Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Super Mario Bros. Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 9, 2023

With the Switch, Nintendo has regained its relevance in the console gaming marketplace after the somewhat disastrous Wii U era (an era I personally enjoyed because there were some terrific games on the platform, most of which have now been ported over to the Switch as well). Though the console is "underpowered" compared to its Sony and Microsoft competitors, the company's know-how in terms of both building legitimately great first party games and taking full advantage of every drop of power in the system has made gaming fun again rather than just example after example of rote content that only pushes graphical power rather than entertainment value. That's not to say that Nintendo's rivals aren't producing great games, too, but pound-for-pound this generation belongs to Nintendo for overall gameplay excellence and diverse spread of truly great games. The company's forays into other areas have been a little less than inspiring over the years, whether its own breakfast cereal or its rather disappointing live action film adaptation of its cherished Super Mario Bros. game series, which is the company's flagship. But with new technology in moviemaking comes all-new opportunities to really take the zany, bizarre, colorful, diverse, and visually arresting and very familiar world of its various games and, with the help of Illumination -- the studio behind the wildly successful Despicable Me franchise -- make something that really brings the full spectrum of the Super Mario experience to the big screen in a way that finally does justice to this iconic brand.

Brothers Mario (voiced by Chris Pratt) and Luigi (voiced by Charlie Day) are New York-based plumbers who are desperate for work. When they find it, they blunder their way to a major plumbing disaster that threatens the entire city. When they take it upon themselves to head underground and fix the problem, they find themselves magically warped to the Mushroom Kingdom where they learn that the nefarious Bowser (voiced by Jack Black) has his romantic sights set on the benevolent Princess Peach (voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy). Now, with his brother missing, Mario joins forces with Peach and Toad (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key) who collectively embark on a wild, colorful journey to save Luigi and the Kingdom from destruction.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie movie expertly weaves together essential Mario content with countless winks-and-nods geared at fan service, whether small background information, sound effects, and so much more. It's an amalgamation of all things Mario, though certainly taking its cues from the more complex games that released since the first game on the original NES system, which was a very spartan and flat (but still fun!) side-scrolling platformer. Here, the film incorporates all the lush and lavish worlds from the more recent 3-D games, yet there are still sequences that pay homage to the original side scrolling gameplay of yore, such as when Mario and Luigi navigate a tricky course through their Brooklyn neighborhood near film's open. But once the action shifts to the Mushroom Kingdom, there are endless influences from the games. The story is original within the Mario universe, somewhat trite and straightforward through it may be, but the overall design is an amazing tribute to several decades of the plumbers' adventures on the small screen. I used to go to the movies a lot with my dad when I was a kid, and before the trailers would play and the movie would start -- before there were just endless commercials playing on the screen in between showtimes -- I would daydream about playing the original game on the giant theater screen. This movie offers the closest approximation to that experience I will likely ever have.

The movie's announcement that Chris Pratt -- not Charles Martinet, who has "voiced" the character for so long -- would lend his talents to the film as the lead character divided fans from the outset, and the end result is...OK. The film takes a healthy jab at the voices in the early minutes when Mario and Luigi talk about the thicker accent they feign during a commercial for their fledgling plumbing business. Pratt does a fair job bringing life to the character, but not a lot of spark. When a character is so ironically voiced for decades it's somewhat off-putting to have things "change," but apparently Nintendo and Illumination felt it important to draw a star into the lead rather than dance with the guy who helped get them there in the first place. Still, once things get going, the voice more or less disappears as part of the movie, anyway, just another cog in the larger mechanism, so it's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Still, more Martinet would have been pretty sweet.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Universal releases The Super Mario Bros. Movie to the UHD format with a 2160p/Dolby Vision presentation. Like the companion Blu-ray, the picture is stout and stellar, here with amplified colors that deepen the Blu-ray's SDR grading for a richer, more robust experience. Whether Peach pink, Luigi green, Mario red, and all of the dramatic shades throughout the Mushroom Kingdom (and New York), the Dolby Vision grading leaps off the screen with remarkable intensity and contrast perfection. Colors are never too dark, never too cartoonish, finding the perfect blend of depth and vitality, nuance and intensity that make this one of the most resplendently colorful and fully intricate animated UHDs on the market. Fine detail is better here, too, but the differences are not as dramatic as the colors. The picture is sharper overall with finely intricate details crisper and clarity more stable. Viewers will get the absolute best out of clothing fabrics and Mario's moustache on the UHD, but the Blu-ray doesn't exactly shortchange in these areas itself. The big gain here is the Dolby Vision grading, which amplifies the experience quite a bit. It's well worth the premium price.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Dolby Atmos track is very good. The presentation may not be the loudest on the market, but the sense of sweeping movement, perfect directionality, naturally discrete placement, and general sense of atmosphere are all finely tuned and perfectly integrated into the experience. Overhead use may be often more subtle than discrete, but there is no mistaking the overall fullness at work with this one. Clarity is perfect, too, from music to dialogue and also considering all variety of sound effects. Never before have the familiar Mario sound effects been so pleasantly full and rich as they are here. Musical engagement is wonderful, with the front main speakers carrying the bulk, but the surrounds also carry a full and complementary array of musical elements, too. Dialogue is perfectly clear and center positioned for the duration.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This UHD release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie contains a few featurettes. A Blu-ray copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• Getting to Know the Cast (2160p/Dolby Vision, 18:26 total runtime): The cast and crew talk up their characters and voice work in a handful of brief featurettes. Included are Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, and Juliet Jelenic as Lumalee.
• Leveling Up: Making The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2160p/Dolby Vision, 27:32 total runtime): A six-part feature that looks at the making of the film from various perspectives. Included are Level 1 - Inspiration, Level 2 - Design, Level 3 - Music, Level 4 - Locations, Level 5 - Power Ups, and Level 6 - Easter Eggs.
• The Super Mario Bros. Movie Field Guide (2160p/Dolby Vision, 6:41): A journey through the familiar sights and sounds, people and places seen throughout the film.
• "Peaches" Lyric Video (2160p/Dolby Vision, 2:28): Bowser sings for Peach.
• Leadership Lessons from Anya Taylor-Joy (2160p/Dolby Vision, 3:07): The Princess Peach voice actress shares some leadership lessons she learned playing the character.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's quite possible that The Super Mario Bros. Movie is the best video game-based movie ever made. It doesn't exactly have much competition, despite the large number of game-based films, but considering the dearth of good adaptations there's just not much room for argument here. The film's colorful world perfectly captures the game universe, even if the story is a bit trite (aren't they all anymore). It's a fun journey through the landscape, flaws and all. Illumination and Nintendo are reportedly in talks about bringing The Legend of Zelda to the big screen in similar manner, and that has even more potential as a fantasy-based film to capture the throne as the greatest movie-based game of them all. Universal's UHD delivers tip-top video and audio presentations paired with a few extras. Highly recommended!