- Super Mario Bros. The film received poor reviews from critics, but box office analysts are predicting a big weekend for the Nintendo adaptation.
- The film currently holds a 54% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 122 reviews, giving it a "rotten" rating.
- The film is projected to earn over $100 million on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and over $150 million over the full five days of release starting Wednesday.
© CNBC Chris Pratt and Charlie Day courtesy of Universal and Illumination Mario and Luigi
Super Mario Bros. The film does not seem to impress the critics.
Produced by Universal and Illumination, the Nintendo film was praised for its stunning visuals, but failed to impress reviewers. As of Wednesday afternoon, Rotten Tomatoes has a "rotten" rating of 54% from 122 reviews.
Critics say the well-developed character is based on episodes taken directly from the video games and the character development. They were saddened by jokes and unfunny voices calling him names. That is, except for Jack Black, who voices the villain Bowser.
So far, audiences have reacted positively to the film, with over 100 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and an audience rating of 98%. Box office analysts don't expect poor critical reviews to keep moviegoers, especially families, from going to theaters to see The Super Mario Bros. movie".
The film is expected to be the top-grossing video game adaptation domestically at the box office, surpassing last year's $72 million debut, Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
According to BoxOffice.com, projections currently suggest that "Super Mario Bros. The Movie will gross over $100 million on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and $150 million over the full five days starting Wednesday. Universal sought between 100 and $110 million at the domestic box office over the 5-day holiday weekend.
What critics are saying about Super Mario Bros. The movie:
Nicholas Barber, BBC
The film's plot revolves around Brooklyn brothers Mario and Luigi who want to start their own plumbing business, much to the chagrin of their father.
Viewers get a glimpse of Chris Pratt (Mario) and Charlie Day (Luigi) donning an exaggerated Italian accent as part of an exaggerated TV commercial for their business. The movie also uses this ad to explain why Mario and Luigi wear white gloves.
Nicholas Barber reviewed the film for the BBC and the film gains momentum "one night when the brothers investigate an inexplicable flood and discover an inexplicable magical trumpet". "The pipeline will take them both to another planet or perhaps another universe, never discovered."
While the brothers are separated, Mario descends into the fabled Mushroom Kingdom, where he meets Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Toad (Kegan-Michael Key) and finds himself in the arms of the terrifying Bowser, who is out to capture him. . Marry the Kingdom of Mushrooms and Peaches with Luigi.
"The problem starts when Mario is suddenly surrounded by flying bricks, giant gold coins, bonus cubes and electronic sound effects that only make sense in the context of video games," Barber said. "For now, it's clear that the filmmakers have moved away from creating a cartoon that everyone can enjoy, and have instead focused on references to benefit die-hard gaming fans."
According to Barber, screenwriter Matthew Vogel (Minions: The Rise of Gru, The Lego Movie 2: Episode Two) did an effective job incorporating various video game references, “but the movie lacks good jokes. lines, funny productions, touching emotional moments and without playing with insults, any viewer can enjoy it.
Read the full review from the BBC.
© CNBC's Jack Black voices the villain Bowser, presented by Universal and Illumination.
Radeyan Simonpillay, The Globe and Mail
Critics call it "Super Mario Bros." Long before they sat down to watch the movie, the big question came up for the movie's most famous actor, Chris Pratt.
Initially, fans wondered if Pratt would attempt to use the "I Am" accent, and producers expressed mixed feelings that he would not. Half of the netizens were relieved, while the other half were worried about how Mario's sudden appearance on the big screen would sound.
At the end of the day, Radejan Simonpilli of the Globe and Mail wrote: "The Internet was right, Chris Pratt was completely wrong as the main character."
"The problem here isn't that Pratt can't translate Charles Martinet's helium-filled 'This jam me' and 'Go' lines into video games," says Simonpilli. “The thing is, Pratt is a very different character—a short, mustachioed plumber with a turtle shell who's not average at all—and he gives one of the most down-to-earth and over-the-top performances. I have come across many Watchmen, The Galaxy and The Lego movies.
Simonpilla called Pratt's voice "bloody and hollow" and called Seth Rogan Donkey Kong and Black Bowser only impressed the audience.
He also called the story "8-bit"—as many critics called the film's use—referring to the 2D animation of the original Mario games.
"I wonder if the filmmakers were too scared to go beyond standard copyrighted material like 1993's Super Mario Bros." To finish such a terrible feature film," he said.
Read the full review from the Globe and Mail.
AA David, Chron
"The Super Mario Bros. Movie." so wonderful and so fun to watch at first that it takes a while to realize that it's not a movie at all, "wrote AA Daoud. In its absence, it rejects the best. The animation can be purchased with money."
Dowd, like other critics, noted that the cartoon was a visual feast, "beautifully drawn".
"But the long jump animators here don't understand the difference between the time and care they put into their work and the effort they put into writing," he said.
As for the plot, Dowd wonders why Mario is taking the time to create a textbook-style montage where Princess Peach plays a damsel in distress. .
"It would probably be silly to complain about the story in the stage adaptation," he said.
"But" Super Mario Bros. The general story of the film is “stock offering; It's hard to shake the feeling that this is written with a checklist, more easter eggs than plot points and more needles… than jokes. ."
He said that the scene between Mario and the other characters was written late in production and inserted into the film.
"It's all pure CG animation, kind of brushing up… well, whatever Mario throws down in his day job," he said.
Read the full review from the Chron.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC. NBCUniversal owns Rotten Tomatoes and is the distributor of The Super Mario Bros. movie".