It might surprise audiences to learn that the first video game movie ever made was actually the critically panned and box-office failure Super Mario Bros. in 1993. The film starred legends Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo as the iconic Mario brothers, Mario and Luigi. It was initially conceived by film director Roland Joffé after a slew of gritty adaptations of popular kids’ media had flooded the movie market ever since the release of Tim Burton’s Batman. In an unprecedented move in today’s standards, Joffé went directly to Nintendo himself to ask for the film rights to their most popular game of the same name. Nintendo agreed, with the caveat that they’d keep the merchandising rights. The film that Joffé would go on to produce would wind up being one of the biggest blunders of the ’90s and cause Nintendo to shutter their filmmaking interest for three decades.
The film looks nothing like the video games, only having minor comparisons to what audiences have grown to love. Although it’s barely an adaptation, it’s close enough for fans to grow attached. On top of that, the film takes several exciting liberties and creative leaps to deliver a film that is as visually impressive as some of the best films of the time. Super Mario Bros. could’ve been one of the biggest and best films of the ’90s if it weren’t for behind-the-scenes clashing. Today, the film has earned a cult following, and audiences are now realizing that the Super Mario Bros. movie wasn’t that bad after all.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie Was Very Different From the Games
It Was Almost Impossible to Adapt the Super Mario Bros. Games
Interestingly enough, the Super Mario Bros. movie was not the first adaptation of the video game material, as The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! released four years prior. With 64 episodes across one television season, the show was geared more toward the children’s audience that played the games in the first place. When it came time to make the movie, Joffé was looking to go in a different, darker direction. Over two years, he received several pitches and ideas, culminating in six drafts of different Mario Bros. movies. Although his initial pick was to have Harold Ramis take the director’s chair, he settled on Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton, creators of Max Headroom. The pair had a very specific, expansive vision for the film, which saw them working with some of the greatest creatives in the industry at the time.
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Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo were tapped to play the iconic plumbing duo. Hoskins, in particular, signed onto a movie he didn’t even know was a video game. In a promotional interview, Hoskins stated, “I used to play King Lear.” Although the film would go through massive changes, and the onset gossip would spill over into public knowledge, the pair are able to shine throughout. While audiences would’ve never expected the pair to seem like real brothers, they’re able to create a loving and enjoyable bond that the audience can’t help but root for. Their charismatic and fun performances are one of the few details that never faltered throughout the production.
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Super Mario Bros. (1993) Reviews |
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29% |
4.2/10 |
2.1/5 |
The trickiest part about nailing down a specific plot for the movie was trying to adapt the source material into a narrative story. The games didn’t have much to offer in that department, aside from Mario and Luigi trying to save the Princess from the evil King Koopa. Particularly with King Koopa, the character has evolved into what audiences know today as Bowser. Regardless, there were plenty of different possibilities as to where these characters could go. Eventually, they settled on a massive sci-fi adventure somewhat similar to the final product audiences received in 1993, except with grander set pieces and more clarified characters. For example, Toad had a much bigger part in the original story, but due to time concerns, he was relegated to being a goomba halfway through, combining his character with the original nice goomba character. Another disappointing change saw a massive Mario Kart chase sequence through the city be cut entirely from the final film.
The story wouldn’t even be finalized until after production had wrapped and the editing process began. Important exposition was cut from the final film that would’ve added more clarity and character to the leads, as well as where they’re coming from emotionally. Regardless, the final story saw Brooklyn plumbers Mario Mario and Luigi Mario, otherwise known as the Mario Bros., accidentally fall into a parallel world called Dinohattan, home to intelligent dinosaurs that survived the prehistoric comet. Now, their ruler, King Koopa, is trying to invade the real world. The Mario Bros. become the unlikely heroes as they save Princess Daisy and stop Koopa’s evil plans. On paper, this sounds like a somewhat close adaptation of the games, but in actuality, it was more like a completely original idea. This story wasn’t even finalized until everyone arrived at set to begin working, angering the cast, crew, and even directors. This onset drama would become major news as more details were released.
The Super Mario Bros. Had a Disastrous Production
Directors and Producers Clashed Over Their Failing Mario Movie
The film is remembered not only for its daring and odd take on the classic video game characters and stories, but also for the fact that its production was extremely troubled throughout. The directors, Jankel and Morton, had their story completely changed at the last minute in order to save on production costs and cut down on the movie’s runtime. As mentioned, this led to the admission of different exciting set pieces and the melding of characters that, frankly, didn’t have much to do with one another. The directing duo would feel so slighted that they wanted to leave but decided to stay and try to change the film back to the original idea they were working with, only for the movie to stray even farther from the path. The producers and directors would clash, and the movie’s story would unfortunately suffer as a result.
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It’s also been claimed that Hoskins and Leguizamo would occasionally be drunk between scenes just to get through the day. While it sounds unprofessional, knowing that Hoskins almost died more than once on set would change minds. Hoskins even broke his finger when a van door slammed on his hand in the middle of a take.
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Super Mario Bros. (1993) Trivia |
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Although it’s easy to focus on the bad, the Super Mario Bros. movie still has plenty of good onscreen. David Snyder did the set pieces for the film, creating an immersive Dinohattan from scratch in an abandoned concrete plant in North Carolina. Snyder previously worked on films like Blade Runner and Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey and brought his same level of expertise and craftsmanship to this film. The costumes and makeup are also absolutely incredible, and combined with the extremely impressive animatronics and puppetry found within the film, the world easily feels real and exciting.
Composing legend Alan Silvestri, known for his work on Avengers: Endgame, Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, Night at the Museum and many more, creates an orchestral score for the film that unfortunately dismisses the iconic tune fans know and love, but still maintains the whimsical and exciting feeling of the games. While the production’s drama is easy to focus on, these key creative aspects of the film still manage to shine through.
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Technically, Disney would end up distributing the film through their production company, Hollywood Pictures, but only if they omitted the parts mentioned earlier in order to make the film more marketable and appealing to broad audiences. The film would finally be released on May 28, 1993, but only at number four at the box office. The film’s bad word-of-mouth and critical reviews would lead to the film falling into obscurity. The film might not have been as appreciated at the time, but it certainly doesn’t deserve to be erased from history.
Super Mario Bros. Has Earned a Cult Following
Today, Fans Have Appreciated the Movie That Was Critically Panned in 1993
Nintendo would not license their characters and stories for thirty years due to the box office and critical failure that was Super Mario Bros. In 2023, Mario will finally return to the big screen in animated form in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Although the film had mixed-to-positive reviews, the film still earned over a billion dollars at the box office. The Super Mario Bros. Movie was a smash hit and, luckily, brought eyes back to a film that was released thirty years prior.
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The original Super Mario Bros. movie is getting an all-new 4K release that comes with a cel from the film along with tons of other bonuses.
Although Super Mario Bros. was an adaptation that was so starkly different and foreign to the source material, the creative aspects that the film was built on helped make this movie stand out. Frankly, the original film at least took risks and created its own legacy outside the games, unlike the new version. The best-case scenario for fans is to find appreciation in both versions. Although Super Mario Bros. had an iconically disastrous production and was hated at the time of release, fans have realized that the critics were wrong, and this movie can be appreciated for the cult classic that it is.
