Super Mario Bros - Wasted Potential

[@TheLittlePlatoon]

If you're here for the premiere, the close of this video will redirect to episode 4 of the weekly livestream I've started with The Movie Cynic. If you're here *after* the premiere, that livestream can be found here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYKvkHenn8yHe8k&ab_channel=TheMovieCynic

[@Meop79]

Excellent analysis.

[@johnwolf2829]

DAMN this guy is tough. And in this case, spot-on. Had no hope, even Bob Hoskins could not save the last Mario movie, and I was right. And speaking of right; YES, and Why.T.F. does using an Italian accent make all these guys sound so pathetically similar?! IMHO, they all had the same damned Voice Coach and/or a Director that had a very VERY narrow idea of what an accent is allowed to be. Totally asinine, .... and whatever the frakking intention was, it just suxs in the end. As for the rest.... I dunno. It is as if the intention was to show that going woke-less can be just as lame as the usual crap. In related news, I checked to see how far D&D's box office dropped for the 2nd week. It didn't. 😇 Cheer up, a "mid" beginning leaves a lot of room for that legendary unicorn; a franchise that steadily IMPROVES as it goes along.

[@Novellous210]

I actually just saw this movie today, and the first half of the movie I was just wanting to be in a different movie all together. My roommates paid for my ticket but their was a trailer for the new blue beetle movie before Mario came on screen and while it was fun to see the Easter eggs (both visual and audio) it lacked substance and I just felt board after the movie was over. I love your channel and appreciate your videos like this one

[@1977dclinton]

ive not seen this film, but a friend said he went with his girlfriend, who he says is a huge Nintendo fan. He knows very little re Mario or Nintendo and his girlfriend had to explain certain things, but they both said the lack of plot in the story was a major issue. She even said people need to remember that the whole member-berries thing is bad (ive noticed recently its started to be called fan service more) sit's fine if there is call backs but if it's memberberries for memberberries for the sake of it and to make up for lack of story well that certainly NOT GOOD RAT. My mate said it was boring and only for Nintendo/Mario fans and his girlfriend(huge Nintendo fan) said it was ok but basically a memberberry-fest, basically a zero plot oh can you remember the thing next scene then a thing happens repeat.

[@1977dclinton]

@W B you're reading comprehension beggars belief, my opening statement reads "i have not seen this film" i then go on to spell out 2 peoples experiences of said film a non fan and a Nintendo fan, who as you yourself said are said target audience. She herself said it was just ok,

[@jeggsonvohees2201]

I noticed that unlike the games Luigi isn't a coward in the movie. Everything he's shown afraid of (feral dogs, zombies, fire breathing dragon turtles, etc) are things any normal person would be afraid of.

[@remyd8767]

You afraid of those things?

[@poissonsumac7922]

I'm not ENTIRELY sure he ever was cowardly. The guy's enemies include undead ghosts and beefed up musclebound reptiles. If anything, Mario's way too brave, though that may be cuz he's been at the job longer

[@Oakshield2]

@@poissonsumac7922 And in gaming history, no character has racked up more kills than our friendly plumber.

[@DeetotheDubs]

Mario had a good time with mushrooms while Luigi had a bad time. He never quite forgot the trauma of feeling like he lost he lost his older brother and had to answer trivia questions to get him back for some reason. The fire flowers though...they gave Mario the real bloodlust.

[@poissonsumac7922]

@@Oakshield2 Geez louise, the guy's killed a COUNTRY'S worth of Goombas. It would not surprise me if he's killed an entire PLANET'S worth of Goombas given his extensive travels

[@PsychicGirl]

Everyone keeps forgetting that Illumination is the studio responsible for the Minions. All they do is reference things and drive mildly amusing jokes into the ground.

[@adeleinetheartist8267]

I will create an original story with no references.

[@Grag235]

@@adeleinetheartist8267 Not even Kirby?

[@OsellaSquadraCorse]

So did they also make the Big Bang Theory...?

[@1701EarlGrey]

Minions are still less annoying that "Let it go"!😂

[@adeleinetheartist8267]

@@Grag235 Yes, not even Kirby.

[@samcar06c]

I LOVE that you brought up how Princess Leia was able to be captured in her story, but still be a really great character who has some truly badass moments -- when she grabs the gun on the death star because "somebody has to save our skins!" and calls "into the garbage chute, flyboy" -- that was HUGE for me as a little girl, I ate that shit up. The fact that they then almost get crushed to death in the garbage chute...well, just shows she's not perfect and honestly that fact made me like her more as a kid. "Strong Female Characters" being touted as essential and unquestionably perfect bc they're role models for little girls has always felt weird and wrong to me because no one is perfect, people make mistakes. That is supposed to be one of the first things you learn in life. Having a role model who makes mistakes and either learns from them, or deals with the consequences, or is helped out of the situation by their friends creates actual characters to look up to in a healthy way.

[@Vulnresati]

I needed just one thing to not feel annoyed to any degree about Peach's character, and it was just have it be true that it took her a long time to beat the obstacle course. Imply that she wasn't perfect, and worked towards how strong she is now. The idea that she did it on the first try is weird

[@austinreed7343]

Peach isn’t as bad as the many Disney examples (the ones who don’t die/quit/turn evil, to be fair).

[@unpopularopinions7407]

I’m not sure that them almost getting compacted is necessarily a mark against Leia’s competence. They didn’t really have anywhere else to go and the longer they waited, the more Imperial personnel would arrive to take care of them. They simply weren’t gonna last long if they stayed where they were; the garbage chute at least gave them a chance.

[@powerbeam08]

There’s also Ellen Ripley, Sarah Connor, Anne Lewis (from ROBOCOP), and Mulan, just to name a few.

[@SteveL-qw4rp]

the 1986 anime mario movie was better than the crap illumination movie

[@rpgarchaeology6049]

I think at this point people are just relieved to not go to a movie that's going to lecture them.

[@Horvath_Gabor]

Seconded. Sometimes, brainless fun with at least decently entertaining set pieces and likable main characters is still better than the alternative.

[@DangerZone200]

@@Horvath_Gabor wow if thats the case then the bar had gone so low that were gonna need an army of James Camrons to find it and pull it back up

[@Bundeskaiser]

That might be the reason why No Way Home was successful as well, despite its basically universe breaking flaws and nonsense plot.

[@Ergeniz]

@@Bundeskaiser Nostalgia was a large part of it. "Toby and Andrew are coming back"?!

[@baz2374]

And are going to these movies just to thumb their noses up at the studio. I'm thinking of going myself. In my 40s. 😆

[@EvilExcalibur]

One of the best examples of development through imprisonment in video games is funnily enough Princess Toadstool in Paper Mario 1 and 2. She manages to both be witty and hilarious by taking advantage of the more incompetent of her captors in order to not only help Mario in his quest but even attempt (and at times almost succeed) to escape all on her own. She was absolutely wonderful in those two games.

[@deadbrother5355]

BTW when did she change her name to peach? Is it a legal name change, or like a hip-hop stage name referencing her bottom?

[@EvilExcalibur]

@@deadbrother5355 I think it's just either a nickname or her first name in the same way that King Koopa's name is Bowser Koopa. Earliest I recall is in Super Mario 64 in which she signs the letter in the intro as: Yours truly, Princess Toadstool "Peach"

[@deadbrother5355]

@@EvilExcalibur understood. Thanks.

[@zjzr08]

I so agree Luigi could've had fun stealth scenarios trying to escape the castle with the penguins and Lumalee to incorporate an arc of maybe taking more risks.

[@absolutelydegenerate1900]

@@EvilExcalibur I always assumed that Peach was her actual name and Princess Toadstool was her last name or title.

[@BrianTubac]

The main thought I had when walking out the movie was "I had a good time watching it, but I completely understand why people would dislike it". Sure I was giddy to see all the references I loved get utilized but at one point I felt that the story was going in a singular line with things just happening. Essentially, it's a non-movie movie, one that I like but am aware of the MANY flaws it contains. Edit: also one other thing that bothered me were the people who doubted Mario & Luigi all of a sudden praising them for saving the city feels incredibly cheap and disingenuous. Not to mention why they aren't questioning it??? How did they even know Mario saved the day they didn't know what was going on? Heck no one knew in the damn town why were they clapping???

[@davewrobleski4803]

The Sonic movies aren’t perfect, and I would change a lot about them, given the opportunity, but they actually DID have character work, and a story, and stuff.

[@soHatey]

Nobody gives a shit about Sonic besides furries and some autismos so they can do whatever they want to polish that turd.

[@BrianTubac]

Agreed, not only are the references & plot elements given to us digestible, but the story takes inspiration from the games while still having an identity of its own.

[@JustAnArrogantAlien]

As a random note, I felt Mario and Bowser’s relationship needed work. These are two of gaming’s biggest and most famous adversaries, yet they have next to no interaction until the final third of the film. Mario’s desire to confront Bowser is relatable: he wants to save Luigi. But Mario doesn’t even know for a fact that Bowser has Luigi - it’s based on an assumption from Toad. As for Bowser, his hatred of Mario stems solely from the fact that Mario is a male hanging out with Peach, and Bowser is so insecure that this alone makes him feel threatened - which IS humorous, as I’m sure was intended, but doesn’t provide anything deeper for viewers to get into. Mario and Bowser don’t even _see each other_ until the last half hour. Mario has more of a rivalry with Donkey Kong, a side character in this film, than he does with his arch nemesis. And it takes the wind out of the finale’s sails just a bit when Mario manages to rise up and triumph over an enemy he’s shared about two minutes of screen time with. It feels _really_ underbaked.

[@jeggsonvohees2201]

Bowser has a really interesting line at the end when he fights Mario. He says, "I was finally going to be happy!" That one line has so much potential for his character. What does he mean? How is he unhappy? Is he conquering people as a shallow means of filling some deeper loneliness he has? It doesn't get expanded on and I'm curious why it's even in the movie.

[@BlueGamingRage]

Simple fix (very common trope, though): instead of the brothers getting separated by the pipes, have them fight Bowser with it ending with Luigi's kidnapping

[@liamphibia]

Tbf, Mario meeting and fighting Bowser in the end feels on par with the games.

[@rustyshackelford4224]

@@jeggsonvohees2201 Jack Black Bowser was obviously referring to marrying the girl of his dreams and blames Mario for being able to marry her despite Mario not doing anything.

[@osmanyousif7849]

It's also odd when after Bowser interrogates Luigi, he says, "Let's see how tough this Mario guy is when he watches me kill his brother!". So why would the writers then decide instead on Bowser killing Mario, if we need to see the two finally meet? And would Bowser want Mario to come after him if he has the chance, but only threaten him with using Luigi as leverage?

[@Disasterpotato]

One thing you missed out, about developing characters while in captivity, is that Nintendo has done just that with Peach in the Paper Mario games.

[@lingricen8077]

Yeah, she gets nakie

[@CoronaKid0203]

Totally agree my favorite parts of the film were the moments of character that could have become something, his fathers comments at the start were dripping with potential for an interesting arc but it just became “as long as we’re together” |: the only thing this movie did was reaffirm my love for Mario sounds and music.

[@phillippropst3825]

The last line in this review really said it all. It’s disappointing what could have been, but wasn’t.

[@Avarn388]

I liked the movie but I knew it wasn’t as good as people were making it out. I didn’t hate myself for viewing it but compared to the likes of Puss N Boots the Last Wish or even The Bad Guys from DreamWorks, this movie needed a lot more work. I actually think as a silver lining if we get a Nintendo Cinematic Universe we may get some better things. No excuse for this movie, but seeing something other than superhero stuff rise up would be a nice change of pace.

[@Ramsey276one]

Nintendoverse? *YES*

[@burnypython8230]

I think the Mario Movie and the Bad Guys are both average/mediocre movies as the problem with the Bad Guys is that the writing is very questionable such as the Marmalade plot twists where he was disguising himself as an old lady to trigger Wolf’s good nature and Snake double-crossing Marmalade at the end. However you can also make the argument that the Bad Guys at least had a story.

[@DayBowBow]

Did you actually watch the movie? Or are you basing your opinion based on your favorite KZbinrs video review?

[@Ramsey276one]

@@hundredfireify MOVIES

[@nerdstorma8427]

Nintendo Cinematic Universe??? Seriously? When we already have games with cutscenes and stories? WHEN WE ALREADY HAVE THE SUBSPACE EMISSARY?

[@NoirNameless]

I honestly kinda wish these movies were done by Dreamworks and not illumination. I’m kind of afraid that if these movies continue, they will fall into the “dumb fun cause it’s for kids” category, when in reality these can honestly be great. Metroid could be a really cool sci-fi animated film, and Starfox, which I’ve wanted for years could sort of be like an animated Top Gun style adventure movie. I just hope that if it continues, it doesn’t just repeat what this movie did. They also can be good while being aimed at kids as well. Puss in boots 2 proves this.

[@KamiAnimeS1]

Do you know that the same studio right they’re both under universal. So either of them could do the next movie

[@gordon2945]

Uhh no I don't think so

[@blackosprey2219]

Makes me wonder if Illumination has contracted for exclusive rights to make Mario movies or Nintendo IP movies in general for the near future. Mario's pretty well suited for "tolerably simple kids' fun" but IPs like Metroid or Zelda would be done a disservice.

[@aguywhocanfly1335]

History proves that the best movies and shows are the ones with hidden adult humor and themes, making content that's dumbed down and simple for kids is just lazy and poor writing. Some examples: Spongebob, Invader Zim, Adventure time, Teen Titans, Grim Adventures, etc. These shows are now hailed as legendary bc they can be enjoyed by kids and parents initially, and then rewatched and appreciated when the kids grow up.

[@Oakshield2]

I hate that the terminology "kids' movie" "for kids" got hijacked by producers to be lazy with their storytelling while mostly providing explosions and volume.

[@josephheliotrope4556]

It's a shame that just 'it was fine' has become such a high bar.

[@wuba-luba-dub-dub]

I love you videos. You don't just call out lazy story telling but you actually give great examples of the different directions they could have actually taken it. You're insightful and articulate. Wish you and your channel well.

[@lingricen8077]

Yeh LP is one of those youtubers better at it than his over-hyped peers, for a zoomer anyway. But he still engages in that cringey animated persona that they all seem to do

[@wuba-luba-dub-dub]

@@lingricen8077 I wouldn't put my face on KZbin either if I had a channel. The internet is full of psychos who either want to stalk you or harass you. The less information you put out about yourself the better.

[@lingricen8077]

@@wuba-luba-dub-dub nah he gay

[@wuba-luba-dub-dub]

@@lingricen8077 What? What the hell does that have to do with anything? You have problems man.

[@al.109]

The irony I jsut noticed is that Miyamoto's biggest issue with the 1993 film is that it supposedly tried too hard to be like the games instead of making a good story, which ironically is one of the biggest issues with the 2023 film

[@draketheduelist]

I can't believe it took this long to get a Wreck-it Ralph 2. (*whispers in my ear*) Wait, there _was_ one? (*whispers*) The bad one? (*whispers*) Oh, the _REALLY_ bad one... I was trying to forget that existed.

[@eyesfullofsky9776]

You talking about the Power Stars made me imagine a potential timeline in which the Power Stars are not only used in a manner similar to the Infinity Stones, but then are tied directly into other games that actually have plots. Super Mario RPG, for example, has the seven stars that grant wishes and make dreams reality, while Paper Mario has stars as well, both of which have actual characters and plots and stakes! Imagine a trilogy whose finale is Bowser wielding borderline ultimate power, being straight-up invulnerable because of a plot he and Magi-Koopa cooked up that uses the Stars! Having been bested by Mario multiple times by now (possibly even a few times off-screen), you could have Bowser not even care about Princess Peach or the Mushroom Kingdom anymore, it could simply be that he wants to beat Mario at this point, to remind the world that he's King Koopa, that he's the one with the evil army and the oppressive villain music, that he's the goddamn OG Nintendo villain for a reason! And if you absolutely need a sequel bait post-credits scene, have someone say some throwaway line like "There are plenty of stars in the sky, you know. Makes you wonder if there are other skies out there- like, you know... other worlds, maybe?", then have it transition to Planet Pop-Star or- actually, don't touch Kirby... I don't want Kirby to be voiced by generic Hollywood Actor #27...

[@virusklaxsosaur4054]

I was thinking shows Mario walking with lu and a whit blur happens they start struggling you do not see what has them then they turn into statues as they are pulled thru a void boom lead up for smash bros🎉

[@yagirlmayalazarus6713]

You just described the plot of Paper Mario pretty much word for word.

[@snintendog]

How about NO you can take your shitty marvel structure and shove it. movies don't need to be 6 hours long to have plot.

[@stevesamuals2651]

An interesting idea, for sure. But over ambitious to a hilarious degree.

[@ghhn4505]

kirby doesn't deserve a movie so yeah i'm with you

[@alariaaurora8456]

"Mario can't have a good story" Cough cough Mario Galaxy

[@sailormermaidix24]

I second that with Super Paper Mario on the wii

[@CuteRedPanda64]

Paper Mario the thousand year door.

[@j.e.s.m.4686]

That's wanna things that frustates and dissapointed me the most. Mario can have a good story but for some reason, Nintendo never took risk with the Mario characters and give them proper lore or storyline, which leaves many plotholes and things that don't make since at all. I tought they were gonna take risk with the movie and actually give storytelling but NOPE. they decided to ignored this fact and just brush it up. I wish the movie could have a good storytelling and actually focus more on the plot. While I enjoy it, I wish it could have being better.

[@normadgarmez7026]

Mario Galaxy and Paper Mario. I mean you can only do so much with the same concept for 4 decades and not give Mario more of a story.

[@rat_king-os2lp]

Another little thing they couldve added just to A make the Intel gathering of Bowser make sense AND have a nice tie in reference is to have that cloud guy with the camera on a pole following Mario and Co around,instead of Bowser just magically gaining intel.

[@TheLittlePlatoon]

Good shout! Would’ve been a really quick thing, probably a single short scene, that includes a reference that actually ties to plot progression.

[@Martin-kt7cp]

I kept thinking they were going to show a spy at some point, maybe a koopa posing as a mushroom or something.

[@jeggsonvohees2201]

When they separated I thought each brother would go on their own arc that would tie into the final battle. Luigi could have created a prison escape that led to additional troops at a crucial point in the battle, maybe even using the toolbox he had when he first landed in the darklands. Instead we got nothing.😢

[@tevenpowell8023]

I mean they kinda do something with him. I'm pretty sure the point of his flashback is to show that Mario has been saving him his whole life. And at the end he saves Mario. It's super simple, but I think it counts

[@slitchey]

​@@tevenpowell8023 yes but there's never a moment where luigi actively acknowledges this or improves on it. It's the same problem this whole movie has. Doing the bare minimum to establish something and never expanding on any of it.

[@fernandosimon5621]

People really were expecting some "Lord of the rings" level shit? Luigi: "Look to my coming on the first light of the fifth day, at dawn look to the east." It was a fun family movie, not everything needs to be so deep.

[@slitchey]

@@fernandosimon5621 nobody was expecting some lord of the rings level shit. Stop exaggerating. It's OK for people to be disappointed or criticize the movie for being nothing more than a passable family movie with mario.

[@jeggsonvohees2201]

@Fernando Simon Of course not, I actually got what I expected, a movie with paper thin characters and poor writing that gets by almost completely on pretty visuals, nostalgia, and references. I liked it, but it doesn't have good writing. If you're going to use the tired "it's a family film" then answer this: why does The Last Wish have such great writing and character development, when it's just a family film? What about The og Lion King, or Aladdin, or Arcane? I mean, clearly they shouldn't have bothered putting in all that effort and care when they could have just had constant action scenes and references like Mario did.

[@deanlendvai4494]

An example of a missed opportunity in the film was the scene with Mario and Peach in the field of fire flowers. In the film, Peach promises Mario that she will help save Luigi as promised in an earlier scene. Then she explains that she came from another world as a baby, the toads raised her and made her their princess. Mario suggests that Peach could have come from his world, but Peach says that there are many worlds and "Galaxies" (Wow! rEfErEnCe). Then the scene ends; no character, no plot, no development or recontextualization. An objectively improved version of this scene could go as follows: Peach and Mario engage is small talk about what Brooklyn is like, then Mario asks Peach if she grew up in the Mushroom Kingdom. Peach looks sorrowful as she explains that she came from another world as a baby, and that she has no idea where her original home is. This gives her a moment of vulnerability and depth to her "tough" exterior personality. She goes on to explain that the toads raised her and made her their princess. Peach still looks down, so Mario attempts to comfort her by inviting her to to Brooklyn once they defeat Bowser and offering to help her find her original world. This demonstrates Mario's empathy, compassion and willingness to help others unconditionally (in a "heroic" manner). Instead, Peach will explain that she came to view the toads as her family and the Mushroom Kingdom as her home which she feels a responsibility to protect, and instead asks Mario to reaffirm his promise to help her save her Kingdom. It also demonstrates emotional (and "heroic") strength from Peach who places her responsibility to protect the toads above the need to know about her true origins. The scene ends with Mario and Peach sharing a heartfelt moment where they enjoy each others company, affirm their motivations and strengthen the relationship between them. This helps generate stakes moving forward and attribute greater emotional attachment to the characters for the audience. Thoughts?

[@justafan9399]

Bloody good, this is. Characterization within small talk and reminiscence? That’s good writing. Too bad that’s too high a bar for modern professional film writers to clear.

[@fictiontheorizer4253]

They lifted Rosalina's origins to flesh out Peach. It was never meant to go anywhere. And it's a damn shame, because you could have easily had them sitting down to a meal together. Reference Peach's hobbies of baking and establish her character as a elegant lady, contrasted with Mario's rough and tumble nature. A perfect opportunity for heartfelt character development and comedy. But nah. Let's resort to the tired "I'm sharing my life story!" With a back story that isn't even hers. "Cannon is important!" Except when it's not.

[@normadgarmez7026]

Excellent. Already better than the final product of the movie.

[@Animortar]

"Princess Peach can't be captured because It's 2023" Its so true It's not even funny anymore...

[@hopegalaxy]

Well I was fine with that because Mario has a good reason and a goal to save his brother. Even if Lu didn't get much screen time.

[@isaiahwilliams7998]

Like 5 slow motion scenes in one movie is insane

[@guinnessintheblood]

I just watched this movie with my 6 1/2 year old nephew. He has ADHD and I've never seen him sit still for so long in one go, and that includes movies like Minions or anything by Disney. The pacing felt like a slap of the face with the speed, but as a result, it seemed to hold the interest of the younger generation who, in general, have shorter attention spans. I could be wrong. I have no training or experience in the film industry, but it made me unbelievably happy seeing my boy so focused on something. So, while it seemed a little off as an uneducated adult, it definitely did well as a film for kids making for an amazing afternoon.

[@leob4403]

Believe me, this won't be a movie that he'll want to rewatch when he's a bit older

[@jeggsonvohees2201]

It would have been cool if Martinez's voice had been used during action scenes, as if Mario uses it to combat his fear and psych himself up, which would tie into the reason for the accent in the commercial.

[@emmanuelmondesir]

Those fake Martinez voice they used during the commercials were better than their actual voice. Martinez voicing Jumpman was better than their voice. Why couldn’t they let Martinez cook? There will probably be a fan-edit with voice clips of the games.

[@vaclavjebavy5118]

@@emmanuelmondesir Well the Italian and French (especially) dubs have a more wahoo-esque voice for Mario, at least.

[@Wohlfe]

Did you mean Charles Martinet?

[@retrofan4963]

@@emmanuelmondesir That guy who's voiced by Martinet in the Mario movie is not Jumpman. He's Guisseppi. Making that clear because lot of Mario fans think this movie is saying that Mario and Jumpman are different characters, when really that's not the case. Mario is Jumpman.

[@DUKEzors]

Credit where it's due, Peach at least gave a reason why she beat the course on her first try. She was also not mean-spirited about it.

[@justinbowers2749]

Not to mention she doesn’t sideline Mario in his own movie.

[@twister1154]

She really wasn't Peach though. In a movie where they use way too much references, they managed to disregard most of her character. She didn't even use Toad as a shield or throw a turnip once. No cake baking, barely floated once, no umbrella. She was just sort of there.

[@TheLittlePlatoon]

Yep! I think my issue is that this should be the absolute minimum for character writing. It seems so remarkable to us because it’s so rare, but elevating it to the status of actual goodness really just acquiesces to the debasement of modern writing standards.

[@ElliotKeaton]

@@twister1154 _"She didn't even use Toad as a shield or throw a turnip once. No cake baking, barely floated once, no umbrella."_ So most of Peach's character is being in Super Smash Bros.?

[@harrymillar4193]

@@ElliotKeaton They were quite clearly joking with that example…

[@Ars-Nova258]

36:20 That reminds me of the original reason as to why King Koopa kidnapped Princess Toadstool in the very first Super Mario game. The reason being that Toadstool was the only person who could undo Koopa’s dark magic… something the Mario franchise itself seemingly forgot outside of a possible nod to that in the opening tutorial battle in Bowser’s Inside Story.

[@LWolf12]

To be honest, the only thing I know about this movie is people going nuts over the song Peaches, but that's it. No one talked about anything else.

[@Jennie-mm5zd]

To be honest, I don't want anymore "cinematic universes." Might be the fatigue of the MCU and DCU but since both are failing hard I just don't want Nintendo to get too greedy, do the big crossover of all their characters and then what? What else can they top it cause clearly marvel wasn't able to top it's subsequent films since endgame. I'll just be happy with continuous exploration of character arcs, world building of Mario and other Nintendo games. With sequels, triquels, spin offs, ect

[@locke6854]

In case nobody noticed, TLP's podcast features motion tracking, eye movement, lips, and you can see his avatar smiling, and even opening his mouth slightly showing that he wants to say something even before he says it. Ahhhhhh subtlety. So useful when conversing.

[@TheAmbush101]

In other words, he’s one dono-bait away from hoping into a cat girl maid v-tuber model for a sub goal! Food for thought.

[@TheLittlePlatoon]

Just wait til I add the huge breasts mod.

[@mariotrujillo1673]

If this movie had come out ten years ago it would have been at best a successful but forgettable kids movie, like DreamWorks' Rise of the Guardians. However we are in an age we the bare minimum is considered outstanding. Here's hoping this will lead to better things because this is sadly the best we are likely to get in the up coming years.

[@silverscorpio24]

Watch it. Guardians was a pretty good movie.

[@moosesues8887]

@@silverscorpio24 🧢

[@pfaloa]

The movie was really good i dont get the critic it doesnt make sense like my punctuation

[@AJVillanueva2030]

@@pfaloa Good point.

[@liamphibia]

"Successful but forgettable kids movie like DreamWorks Rise of the Guardians." Um, that movie bombed at the box office man.

[@AliceinEntropy]

Don't forget DK's scene attempting to give character is ended with "YOUR DAD IS RIGHT TO BE DISAPPOINTED IN *YOU*"

[@0ctopusComp1etely]

My friends are mad at me and my girlfriend cause we called it Mid lol. I liked it, heck I had fun watching it and enjoyed some parts quite a bit. But it just felt Dry Bones when it came to an actual experience. I don't really think it had lows, but it didn't really have any highs for me either. It was just... going, full throttle. I will say that I'd probably be willing to give it a whole point higher if the credits didn't start with the Nihilism Luma sequence. It had a perfectly fine ending with the bros jumping into the pipe for work, a happy ending to a happy movie. And then illumination had to illumination right at the end, just so I couldn't forget for one second who made the movie, even taking a joke I initially liked and just kicking its then dead body.

[@thebatman4279]

One of the most baffling scenes imo was when Mario and Luigi got their first job. Was the scene intended to be a justification for their father's lack of faith in their ability to run their own business? If so, it didn't work because it clearly showed they are both competent and skilled. It was only because of a freak incident with the dog that everything went to pot.

[@justahuman4862]

I think it's with the theme of not giving up..yea they did a good job but things went wrong much like it going wrong when the tried to save Brooklyn..the cartoons were like that as well.

[@MrMild-sv7is]

Having them be bad plumbers in the real world, and then heroes in the video game world is what I was expecting. And would have followed the “protagonists leave the crappy real world and escape to fantasy world” trope.

[@jeggsonvohees2201]

Why didn't they explain the dog went feral and attacked them?

[@BWMagus]

It would highlight that "they never quit" attitude. But to be fair, it makes sense for a father to be upset at his kid leaving steady employment to start a business if the father thinks the kid has no business acumen, or is just extremely risk averse. But that's probably more character writing than the movie.

[@TheDawnofVanlife]

​@@BWMagus Yeah exactly, your kid can be a good construction worker,for example, and it doesn't mean he has the business acumen to start their own construction business. From a parental perspective, you can totally justify someone not being all in on their kid(s) leaving a steady employer to start their own business. Which might be a more complex idea then this film actually wanted to wrestle with. 😂

[@Undependable3]

Damn you! I was in the middle of editing my own Super Mario bros review and you've said everything I wanted to say so much more articulately with much deeper cuts. Congrats, its an achievement.

[@Oakshield2]

I'm often flabbergasted by how articulate he is.

[@TheLittlePlatoon]

Do it anyway! Just watched your last RoP video, it’s really good stuff!

[@eanderson9599]

Incredibly based title and thumbnail Yeah, my nephews loved this movie and I’m sure it’s gonna make a bajillion dollars, but all I saw was a million references and no story. People make excuses saying “it’s just a kids movie”, Puss in Boots 2 was maybe the best movie I saw in 2022, they didn’t make it fit kids, it was for everyone As a fan of Mario for a while (since I was 6, I’m 20 now), I just wish they could’ve done more. There are so many great Mario stories from spin-offs and what not, I don’t know why this movie has basically no story

[@Avarn388]

@Valiant Gargoyle Agreed. It could have been better I still liked the movie overall; it didn’t make me want to gouge my eyes out like Ant man 3 but still it could have been better. That’s why I’m settling on a 7/10. Maybe 6.8?

[@eanderson9599]

@@Avarn388 as a movie, I don’t think it was very good, probably like a 5/10. I’ve seen so many people bash the critics for giving it low scores, but it’s objectively not a great movie. If I knew nothing about Mario and walked into this movie, it’d just be visual overload and references I don’t understand. It’s not awful, just kinda mid, and the Mario franchise deserves better

[@thebatman4279]

​@@eanderson9599 The critics in general haven't even been giving it the trashing some people think they have. 53% indicates that it's a pretty mediocre film...which it most certainly is. If it was getting reviews on par with The Emoji Movie, then I could understand their grievances. Mario was a massive part of my childhood and the references were great fun, but it's sheer delusion to view it as a great kids film that can stand alongside films like Wall E and Toy Story.

[@adeleinetheartist8267]

I have no excuses. Even if it's an animated movie made for children, this movie has no story whatsoever.

[@warknightxl2167]

If puss in boots 2 was made for everyone, that includes kids under 13 right? If so, then why are there some adults not allowing kids watching and enjoying that movie? I mean, if I was a 10 year old kid right now, then I would definitely enjoy puss in boots the last wish.

[@athorem]

Before the second wind of video game movies around 2020 there were people saying that what a video game movie needed to be good was faithfulness to the source material. I now strongly disagree with this. The most important thing is to have an actual story with an emotional core. I'd even prefer the Sonic 1 style road trip approach over a shallow reference fest like the Mario movie.

[@CallMeChato]

Thanks for the call out. What a wonderful surprise.

[@TheLittlePlatoon]

Hell, I couldn’t *not!* Great to find so much of what we spoke about resurfaced in the movie itself. (Not necessarily to the film’s credit…)

[@CallMeChato]

@@TheLittlePlatoon A staggeringly detailed review.

[@TheLittlePlatoon]

@@CallMeChato If the review is shorter than the film I cannot possibly agree!

[@thedumpingground305]

Great video as always man, it’s really telling on how much you care about the media you consume that even the “turn your brain off” kids movies are subject to some kind of standard instead of accepting it as it is, very admirable. All that said, I enjoyed this movie a lot, but there are very valid criticisms. I also don’t believe being a kids movie is an excuse to be mindless, so there’s definitely a few things that could’ve been done better: -Luigi was criminally underused and was nothing more than the damsel in distress until the end. It’s a real shame considering there’s TONS of material for character work there, given that a lot of his shtick especially in the Paper Mario games is living in his brother’s shadow. That could’ve been the perfect moment to have Luigi come out of his shell and show Mario that even when they’re apart nothing can stop them. -The whole “nothing can stop us when we’re together” thing was admittedly sweet but underutilized as well. While it came to a head in the final fight against Bowser it would’ve been cool to see that referenced more, especially in more tender scenes with Mario mentioning how much he misses Luigi. I also thought it would be interesting if the whole “you’re bringing your brother down” thing their dad said had been more relevant. As mentioned above maybe living in Mario’s shadow DID bring Luigi down, obviously unintentionally but it shattered his confidence or something like that. It’ll be another way to round out Luigi’s arc as well as Mario’s. - I honestly don’t think the reference problem was as big as Disney Star Wars/MCU. Their issue lies with the reference being ways to either tie in or reference other projects for their consoomers, these were, for the most part, either organically tied in to the world or little Easter eggs to point at. The biggest offender in this category is the Mario Kart segment. It was cool, but ultimately it was there because they wanted Rainbow Road there. It also gave us one of my favorite moments: after the family dinner, Mario’s in his room playing Kid Icarus. While it may seem like another reference on Nintendo’s part, the game is known for being extremely difficult at the beginning due to Pit being in the Underworld and having to climb up. It’s symbolic of Mario’s struggle of having to open up a business and climb out to make his own name, which is an amazing detail I’ve seen no one talk about. -The side characters were fun but ultimately very one note. Peach was fun and I enjoyed that she was “strong female character” but didn’t either sideline or really emasculate the MC, but her more defining traits were ultimately sacrificed because of it. DK was an interesting parallel to Mario and I loved their rivalry but it sucks that their one moment of genuine development was ultimately an MCU style joke. Toad was…Toad, which honestly can we really ask for more lol Ultimately it was a safe kids movie, which is probably what Nintendo wanted. After their last foray into movies they probably wanted to test the waters before really going in, and while it’s a bit weird given their hardware philosophy I guess I can’t ultimately blame them. If Nintendo had given this to another studio rather than Illuminations I can guarantee a lot of the issues would be resolved: another 10-15 minutes of runtime for more development and slower pacing, no unnecessary licensed music, and hopefully some better writing and character work. If we really are at the brink of the NCU, I’m hoping they can take this formula and improve it because they really have a lot of potential.

[@savannah115]

Thank you for this. My parents couldn't afford a game system when I was a kid but my friends had them, so I played just enough Mario to be one of those "general knowledge of the characters" people you mention. I knew a decent amount about Super Nintendo and N64 games just by existing in the world in the 1990s. I thought I would know enough to enjoy it, so I took my nephew to see this. I couldn't wait for it to be over. Because as a kid I didn't play these games regularly, as an adult I only got about 40% of the references. And then as you said, there's no real plot to speak of. As a result it made for a very strange, disjointed movie experience for me. I was really bored, tbh.

[@lukedrotos8718]

Everyone says it’s the MARIO movie, but they forget that it’s also the Mario MOVIE.

[@jeggsonvohees2201]

It could have been neat if this movie showed the genesis of Bowser's obsession with Peach. He could have started as conqueror, but by the end of the movie he's impressed with Peach's character and leadership abilities and starts to obsess and fawn over her foe future movies.

[@Troopertroll]

I can't wait to hear this one lol Everyone is simultaneously saying "there wasn't much to it" while praising it as the second coming of family films.

[@TheLittlePlatoon]

It’s been a bit tedious watching people excuse this film for stuff they’d castigate Marvel films for doing - abundance of references, no plot to speak of, zany meta humour, etc.

[@Troopertroll]

@@TheLittlePlatoon Unrelated celebrity cameos.

[@barnowl2655]

It's better than most "family" films nowadays. No SJW's, woke agendas, or identity politics. It's just a fun family film.

[@Waffles1313]

@@barnowl2655 Not being crammed full of bullshit can't be the sole standard these days. If culture is ever gonna shift back towards caring about quality, we can't celebrate media simply for what it isn't

[@inventgineer]

They/we should call this effect, as a trope, "Avatar praise", which simply means "the film or other product is, by the public's own admission, totally trash, but the surface level elements like visuals lead them to be massive apologists on behalf of the film/product" -a lot like religion, actually! That is to say: People choosing to believe what is comforting, what they PREFER were true, favoring surface level nonsense even if its not true......over actual difficult truths." I think that, not only were the visuals pretty and the context of other trash movies was helping elevate it, but I also think another MASSIVE part of it was the expectation: everyone was led to believe (as it was implicitly marketed) that -just like the first one, it was going to be some moving, big cultural or cinematic achievement..........when the results were clearly not that, it was easier for the audience to pretend it was and admire the attempt, regardless of how poor the effort and how poor the results, because that is more comforting that the reality that the movie is ABSOLUTE trash (insultingly so). In fact, that, in its own right, may be a part of it, I suppose: they, consciously or unconsciously, DO recognize pretty clearly that it's trash, but it's more comforting to project less harmful motives onto the creators of such a project than to admit to themselves both that those creators have ill intent towards them and also that they were successfully foolish enough to get sold what they recognize is insultingly bad trash.

[@looinrims]

You know when I watched this in the theater on Friday I thought it was good but I also couldn’t escape this nagging feeling that like 15-20 minutes were missing from the film, but as I watched I just assumed it was up ahead But I could never not notice the lack of Luigi, it’s funny he’s third in credits, and even as I watched I had to ask ‘how the hell does Luigi know how to fight or make use of the powerups? They showed Mario training for a while, but Luigi just starts kicking ass’

[@dannypalin9583]

I will never stop loving the finale with Mario and Luigi vs Bowser. But despite this, I can openly admit that the brothers being separated would only have worked if Luigi escaped on his own. Chris Pratt and Charlie Day have genuinely amazing chemistry. The best parts of the movie are before they go to the Mushroom Kingdom and the final battle. It's hilariously ironic that the movie gets boring when they're in the Mushroom Kingdom.

[@guol1806]

Movies have become the 3 year olds Easter egg hunt where they throw out a box of decorated eggs onto a putting green.

[@startshow1]

Another thing about references. The movie goes out of its way to contradict game lore in favor of more popular, non-canon lore.

[@syeo501]

I enjoyed the movie quite alot. However, it was very short and because of that (at least I think so) it felt very rushed. You get here, instantly something else happens. It felt like a scene didn't last for a couple of seconds.

[@BWMagus]

It's not even that short, they just didn't bother to write a story.

[@MatthewDrummond-p7o]

The Five Nights at Freddy's movie definitely had more wasted potential than the Mario movie because at least you can fully understand the story from the Mario movie where as the FNAF movie's story was so confusing and really disappointing.

[@toolazyforadecentname8412]

The thing about the Mario Movie is that it's great by pure entertainment value, but once you start thinking about the film, it becomes more flawed.

[@chazzitz-wh4ly]

Just what I expected. My interest lies purely in the entertainment value it holds. I have yet to see it.

[@SirBlackReeds]

You mean like every movie that people swear is good simply because it's not woke?

[@Horvath_Gabor]

So long as it's not intellectually bankrupt and internally inconsistent, there's nothing wrong with that. Being entertaining is the whole point of entertainment media, after all, so as long as it's not insulting the viewer's intelligence, having a few flaws is nothing to write home about.

[@DangerZone200]

@@SirBlackReeds i mean it was kinda woke instead of peach you know getting kidnapped like she always does they had luigi get kidnapped because you know he doesn't have a vegina

[@JayMaverick]

The usual - people are unable to differentiate between their personal opinion and the objective quality of the media they're consuming.

[@RoastCM]

We will get more, this movie basically works as an origon story/ an introduction to the world

[@TheDawnofVanlife]

I think, as the review points out, it spent less time setting up and more time speed running through as many set pieces as they could cram into one film. And a lot of these set pieces could have been held back for future films instead of all being shoved into one film.

[@alexs29]

It's not a very good origin story though. I'm not really invested in whatever happens to these characters for the sequel, since the first film didn't properly establish their narrative arcs to begin with.

[@RoastCM]

@@alexs29 Okay well most of the characters like for example Mario and peach for this movie their character arcs (for the most part) stay within the movie although I think that their relationship as characters could grow during the sequel, bowser imprisoned opens up a story line where the koopa kids could free bowser + bowser is still in love with peach and I can see bowser then try to kidnap peach again like in the games, but luigi probably has the most clear character arc to explore where in the Mario movie he relies on Mario to help him BUT in a luigi's mansion movie it could be about that character arc where luigi learns to be more independent and not rely on his brother. I think most of the character arcs from the Mario movie like Mario rising up as a hero are character arcs for the first movie and in the next Mario movie the characters will have new character arcs. Personally I think it works as an origin story but its a very simple one which I don't mind

[@RoastCM]

@@TheDawnofVanlife Basically they are giving us a taste of the world and the many set locations, so then they can expand them in the inevitable sequels for example the donkey kong movie which is apparently in production

[@Turamwdd]

@@alexs29 Great, it's like you know nothing about Super Mario Brothers then.

[@allenearl1514]

I went to see it with friends, and while I enjoyed it, part of me feels like I only enjoyed it because it was at least decent in comparison to the sludge that has been coming out over the past few years. Compared to all of that, it's definitely an improvement. That being said, I do have a few gripes with the movie (though I struggle to find the words for some of them). The first (and biggest, given my love for sound design and music) was the use of non-Mario music in the Mushroom Kingdom. Had they delineated the real-world music and the Mario music between Brooklyn and the Mushroom Kingdom, it would have actually been an incredibly well-done touch, but the sound design team apparently didn't deem it necessary. Second, the voice deliveries, while done well in certain cases, such as with Keegan-Michael Key's delivery of Toad, weren't universally stellar. The most glaringly obvious phone-in from the voice actors was with Seth Rogen, but most of the other cast members had at least one line that was delivered without much effort. Lastly, while it was certainly entertaining to see all of the Easter eggs from Nintendo's history that were present, there were a few that made me question their place in the way the world is built. The one big example that comes to mind after watching the film is the Easter egg with the Donkey Kong arcade cabinet at the start. If Donkey Kong exists as a game in Mario's homeworld, in a location where the audience could assume they visit frequently, then upon meeting the real Donkey Kong, shouldn't several questions be present in Mario's mind regarding the nature of the world he traveled to? That all being said, it was still an enjoyable time with my friends, and it exceeded my expectations going into it.

[@DayBowBow]

I think you enjoyed it because it was actually a good movie and spending time with friends makes you happy. Nothing wrong with that. Don't let Platoons "buzzkillington" edgelord review make you think the movie sucked. His criticism are really reaching.

[@mikeoxlong7901]

@@DayBowBow The movie was okay at being a "Mario" movie. It was amazing for die-hard mario fans who love to gawk at references (because Nintendo knew thats what would make them more money), but for people who dont really care for that sort of thing, you'll find that the movie progressed WAY too fast, i don't think i've seen an animated movie advance the plot as fast as Mario did. Donkey Kong (Seth Rogan) was very disappointing. His character was nowhere close to what it should have been, and Seth Rogan did not do much to get "in character". IMO, I do hope the second movie picks up on these mistakes and does better.

[@toddacious07]

@@DayBowBow I wouldn't say reaching. In fact, this is probably the most valid and grounded review I've seen of the Mario movie so far. Everyone else has been either wokies that hated it for not being progressive enough (or for Chris Pratt), anti-wokies that are victory lapping just because wokies hate it, or nostaliga blind fans that are hypocritically excusing this movie's mediocrity in a way they won't for phase 4-5 MCU movies that are equally so mediocre. I think this one part of the video encapsualtes everything I feel about the movie: 27:53 "You can enjoy all of this if you want to. But given the choice between a fun plot-free caper with familiar settings and characters or a fun plot-free caper with familiar settings and characters AND A GREAT STORY, which would you enjoy more?" Looking at things critically and realistically, the answer is easily the latter, while the Mario movie is easily the former. Don't get me wrong, I think the movie is good. It's a fun plot-free caper with familiar settings and characters. Of course its good! But based on how all of that was executed in the actual film, it could have gone farther than good. It had the potential to be GREAT, but decided to play it safe with an over reliance of member-berries. A great Mario movie could have been able to do BOTH story and nostalgia well. This movie decided to forgo one for the other, when it could have easily done both at once. Its up to debate on whether that's Illumnation's fault or Nintendo's.

[@afroling2096]

Agreed, seem like entertainment as a whole just took a massive blow in general.

[@zosonte129]

@@DayBowBow You are just proving his fast food point. It was purely consumable and forgettable, and having fun with friends is nice and all but that does not equal quality, and nobody should settle for something because it's better than crap.

[@moemothmann6760]

The pop songs were unnecessary and unwelcome. The Mario game franchise has the most catchy, iconic, and diverse music library in video game history. There is no need to shoehorn the Beastie Boys and AC⚡DC into this film.

[@faitheffect254]

God bless you for the multitude of Douglas Adam’s references blended seamlessly into your script.

[@Nagoalc]

"Member berry equivalent of bukake" Gold. As always your humor as well as critiques are a godsend @The Little Platoon Keep up the good work!

[@daisyandbear]

I’d never before this seen a review that articulated so perfectly every thought I didn’t know I was having. Every criticism you mention explains why I was having trouble loving this movie, even though I’ve never before wanted to love a movie as much as I wanted to this.

[@jeggsonvohees2201]

Despite Peach's kingdom being in imminent danger, she chooses to slowly walk all the way to the Kong Kingdom instead of using Tanuki suits to quickly fly there.

[@jeggsonvohees2201]

@Purple Emerald Yes, they do. Those weren't the army's they were looting all the ones from the Mushroom Kingdom. There's no way Peach would only stock super Mushrooms in the kingdom, that would only make her look even dumber.

[@TheTGOAC]

Was that an eagles fly to Mordor reference??

[@jeggsonvohees2201]

@@TheTGOAC Nah, the eagke thing makes sense.

[@Duskool]

Besides "lol references" there was literally no reason to travel to Kongo Jungle, with how many toads there are in the kingdom they could've easily defeated the entire army. Especially because in-game Toads can use Power-Ups, but in the movie it isn't established that they can't use them either. Which takes me back to questioning the beginning, if the Penguin King knew he had the star, and knew which block it was on, why didn't he use it on himself? You could make the argument he wasn't powerful enough to defeat Bowser, but idk, Mario and Luggy are just regular humans vs a turtle monster and they didn't do that bad..

[@jeggsonvohees2201]

@Duskool Oh yeah, the Star completely breaks the movie in the first 5 minutes. I think the dumbest defense I've seen has been that the Penguins were charged with protecting the Star, so of they used it to defeat Bowser they would be failing their mission. As opposed to letting lizard Hitler have it. 🙄 People have been fanatically defensive of the even the slightest criticism.

[@shamboholic]

The “made for kids” argument falls apart at The Lion King, arguably one of the greatest cinematic achievements of all time. I’m still moved to tears at “Remember who you are”. It’s a cartoon about animals for kids, eh? Aim higher.

[@jamie-fm6mx]

I rarely enjoy kids movies precisely BECAUSE I can't turn my brain off....

[@killadrill]

Being for kids doesn't give you the excuse to be a brainless movie.

[@silverscorpio24]

The thing I like most about the Sonic movies is the stories and characters work outside of the nostalgia attached to the games.

[@faeb.9618]

i was gonna say, one of the sonic franchise's strengths is how flexible they are with the base lore to the point that outside of some key points (sonic being fast, the chaos emeralds giving access to chaos energy and super forms, knuckles guarding the master emerald, etc) basically just about every piece of sonic media has its own story, origin and so on. the movie could allow itself the freedom to rewrite everything the way it wanted to tell a new story because of how sonic as a franchise has already done that multiple times between different comics, shows, etc. and it does it *well*. references are very much there, but they are subtle and not taking your focus away from the story, some are blink and you'll miss it and they all are irrelevant to the story, just a nice little bonus rewarding the long time fans for paying attention. even if you know nothing about sonic as a whole, it makes a great job at explaining just what you need without going overboard, because it treats itself as a movie first and nostalgia after. so yeah the sonic movies are fucking great and i can't wait for the next one

[@emmanuelmondesir]

Sonic 2 movie fucking slaps. Best Knuckles.

[@zjzr08]

​@@faeb.9618 Seeing humans since Adventure was really weird after it seems to imply the world was full of anthromorphized animals but it somehow allowed for Sonic X and Sonic movies somehow work.

[@silvermknight]

I'm fine with humans in my Sonic media, but I'd rather have more Sonic in my Sonic movie. The fact that they crammed a romantic comedy movie into Sonic 2 was horrible.

[@silverscorpio24]

@@silvermknight True. The wedding subplot is my biggest gripe about Sonic 2. Totally didn't need to happen.

[@ScarredThumb]

Had a blast watching the movie with my siblings but you are right on the money. Seems like two hour movie they made into 90 mins at the cost of character development.

[@coryy9745]

It was rushed but fun. Toad steals the spotlight every time he's on screen. Bowser was actually intimidating. I would have preferred the movie focus on Mario and Luigi learning more about the world and becoming heroes. Maybe letting Mario learn he has to let Luigi grow and defend himself, while Luigi learns to be brave and stand on his own.

[@Slender_Man_186]

Better idea: make a Luigi’s Mansion movie where that happens.

[@yourenotmarywelcome8693]

Toad was great. However I do wish they would have spent a little more time developing Mario and Toad’s friendship. They met and were immediately BFF’s. 5 minutes of dialogue would have made such a huge difference.

[@Thomas-te2lg]

Exactly, I would rather have more screen time of Mario and Luigi than Mario and Peach. Hell, I'd take more Mario and Donkey Kong (Seth Rogan did alright as Donkey Kong besides that awful Seth Rogan laugh he does) or Mario and Toad over Mario and Peach.

[@danielmunoz1275]

I think many critics and reviewers are being too harsh with this movie, as if they didn't knew what is was going to be about and the track record: 1-Mario games have NEVER been neither outstanding nor complex in their stories. From there the source material did not provide anything beyond a simple rescue structure plot. 2-The Studio making the movie: Illumination, is known for making mediocre to bad movies in regards to writing. Also, the trailers (which purpose is to promote the best qualities of a movie) never portrayed anything groundbreaking or complex about the plot. It was simple fun, references, and amazing animation, and that's exactly what the movie actually was, so great job there. In conclusion, the movie in general terms is nothing outstanding, I agree it could've been better, but it succeeds as a very entertaining blockbuster with great visuals. Being how its purpose was to be a blockbuster I think it deserves merit, and I also think is ridiculous to analyze it with the same parameters as an actually artistic/serious movie that has more intentions beyond being commercial. Super Mario Bros is better than the entirety of the MCU in the last 2 years, and that's because they aim to do what this movie did, but fail under their woke propaganda and fail attempts to serious stories, at least Super Mario Bros makes a functional and enjoyable story, despite its lack of depth.

[@ssseee3ds463]

​@@danielmunoz1275 "Mario games have NEVER been neither outstanding nor complex in their stories. From there the source material did not provide anything beyond a simple rescue structure plot." Yeah, i guess the RPG Games, Mario Sunshine and Galaxy don't exist then. I mean i would be fine with a simple story for a Mario Movie (mainly for the first one) but that doesn't mean you cannot make the Mario characters interresting while being still Mario. Also, for the many games that didn't have a story, A LEAST the gameplay was interresting and fun to play. This is a MOVIE, doesn't matter if it's a Mario one or not. "The Studio making the movie: Illumination, is known for making mediocre to bad movies in regards to writing." Okay and? We cannot critiquize the film because it made by Illumination? If it was made by the likes of Pixar or Dreamwork and it was the exact same movie, now we would allowed to give it a 6/10? "Also, the trailers (which purpose is to promote the best qualities of a movie) never portrayed anything groundbreaking or complex about the plot. It was simple fun, references, and amazing animation, and that's exactly what the movie actually was, so great job there." So the trailers showed it was doomed to be mid? Don't get me wrong, when they showed a reference, i was actually like "wow they showed this in the movie!" to my friends, we all were in fact. But it didn't stopped me from not liking the fact that Mario is pretty much the exact same character than he was in the beggining, Toad was just there to be the (not that funny) comedic relief, Peach was a boring character, DK and Mario have that lame emotionnal moment (although the "well your dad's right" was actually funny), Bowser felt weird to me and the movie felt so rushed. "In conclusion, the movie in general terms is nothing outstanding, I agree it could've been better, but it succeeds as a very entertaining blockbuster with great visuals. Being how its purpose was to be a blockbuster I think it deserves merit, and I also think is ridiculous to analyze it with the same parameters as an actually artistic/serious movie that has more intentions beyond being commercial." Yeah, it's TOTALLY ridiculous to compare a Mario Movie to a good Movie. Dude, you can still give it a 6/10 weither it's a commercial or not. Everyone hated the Emoji Movie because it was just a commercial. "Super Mario Bros is better than the entirety of the MCU in the last 2 years, and that's because they aim to do what this movie did, but fail under their woke propaganda and fail attempts to serious stories, at least Super Mario Bros makes a functional and enjoyable story, despite its lack of depth." Bruh that like saying eating paper is better than eating shit, like yeah that's true i guess but again that doesn't make the movie good and giving the movie a 6/10 ISN'T being harsh, it's just saying the movie is okay. Also Doctor Strange 2 is at least a movie that is ironicly funny unlike the Mario movie.

[@77789star]

All I'm going to say is, this movie saved my life. It restored and brought back at time of happy memories and pure innocents that otherwise have been long forgotten due to life's unforgiving circumstances. So I Love it purely for that!

[@brendaspence1824]

“Saved my life” Oh wow 😂😂😂

[@77789star]

@@brendaspence1824 What can I say, my life was "dead" until I watched this movie! 😂

[@Kernwadi]

“You are not defined by your hairline.” -Bilbo Baggins

[@MarvinHartmann452]

I thought it was a from Napoleon.

[@successrebirthmahle5155]

The first problem with this movie is that it got made by illumination

[@genmaicha.lapsang]

I haven't seen a movie in theatres since March of 2022. And since 2016 I have averaged about 1-2 a year. Prior to that, I was going once a month. It's getting very hard for me to care about film generally anymore. Your review/analysis just makes me sad precisely becuase it was so well thought and well articulated. I originally was kind of excited when I saw the trailers and was considering going...now I'm not going to bother. Excellent work as always, TLP.

[@Adrak-Hiano]

You said it all..

[@genmaicha.lapsang]

@@Adrak-Hiano I did watch "The Northman," at home, great film. And there is still good movies bring made world wide. But it's tough to get invested when most of the stuff in theatres in my country is bland corporate American collectivist propaganda. So, I'm out. There are other things out there in the world. We just have to find them

[@brandonayala4605]

Don’t form your own opinion, have others think for you 🤡

[@Adrak-Hiano]

@@genmaicha.lapsang True, then again, there are theaters that play older movies, that were more focused on the quality of the story than on political correctness and whatnot

[@marvinbido4073]

I don't think this is the best course of action...

[@WatanukiProductions]

I don't actually want a Nintendo Cinematic Universe. I want very different things from each Nintendo franchise. I want Zelda to have a completely different artstyle, Star Fox to have yet another artstyle, Metroid I'd prefer was live action. I'd much prefer they each have their own tones and genres, just focus on making individually good films than try to make everything cohesive and similar enough to fit within the same universe.

[@TheLittlePlatoon]

I’m up for that, but they don’t necessarily contradict. Smash Bros shows (in basic terms) how you can mash disparate art styles together into a cohesive form. I actually *want* an NCU, but one which borrows from the character of its origins to become something quite distinct, as opposed to a simple Marvel clone.

[@mystere4838]

​@@TheLittlePlatoon To make my comment brief, I agree

[@WatanukiProductions]

@@TheLittlePlatoon That's a very good point and I'm largely speaking from a jaded position after seeing the floundering of the MCU and its copies over the last decade but it's conceivable for Nintendo to do it as they have with Smash Brothers. I just don't want them to aim for a unified style or tone in anticipation of a future crossover. They could unify disparate artstyles while keeping them distinct as only Smash Bros seems to... though if I'm wishing, I'm quite intrigued at the thought of a crossover film that takes the 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' route.

[@zjzr08]

​@@TheLittlePlatoon While Smash did crossovers pretty well I think it had the premise that the characters are alternate, toy-like versions of thr game characters, made with a unique "story" by a kid, that's likely represented by Master Hand, like a Lego Movie scenario.

[@Shineingrock7]

I think the most disappointing aspect of this movie is the fact that they would not allow Mario to save Princess Peach. This is the same reason why the latest Little Mermaid (among it's sea of plot holes) was truly awful as it decided to make Ariel the hero- for no apparent reason other than to try and undeservedly give her the win. Why did Princess Peach solve the platform puzzle on her first try? Girl power. How did Ariel steer a vessel that she has no earthly idea how to drive and with no legs? You guessed it- girl power.

[@therealdeal3866]

The tip jar seems to be working. I wanted to come back and make sure that I kept my word, Platoon. Every time you keep me from wasting my time and money on a shitty movie, I’m giving the equivalent price of a movie ticket to you. Thank you!

[@redbeardthe1st486]

I think this film is essentially proof of concept and will be most judged by the films it spawns. If the films that follow are well written and clever, then we will see this as a necessary bland bedrock. If the films are terrible, then it will be seen as a promising first step.

[@alexs29]

Hard agree. It all depends on writing quality from the sequels and spinoffs from this point forward. If they continue fumbling in their writing, then I suspect people will rapidly loose interest and they'll eventually underperform as a result. They can only coast on nostalgia, easter eggs, references and memberberries for so long before general audiences crave for something more substantial.

[@Ladondorf]

We already saw this experiment play out with the sequel trilogy. It's not gonna go well.

[@redbeardthe1st486]

@Ladondorf The sequel trilogy was a continuation of a successful film series. This is entirely different. This is a new series. Not episodes 7, 8, & 9 of an existing series.

[@Ladondorf]

@@redbeardthe1st486 What I mean is that when the Force Awakens came out, everyone agreed that it was bland and full of more nostalgia than story. But people argued that perhaps TFA was a necessary bland bedrock for more well written and clever films to follow. This is what you're arguing the Mario movie might serve as. I am predicting that just like episodes 8 and 9, the sequels to the Mario movie will only get worse and worse, until people look back on the Mario Movie and realize it was a misstep, just like The Force Awakens was.

[@redbeardthe1st486]

@Ladondorf I'm not so pessimistic. KK chased everyone with talent and a love of Star Wars out of LucasFilm. Nintendo has alot of love for Mario. And it has ALOT of talent. I'm willing to give the next films a chance.

[@Martin-kt7cp]

I watched this yesterday with my 11 year old daughter, we both left the cinema feeling underwhelmed. In her words "It was okay, but i don't like what they did with Luigi. They could of done so much more". We both agreed it could of been waaaaaay better and the beginning could of been cut out. We were genuinely getting bored and tired towards the end.

[@protag64toons2.0]

So making luigi a lot more coward?

[@normadgarmez7026]

That's what my young relatives said as well. Though they added that Peach was too much of a girlboss that never loses which they thought was boring. And the ending was too quick.

[@leob4403]

​@@normadgarmez7026see they are not allowed to think that! Women are always superior and best at everything, this is what we need to teach our children

[@marplatense31]

I got some major red flags from the trailer alone. First of all, the fact that Peach is so active in this movie, instead of being kidnapped like, you know, every Mario game ever, made me raise an eyebrow. People say "bUt PEaCh wAS pLaYAbLe bEForE" Well, couldn't they save that for the sequel? Also Peach was kicking so much ass in that trailer which made me wonder "Well if she's THIS competent, what do they even need Mario for?" The second thing that raised a red flag for me in that trailer was all the references. Like, A LOT of references. To the point where I was wondering what the hell was going on.

[@chiebukachibee-zoraedu]

She doesn't need Mario. Mario was in the Mushroom Kingdom to save his brother Luigi from Bowser, who Peach plans to stop. Their plans just so happen to coincide with each other, so that's why Peach took him with her.

[@marplatense31]

@@chiebukachibee-zoraedu And now you've given me a reason to NOT watch the movie. Guess this movie isn't "Super Mario Bros" as much as it is "Super Princess Peach Featuring: Mario".

[@chiebukachibee-zoraedu]

@@marplatense31 Fine, don't watch it! I'm just telling you something that you clearly missed the point of.

[@marplatense31]

@@chiebukachibee-zoraedu I don't give a shit what point these idiots were trying to make. When they make a movie adaptation, I expect a plot that is true to the source material. Not to mention, a good story.

[@ThePoisonSteel]

I'm very glad someone is actually willing to sit down and criticize the movie instead of saying "it's a kid's movie, it was fun," especially pointing out the blatant hypocrisy of how empty and reference heavy it is when said criticism is always applied to the MCU and Star Wars and everything else. It felt incredibly disposable to me. If Nintendo plans to do a big cinematic universe with this as a base, leave the story-focused franchises like Zelda, FE, or XC out of it. Those will simply bear EVEN WORSE wasted potential.

[@mre1561]

I get what you're saying I'm just baffled at the "reference heavy" argument like some people are making. The movie itself is a reference, to the titular characters. Not to mention we're talking about the same company who created Super Smash series....a virtual embodiment of references, easter eggs, and cameos.

[@XanderVJ]

If this movie was based on Zelda, FE or XC, you'd have a point. But... no, there's no hypocrisy in this whatsoever. It's just that people's expectations when it comes to narrative in the Mario franchise are REALLY that low. And Illumination's involvement pretty much dug further so the expectations pretty much reached the planet core.

[@EvilExcalibur]

Especially FE which is all about the characters more than any overarching plot. Also I personally don't want a LoZ movie but an anime instead. That would be awesome (potentially hopefully maybe)

[@AbsoluteBumder]

After seeing so many people from the "cynical media critic" sphere of KZbin soying out over this movie because it jangles keys they like while not being insultingly bad, I'm glad to see someone who wasn't suckered in.

[@OxygenC2]

@@XanderVJ That's the point that these nerds aren't getting. Yes we knew what we were getting into and yes it could've been told better, but in the end most people came away from the movie enjoying it, and the film succeeded what it set out to do. I don't wanna see cinephiles act like victims, when they're the same kind of people who will trash something the average person just wants to enjoy. Mario was never story heavy in general compared to Zelda, Fire Emblem, and Xenoblade.

[@joshg1845]

Speaking to your point about kids' movies not having to be brainless: A very very very talented man named Hayao Miyazaki has removed any possible use of the "it's for kids, it doesn't have to be thoughtful". A film like "My Neighbor Totoro" or "Spirited Away" has more nuance, thoughtfulness, appreciation for the struggles of children and genuine intentions than anything Disney or Illumination has shat onto our screens in the last 10 years. I'm tired of this excuse being used for animation, and the people who use this excuse for things like superhero or action movies are just sad.

[@RobotTanuki]

This is probably the best critique of the film. I especially like you calling out some people that they focus on "The woke critics hate the film so it must be great" angle. I learnt a lot from this analysis. Well done!

[@TheLittlePlatoon]

Thank you!

[@ceasarsaran8573]

Actually, its true. The fans like it, the critics hate it. You seem to forget its a movie about Mario Brothers. What did you think ti would be?

[@henkhenkste6076]

@@ceasarsaran8573 you cant be this dumb, or just misinterpreting on purpose?

[@thecod2345]

@@ceasarsaran8573 I mean to put it in perspective, Puss in Boots the last wish was a movie about Puss in Boots. No one expected anything from it, it’s just about that funny Spanish cat from Shrek, and that can very much apply to the first movie. However the second is excellent on its own terms. The Mario movie could have done similarly well but they didn’t invest nearly enough in its potential story.

[@Turamwdd]

@@thecod2345 And this is the first Mario movie we have had. Weird that you are comparing it to Puss in Boots 2.

[@normalgraham]

The idea that the Mario movie is appreciably worse than the original Iron Man film in any real way is one worth exploring in greater detail, because I don't think its one particularly well suited to survive scrutiny. Both were essentially long-form advertisements for the merits of their heroes as saleable franchise mastheads and I'd say they accomplished that aim to the exact same degree of success as one another. I'd be very curious as to the Little Platoon's take on what properties DO NOT need to do better, which ones fully realize the absolute potential of their premise. I hear the LEGO Movie brought up constantly as an example of an animated film that goes beyond the expected parameters and does a creditable job in doing so, so why are we not tearing it apart trying to figure out how to make it work better? What is it about the low hanging fruit that tastes so good? Platoon's major contention seems to be that the Mario movie fails to tell a story that resonates with a broader audience than the initial demographic (gamer/comic book reader) but evidently ignores the fact that the Mario movie making a billion dollars means it succeeded in a way Platoon fails to recognize. It is incredibly tempting to chalk it up to "well in this instance people were just responding to a flashy bunch of visuals" and maybe that's all there is to it. Maybe that's why this version succeeded where the much uglier 90's live action film failed. Or maybe it did something they aren't giving it credit for, and they're trying to yuck its yum rather than really understanding it. It's hard to say at this juncture.

[@MajoraOra64]

This is perhaps the first review video where you can really feel Platoon being marginally upset and let down, having all the investment in gaming as a child I assume, wanting so much more to occur. My hope and I stretch hope, is that Miyamoto(given Nintendo of Japan had apparently a lot of control on this) just wanted something fun and extremely safe since he's likely never forgotten the live-action film. That going forward they will begin to actually flesh things out with the initial success out of the way.

[@MegaMilenche]

I actually like the live-action film, it was so 90's :D

[@etrangray-mane8610]

Yeah. It's called a solid foundation, that was actually pretty focused. As Warner showed us with the DCU, you need a good foundation or else your cinematic universe will fall apart. And maybe it's because I haven't been able to watch Phase 1 Marvel in a while, but I don't recall them being that complex compared to later Phase 2 & 3 movies.

[@jwroot]

What was he expecting? A deep and complex story with deep and complex characters? The Mario games didn't really have that, so the filmmakers did what they had to do and that was adapting it faithfully while showing respect to the lore and to the fans.

[@KevD720]

@@jwroot…did you even watch the video?😂

[@leob4403]

​@@KevD720of course he didn't, or if he watched it he didn't understand any of it, so goes back to parroting

[@CleverGirlAAH]

*pounds table* THANK YOU!!

[@r.downgrade5836]

I actually saw this video's timer, and saw that it was coming out 2 hours after I was going to see the movie. And I've got to say, even before watching your video, I came out of the film angry. I felt as though I had been attacked by the movie for how thoroughly and aggressively anti-story-development it was.

[@BWMagus]

If it's true that Miyamoto was involved in the creation of the movie, then it really would be anti-story--it's like inviting a guy who thinks all food should be intensely spicy and savory to bake your wedding cake.

[@NikoJr.]

@@BWMagus I remember how he made the story in Mario Galaxy 2 super barebones because he didn't like how much story was in Mario Galaxy 1. The thing is, I have a strong attachment to MG1 *because* of the story, so it drives me up a wall that Miyamoto is so anti-narrative

[@JudgeTrudy]

Subscribe to the Anti Mario Movie Organization so we can get the Mario Movie deleted.

[@paradiseracer2437]

Jack Black was perfect for Bowser. Chris Pratt was great for the Lego Movie. But please, let's choose voice actors for voice acting

[@Brian80s]

I would wager most of the effort you reference was put in and revolved around Peach before Nintendo cut said parts out. The end result was what we were given. Objectively, most of the framework of the movie centers around her. You can see the traces of the directions the writing wanted to go before it abruptly changes course at several points.

[@BWMagus]

Really? That seems an odd take; Peach is the character least like her Nintendo-self. Almost seems like that's the one area where Nintendo was told to shut the fuck up if they want this movie to happen.

[@Brian80s]

@@BWMagus Not at all. Luigi is out of the picture, Peach is at the forefront with Mario instead for most of the movie. Instead of his brother lifting him up, it's Peach that pushes Mario to go on. Peach comes off like Mario has to prove himself to her, when he would have gone to save his brother anyhow. When Mario confronts Bowser, it isn't he and Luigi up until the end. Also, they can't allow Bowser to kidnap Peach. No, he's going to take the star and share it with her in hopes she'll marry him. He only resorts to blackmail when she refuses his offer. That's just it; Peach wasn't Peach. If she'd been Daisy everything she did made sense. She was fashioned into the story revolving around her. She drives it and makes it all happen; Mario is just along for the ride. Nintendo understandably put the brakes on that. Nintendo wanted the movie to be about *Mario* and made what changes they could ending up with what's been shown.

[@FA-nd9uk]

@BWMagus. You think that Nintendo will allow anyone to tell them to stfu while handling one of their most valuables ips.? Specially after the 1st Mario movie? Lmao

[@blackosprey2219]

Between current trends and the fact it's Illumination, I think people were expecting something unbearable rather than bland. Vanilla pudding will seem like sophisticated gourmet food if you compare it to roadkill.

[@snintendog]

I kind of find it funny that TLP used ROADKILL (recent marvel) as an example of good story telling.

[@boobah5643]

@@snintendog He used Phase 1 as an example of good story telling; that counts as 'recent marvel?'

[@jeggsonvohees2201]

If you cook roadkill the right way when it's still fresh enough you can make some pretty good dishes. 😅

[@snintendog]

@@boobah5643 yes that was dog shit still

[@blackosprey2219]

@@jeggsonvohees2201 true! Clarification: rotten roadkill.

[@demoulius1529]

Yet another movie whree the writers think that making references is a good substitute for character....

[@MichaelAarons1701]

For me, a major problem I had was that the middle act is ultimately a waste of time, and that Mario (having gotten to the Mushroom Kingdom) is completely incompetent unless there is a power-up to be had. He never actually finishes Peach's obstacle course despite his show of mild parkour when rushing to that job in the apartment implying he had skills that would make him awesome to the mushroom people and is nothing but a weakling without a power-up as a safety vest instead. And even the power ups don’t correlate with the situation they are used in. For instance, Mario receives the cat suit to fight Donkey Kong rather than paying tribute to the original game and giving Mario a hammer which would make sense given it’s a tool one _might_ find in a plumber’s tool bag. Special mention that the leaf turns Mario into a tanuki despite that being a slightly different totem to receive that transformation. I know power-ups are something no regular player wants to got through the games without (and sometimes can’t finish a level without) but it kind of undermines Mario as a character and makes it seem like the power-ups are the stars (😏🤩🤭) of the show and anyone could save the day in Mario’s place. And that’s on top of the fact that in most of the games, you don’t actually use the power-ups to fight Bowser. You can but it’s usually something else you have to do to actually give the players a challenge and the power-ups is just insurance in case you get hit trying. The final episode of _The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3_ called "Super Koopa" shows King Koopa has developed for him a special talisman that lets him harness the powers of the power-ups on command because he realized Mario and the gang were constantly pwning him with power-ups. The pendant only works in the real world where Mario et al can't normally access power ups turning the tables and it made him a much larger threat than he generally was. It ultimately winds up a power-up showdown which means equal footing. This movie acts like power-ups are necessary for Mario or Luigi to have any chance at equal footing which doesn't really inspire anyone. It's like saying come on over and not suck by holding a gun. Your problems just go away when you hold a gun!🙄 Without a gun, you're a nobody who doesn't stand a chance.

[@protag64toons2.0]

I know it’s sound stupid but, was that a threat the last word you said

[@MichaelAarons1701]

@@protag64toons2.0 No…😐If you read it properly you’ll easily realize that no one, not even myself, is speaking to any particular person and it’s symbolism that a person has item of power therefore what it means for secondary person who opposes them. In fact, I was invoking the fact of “you just brought a fist to a gun fight” adage.

[@protag64toons2.0]

@@MichaelAarons1701 okay

[@tjh6678]

I'm so glad someone else feels this way. As a lifelong Mario nut, you can imagine I had plenty of fun with this movie in the theater, but Mario blowing the obstacle course in spite of his pre-established parkour skills & the power-ups being more a crutch than a tool in battles are aspects that have always bugged me. No one else ever acknowledged it tho, so I felt like maybe I was just crazy & lookin too deep into it, but it's reassuring to find a comment like this!

[@akerumiyamoto]

​​@@tjh6678 I feel the same exact way as a huge Mario fan, the fact that Nintendo confirmed that Mario is a skilled martial artist just has me questioning why he doesn't use it in the film.

[@midnightjay]

This video sums up the review I left on letterboxed to a 'T' and does it better. I'm glad there's someone on youtube who can openly discuss why the movie is flawed. Why it's not really a film in structure and how it lacks thematic cohesiveness. Not asking for a complex film--not even a risk taking one--just a competent one. And I enjoyed the movie for what it was but there's so much they didn't bother to do to make it work as a story and not just a video game adaption. It could've been phenomenal as both with some leg work with the writing.

[@TheGloopOfMobius]

Agreed

[@baz2374]

Fantastic review. Some hilarious, cutting comments prior to beginning the review. Especially the BBC. I was in tears. 😂

[@JustAboutTime]

Kinda funny when people use the excuse that kids films need to be simple. I grew up with ‘The Dark Crystal’, ‘Wind in the willows’ and ‘Dangermouse’ and all those had levels of humour and history depth that went way beyond a kids ability … but as a kid it made me go up to my parents and ask them what all these new words I was hearing meant. Funny right? .. making kids learn by making them curious about stuff. I learned what a ‘Proctologist’ was from a Bugs Bunny cartoon .. good luck finding those kinds of references these days 😏

[@WoahLookAtThatFreak]

@Chandller Burse No, but it would be nice if "kids" movies like Super Mario Bros.didn't treat their audience, both kids and adults, like complete simpletons.

[@austinreed7343]

And you’d call the deep ones being made today “woke”

[@ibbyseed]

The Lego movie is the perfect example of how to make a movie out of an existing property. a shame this didn’t take notes from it

[@Peeps7468]

I think they *DID* take notes. “Hire Chris Pratt”. 😂

[@Spider-Complexion]

The movie was fun but I felt like it was definitely just playing it safe a lot. Only thing I hope from the sequel tho, is that movie is longer which I think is a good thing to say.

[@S2Pot_Gaming]

23:39 was basically my experience in a nutshell. I had a grand time playing "I spy" while watching it. I'll never argue the the movie was good, but I had a blast. My apologies for being part of the problem in this case.

[@laserwolf65]

I thought this barely qualified as a movie, but my five year old loved it. And you know what? Seeing that smile on her face was worth the price of admission for me. I sure hope they remember to include an actual story in the next one though.

[@Litgator]

0:32 Brilliant opening. Made my day.

[@kylemundy8871]

So many talented comedic writers on the voice staff and this is what we got

[@CuteRedPanda64]

Don't think they were writing it just voices for the characters.

[@isamu237]

There's a good chance this movie will hit $1 billion worldwide box office, and people are clearly talking about it. All because it's not hot garbage shoving an agenda down your throat. That's all it takes today; which isn't even the saddest part. Even worse than that, the biggest entertainment brand in the world can't be bothered with that simple little lesson. Huzzah. What a time to be alive.

[@killadrill]

Why does it always come down to the agenda thing? People just like it out of nostalgia, not everyone is like you and judges movies based on how many woke things it has.

[@EliteMacFreak]

People like me that haven't gone to film school lack the ability to explain in words what's wrong with character building, but we can feel the hollowness. This episode came very close to providing a "character writing 101" class--would you ever consider making a video like that? One way to turn the industry around is by educating the audience, and I think you could do that--the smarter the audience, the higher the writing standard has to be for a film to be successful.

[@germanxmascookie]

This was posted 8 months ago??? It just came up on my search results today. Wtf?

[@corporalkarambit]

I'd defend Peach not being kidnapped here. Mario has no motive to go after Peach in the movie considering they're strangers to each other.

[@zjzr08]

I think they could change it a bit where the motive is they needed Peach to get sort of magic to get back to Brooklyn, or maybe Mario's "heroic instinct" compels him to be a hero in a world that may accept him...although many do wonder if they just had Mario, Luigi and Peach just interact and not be captured, maybe have the brothers need help to get back to their world, with Peach being the only key and they need to help her to get back, only to realize there's a much bigger purpose here.

[@CuteRedPanda64]

​@@zjzr08Probably would've been better in fact so much better.

[@drzerogi]

@@zjzr08 Exactly, any compentent writer can create a motive for a hero to save a princess.

[@wolven6078]

This may just be me being overly cynical, but I have a sneaking suspicion, as producer, Shigeru Miyamoto had a little something to do with the utter lack of a cohesive plot. The man is legendary in gaming for doing everything in his power to prevent story or character development from touching his IPs. Many of the touching story moments we associate with classic Nintendo games like Link's Awakening and Majora's Mask came from Yoshiaki Koizumi literally sneaking them in because he knew Miyamoto would have them overturned. I saw a ton of creative ideas and great potential from this movie, but it almost seemed like someone had an active hand in preventing them from connecting to each other and making any kind of sense. And again, that may just be me being a cynical gaming bastard, but given Miyamoto's infamous history with stubbornly playing Story Goalie, I do have to wonder.

[@TheLittlePlatoon]

That’s really fascinating. I’ve seen it in a couple of comment now. Evidently I need to go learn more about the guy!

[@ElliotKeaton]

TIL the entire Zelda series is a hoax because Sticker Star exists. I bet Miyamoto eats babies when no one is looking too.

[@sztallone415]

why does he do this to his own stuff? he fears that once you make a plot element, you can't do it again, locking yourself out of options?

[@limabarreto911]

@@TheLittlePlatoon Look for the counter videos as well, though, to get a complete picture

[@rnk7555]

That's literally what the rumor running around is, Miyamoto wanted the movie to be as close to a videogame be, a 1980s videogame to be exact

[@joshuakim5240]

Honestly, the main issue with the movie is the shoehorning of the Donkey Kong section, which eats up a huge amount of time and also causes Mario, Peach, and Toad to have to rush to several more setpieces with little room for characterization. They should have been harassed by Kamek and that one absolute madman Rainbow Road Koopa, as that Koopa seemed to have been portrayed as if he had some sort of personal grudge against Mario despite never seeing him until the Rainbow Road section. Jee, it really would have been neat if that Koopa was a henchman who Mario foils once or twice to develop a grudge that would warrant him committing a freaking kamikaze attack. The Kong segments could have been just Mario, Peach, and Toad rallying the rest of the Toad villages to mount a defense against Bowser's oncoming army, allowing more interactions between them and the Koopas sent to stop this. The Rainbow Road segment could have been the Mushroom Kingdom realizing that they had no chance to win defending so they try a last resort surprise attack on Rainbow Road and get stomped to result in...basically 60% of the movie still being exactly the same, but that 40% s free to be used for more characterization moments. Because the framework is there and pretty good, but once you actually think about how pointless the Kong section was you realize that it probably should have been saved for a sequel.

[@TGtornadoe]

I have a rule with films. If I can come up with a better movie while watching your movie then your movie isn’t bad, it just wouldn’t take much work to make it better.

[@tino9117]

I see this video, I see the rest of the channel, it quickly makes sense what type of guy we have here