Yes, hello, is this where I talk about my belief that Super Mario Bros (1993) is the greatest movie ever made?
Okay, maybe greatest ever made is an exaggeration, it does admittedly have some classic 3rd act problems, BUT it is my personal favorite movie.
People will point out that it in no way resembles the Super Mario video games, to which I say: so what! I love the Mario games, that’s why I play them. There’s no way any movie could capture the joy of the games, because it’s a movie. As the tagline to the film says: This Ain’t No Game. The movie does have some incredible merits in it’s own right, such as:
-Bob Hoskins’ charisma melts off the screen
-He and John Leguizamo have legitimately infectious chemistry, you can see the love between these two
-Breathtaking set design, creating a cyberpunk dystopia every bit as impressive as Blade Runner
-I mean, my god, just look at that gorgeous tracking shot as Bertha enters the Boom Boom Bar
-Speaking of which, Big Bertha in this movie is incredible, inspired choices, inspired performance
-Sure the goombas and yoshi look nothing like their in game counterparts, but they fit the aesthetic of the film, are scary as hell, and are genuinely some of the most sophisticated animatronic puppets you’ll see on screen (if you don’t believe me, watch again, and REALLY look at Yoshi. The tech is impressive as all get out)
-The costumes! Look at any one of Lena’s dresses and tell me she couldn’t go toe to toe with Padme any day. Not to mention Bertha and Daisy’s dresses, the s&m cop uniforms, or the incredible goomba jackets
-I’ve made it this far without even talking about Dennis Hopper, Samantha Mathis, Richard Edsel, and Fisher Stevens all of whom bring rich depth to their characters
-And a Lance Henrikson cameo too??
-the fungus! Yes it looks disgusting, yes I love that! It provokes a visceral reaction other fx designers can only dream of