People nowadays find enjoyment in many things. From sports to playing an instrument, many like to be entertained by certain activities. One topic that is very popular among people is gaming. It seems like it has taken the world by storm ever since the first dots and dials console was created in 1972. One game that rose in popularity over the years is Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. More than 40 million copies of the original NES version were sold worldwide by 1994, and 40.23 million by April 2000. For that reason, it was awarded the Guinness World Record for best-selling video game of all time. Here recently, a Super Mario Bros movie was released, and there are many mixed reviews around it. 

     For those who don’t know, Super Mario Bros is based on the arcade game Mario Bros. It stars Mario and Luigi, two Italian plumbers who find themselves in the Mushroom Kingdom trying to rescue Princess Toadstool from King Bowser. Solo players pilot Mario, and an additional player can play as Luigi, but the newer versions allow more players. The game is based on a series of levels, each filled with enemies ranging from Goombas to evil turtles known as Koopa Troopas. The levels take place in different settings, some in dungeons and some above ground, with fights against Bowser impersonators at the end of castle levels. Once the villain is defeated, a Mushroom Kingdom citizen tells Mario or Luigi that the princess is in another castle. The game is completed when the player defeats Bowser and rescues Princess Toadstool.

     As for the new film, the scenes are generally similar to the game, but new scenes and details could be added as well. The Super Mario Bros movie was officially released on April 5th of this year, and it has a 57% tomatometer and a 96% audience score. This is very telling that people loved this movie. With worldwide ticket sales reaching $378 million, the CGI feature has secured the largest opening ever for an animated movie. Although the movie has surpassed expectations, some people still think it is rather bland and didn’t go much into depth on the characters and the plot of the Super Mario Bros Game. One critic said, “older moviegoers will likely be turned off by the simplicity of it all, but for fans who are young or young at heart, it’s an entertaining trip down the warp pipe.” Many critics agree in saying that the movie does the bare minimum and produced the laziest possible version of the video game mixed with lots of bright colors. It can go both ways though; some people say it’s just predictable enough to still be entertaining. I personally haven’t seen the film, but since I know the plot and nature of the video game, I would most likely agree with the critics on how it may be bland. Either way, the Super Mario Bros movie is a hot topic, and there are mixed opinions on it. I would encourage one to watch the movie and form their own opinion of it, before listening to other people.  

https://www.statista.com/statistics/985770/mario-unit-sales/#:~:text=Super%20Mario%20Bros.%20is%20the,estimated%2040.24%20million%20copies%20worldwide. 

https://www.britannica.com/topic/electronic-platform-game 

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_super_mario_bros_movie 

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Media-Entertainment/Super-Mario-movie-showcases-potential-of-hit-video-game-content#:~:text=The%20movie%2C%20which%20opened%20in,ever%20for%20an%20animated%20movie.