purely visual elements to help make up for its narrative failings. Although “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” tries at times to dwell on emotional beats, it does so very noncommittally.

“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” does its job of making the world of the Mushroom Kingdom look marvelous in its transition to the silver screen, and for die-hard fans of the franchise, this could be enough to make the movie worthwhile. But with so much effort poured into crafting the film’s aesthetic, viewers may question what the story and characters could have been. While a Mario movie doesn't have to be deep by any means, it should at least remain memorable beyond the film’s runtime.

“I closed my eyes, and I clicked the status update … I saw the picture … I just screamed,” Guadarrama said. Much of her extended family came to celebrate her admission, bringing along a cake that read ‘happy birthday’ — the only one the store had in stock.

After being accepted, Guadarrama spoke with her godmother. “You didn't know if I was going to get in. Why did you buy me a cake?” she asked. Her godmother responded, “I always knew you were going to get in.”

Le opened the decision at Starbucks with her friend, something they had planned to do together since their freshman year of high school. “I was jumping up and down, and I think I took a lap outside the building.”

After opening his decision at a basketball game, Daniel Amadi “ran home to my mom, and then we just celebrated. We were really excited.”

“I was in Chiang Mai, Thailand at the time,” Kaufman said. After seeing his ac- ceptance letter he remembers “running out to my parents and my grandparents.” He exclaimed, “Oh my God, I got in! I got in! I can’t believe I got in!”

“I heard my mom crying. She started calling my dad,” Hughes recalled. “It was one of those feelings like, ‘I did the impossible. I did what everyone told me you really can’t do.’”

The next four years

With A Day on College Hill approaching on April 14 and April 21, accepted applicants are gearing up to visit campus and meet their potential classmates.

Many social media platforms have already helped the future class of 2027 connect with one another, according to Nguyen. “Everybody I've talked to so far (on social media) is really genuine and sweet,” he said.

As an early decision applicant, Nguyen will be joining the class of 2027. “I didn’t think for a second that I made the wrong decision.”

CALENDAR

TODAY’S EVENTS

Justice Circle 12:00 p.m. School of Public Health

A Workshop on Translating Modern Literary Texts 12:00 p.m. Faculty Club

TOMORROW’S EVENTS ph.D. Career Beyond Academia

Series: From postdoc to Industry 11:00 a.m.

CareerLAB

German-ish: Emma GiventerBraff Honors Thesis Recital 8:00 p.m.

Grant Recital Hall

Midday Music Concert 12:00 p.m.

Sayles Hall

Decorate an Easter Egg! 7:00 p.m.

Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center

Brown Softball Team’s pride Day 12:30 p.m. Brown Softball Field

Easter Vigil 8:00 p.m. Manning Chapel