After three long decades, a new Super Mario Bros movie has arrived–and it’s pretty great! The animated film was made with all sorts of love for the Mario IP, but much more importantly: It’s crafted with skill and genuine cleverness. It’s a good movie, full stop. But it’s also a good Mario movie.
If you want a spoiler-free discussion to help you decide if you want to make a trip to the theater this week, you can and should check out GameSpot’s Super Mario Bros. Movie review. Otherwise, below I’ll break down some of the very best moments, characters and action sequences that make The Super Mario Bros Movie such a winner. As such: there are major spoilers ahead for The Super Mario Bros Movie. You have been warned.
That Super Mario Bros. plumbing commercial
The Super Mario Bros Movie starts with a cold open that shows Bowser’s ongoing conquest of the universe that the Mushroom Kingdom is in–we saw a condensed version of this scene in the first trailer for the movie. It sets the epic stakes of the story and is full of faux-gritty seriousness. And then it cuts to a local plumbing commercial, starring Brooklyn’s own Mario and Luigi, complete with a ditty inspired by the Super Mario Bros Super Show theme song.