Episode 528: The Super Mario Bros. Movie

I liked the movie, I like you all.

Normallyretro

I'm 42, and I saw this movie once with my 16 year old daughter who had already seen it with her friends and said it was "pretty good" and then again with my wife who didn't really like it at all and I realized that I must have dozed off during the first time I saw it but both times I thought it was just okay.

littleterr0r

Wow! I listened to this episode on the free feed and had to sign up to comment on this episode (and get some commute fodder while I’m here) It’s weird, I agree with so much of what y’all are saying in terms of the Mario Movie lacking depth in story and character arcs, but I strangely left the theater in a more positive state than y’all. I think it’s a testament to how strong the visuals and soundtrack were. I think the artistic team HARD carries this movie, and I feel like I need to push back on the “no one cared” mentality a few of the hosts had. It’s not as visually inventive as a Spiderverse or anything, but I was captivated by the many, many action set pieces. I get that the jokes are kinda lame and the characterizations are a bit all over the place, but there a plenty of other movies I can watch to stimulate the part of my brain that wants intellectually challenging art. This movie is a spectacle first and a movie second, and I think it works really well as said spectacle. You guys are cool to dislike it. Bob and Henry especially have earned my respect over the way they respect animation over at the Talking Simpsons network. I just want to say I feel like it could’ve been so much worse if the creative team was similarly hampered by the executive meddling and focus group nonsense. I want to give credit where it’s due

Tashmon Dimps

I agree we need separate review scores for parents and childless adults

Bob Mackey

It’s interesting that I agree with most of your criticisms (albeit to much less intensity) but that I still enjoyed it and would rate it as “good”. In response to Bob’s response to people saying “it’s a kids’ movie,” I know you and Henry are both especially much more experienced than most when it comes to criticism of cartoons meant for kids, which I also enjoy as an adult and think those things are worthy of criticism and analysis. But unless I’m mistaken, I believe this episode is missing the perspective of parents who watch a lot of modern kids’ media and know just how truly mindless and plain bad it can be. Try watching things like Cocomelon on a loop for weeks on end or the endless amount of low budget crap you’ll find on YouTube and then tell me Mario is a bad kids’ movie you almost walked out on. Or better yet try watching an actually pretty great animated movie like Frozen only watch it 30 times within a few weeks. You’ll be ready for something new that meets a minimal standard of quality and find yourself pleased by the experience. I think we would all agree that things like Pixar movies would be more fairly categorized as having mass appeal and calling them “just a kids’ movie” would be unfair. So in the realm of things FOR kids, the Mario really is not that bad at all and I actually do think that is a fair qualification.

Mike R

I really do find Stu chiming up to be the voice of unreason/discord to always be charming. I really cracked up when he demanded to be exempt from Bobs disclaimer at the start!

Wood Duck

Strike them down and they only become more powerful than you can imagine!

Wood Duck

Having listened through, I can respect people not enjoying a pretty mundane/safe/generic adaptation of a very successful IP... but some of the independant takes on how it could be improved confused me. Accuse Jack Black of just playing himself, I thought he was 100% playing the character independently as opposed to Po the panda who really is just unmissably JB. Somehow you thought it was just generic Illumination movie plot/crap, but at the same time positing "why didn't they add in a scene where Mario and Luigi bicker before their separation so their relationship is a stake whilst they're separated" which.... is also a blatantly generic and overused kids film trope? I think I respected the film more for NOT doing something like that. I also find the general fixation on the "father issues" interesting. Can't it just be a small quirk that two characters can relate to for 30 seconds, does it HAVE to be a film-long recurring theme with a juicy payoff merely because it was mentioned? Still I mostly enjoyed the episode despite having really had fun with the film!

Wood Duck

lmao

Stuart Gipp

After 45 minutes they were beating a dead horse.

PurpleComet

I agree with a lot of criticisms you guys had but I had a great time seeing this in the theaters. For every lazy joke there was a reference or musical cue that made me smile. This movie pandered to my nostalgia constantly and it fucking worked. I loved Jack Black as Bowser and have had the Peaches song stuck in my head all week. Will it hold up on rewatches? Absolutely not. There are million and one problems. I also blame Miyamoto/Nintendo for the lackluster character development and Peach's nonexistent personality. It's a real shame they took out the original music for those distracting 80's songs. Hopefully the Blu ray will include a version with the original score. I'd buy that day one, it'd be my first time buying a physical copy of a movie in over 10 years.

PurpleComet

You guys have the absolute worst takes on this movie. You should all be ashamed of yourselves. 👎

Bob was very good at not being mean. The first 15 minutes he's articulating that it is ok that you liked the movie. Stu loves things he loves and hates things he hates. It's his thing and I find it endearing.

shea dewar

I enjoyed the film as a bit of lightweight fluff to kill an evening, and my Mario-fan nephew loved it but I think many of the criticisms are fair. Think it may have been interesting though if at least one panellist had seen it with its intended audience (ie. not grizzled 40-something podcasters).

Adam Elmahdi

Retronauts is at its worst when it's mean spirited. I had to bail on this episode.

Hayden Scott-Baron

I saw the movie and I liked it. As a 43 year old adult with no children I had fun seeing the kids having fun watching the movie. I meeaann, I came to watch a movie faithful to the main gaming series, and not expecting Inside Out or Turning Red levels of in depth story and character development. I got that in this movie. Considering narrative hating Miyamoto was the executive producer and the ultra protective Nintendo having Illumination in a chokehold I'm surprised it didn't fall apart and I saw a bit of the Illumination style humor snuck in a few scenes. Yeah the 80's songs and certain lines were eye rolling in its corniness, but it was watchable compared to that POS 1993 movie which shares very little to the games. But I digress. And Peaches is an earworm.

J. Green