Super Mario World

• Its humble hero, Mario, went on to feature in scores of multi-million dollar grossing games, becoming an icon as popular as Mickey Mouse.
• Having grown up in the 1980s, the new Super Mario Bros. Movie meant more to me than the average fantasy animation film.

A film about jumping

• But what makes the film worth watching is how it tips its hat to aspects of gameplay.
• One of its biggest achievements is the unpretentious, funny recreations of moments from the videogames.
• Sometimes this happens by staging action-packed scenes that are framed from the same perspective as the videogame players.
• The film also humorously reflects on player experience.

Games as toys

• Approaching games as toys is consistent with the long history of Kyoto-based games company Nintendo.
• In most of Nintendo’s games, the end goal is not necessarily found in the stories – rather, these serve the pleasure of playing.
• In Super Mario Bros., for example, the damsel-in-distress narrative of Bowser kidnapping Princess Peach merely kicked off a game mostly about jumping.
• This animated show was not particularly faithful to the games: Mario and Luigi had a different kind of Italian-American accent and a Princess Toadstool.

Mario’s most successful cinematic appearance

• For instance, the recent hit series The Last of Us saw fans cross-reference scene by scene with the original game.
• In contrast, the Super Mario Bros. Movie looks like an attempt to make a film that works more like a game.
• And in spite of a lukewarm reception from critics, the new film stands to be the most successful cinematic Mario appearance yet.
• Instead, they should see it as an extension of the videogame, and a celebration of how this expansive world makes people feel.