The Super Mario Bros. Movie is currently off to a rough start when it comes to its aggregate review score, as the film has a "Rotten" rating of 54% at the time of this writing. The Super Mario Bros. Movie marks Nintendo's first foray into film since the disastrous launch of the 1993 live-action Super Mario Bros., which has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 28%, for comparison.
Game to movie adaptations have been on a roll lately, with the Sonic the Hedgehog films being positively received and HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us proving to be a massive hit. With Nintendo and Super Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto involved with The Super Mario Bros. Movie, many hoped that the film would keep up the trend of high quality game to movie adaptations. Unfortunately, if the early reviews are any indication, The Super Mario Bros. Movie falls well short of expectations.
There are 74 reviews for The Super Mario Bros. Movie on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of this writing, so it's entirely possible that the film's aggregate score will still fluctuate in one direction or another. However, it seems likely that it will stay around the 54% mark. Looking at the reviews, it seems many critics were disappointed by the basic plot. Others complained that the film felt like a long advertisement for the Super Mario games. However, the film is not without its positive reviews.
Super Mario Bros. Movie Reviews
Some critics have glowing praise for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, complimenting the musical score, vibrant visuals, sense of humor, and fun factor. Additionally, Chris Pratt's portrayal of Mario seems to have been received mostly well by critics, which may come as a surprise to fans. In any case, it seems if one is already a big fan of the Super Mario franchise the movie adaptation should still be a safe bet, but perhaps those who aren't really into the series may not enjoy it quite as much.
While it's safe to say Nintendo may have wanted better reviews for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the most important gauge of the film's success will be its box office performance. The Super Mario Bros. Movie could very well wind up being one of the biggest blockbuster releases of the entire year, but it's possible the less-than-stellar reviews may hurt it somewhat. If the film is a success, one has to imagine that more Nintendo game-to-movie adaptations would be in the cards.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie premieres in theaters on April 5.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes