The Super Mario Bros. Movie from Nintendo and Illumination is out this week and expectations are fairly high for the movie which contains stunning animation and a loveable cast of characters. The Hollywood Reporter spoke to Chris Pratt about the film during the movie’s L.A. premiere on Saturday. Pratt confessed that he was “pretty nervous” when he accepted the offer to become the voice of Mario, knowing that legions of fans would have immensely high expectations of him. Thankfully he is really pleased with how the movie has turned out telling them that “there’s instances of people making bad movies and ruining people’s childhoods. So the pressure was on to not do that and, thankfully, we didn’t. I think the movie is fantastic and I think your childhood is firmly intact.” Here’s what he said:
“It makes sense, I was pretty nervous when they offered it to me. I thought, ‘Wow, let’s not screw this up. That’s where it all comes from, I think. People are passionate about this character and they’ve probably seen some of their favorite IP getting screwed up. It’s kind of a cynical business. People make movies just because a title has reach.”
“I saw it with the Lego Movie. I was like, ‘How are you going to make a movie about Legos? What is that?’ And then Chris [Miller] and Phil [Lord] made this incredible movie, I was part of it, I loved it. So it’s a big challenge. Just because something has reach doesn’t mean it’s going to be a good movie and there’s instances of people making bad movies and ruining people’s childhoods. So the pressure was on to not do that and, thankfully, we didn’t. I think the movie is fantastic and I think your childhood is firmly intact.”
i dont get why people are so peepee hurt that Mario isnt voiced by Charles when Mario in other media doesn’t have him as well, people be so entitled and so peepee hurt about Chris “ruining” their childhood. imma say the exact same thing Quico says to El Chavo: ¡Ya cállate cállate cállate que me desespeeeeras!
heroponluigi is that you?
It’s not about Charles, it’s that Pratt just ruins Mario’s period. The voice just does not fit at all period. This movie will flop harder than the original.
I’m looking forward to seeing how badly this ages.
If Nintendo fans survived watching the first movie, then I think we’ll be ok with this one.
I expect this one to be way worse.
Also the first one turned into a cult classic, this will not have a chance at that.
@Dustin
I don’t believe that for a second. Let’s look at the plot of the new movie: Mario and Luigi are somehow transported from the real human world to the Mushroom Kingdom. They get separated and eventually Mario has to rescue Luigi from Bowser with the help of Peach, Toads, Kongs, etc.
The original Mario Bros movie… honestly, it’s going to be easier for me to past the story from wikipedia.
Following the impact of a meteorite into the Earth 65 million years ago, the universe is split into two parallel dimensions. Surviving dinosaurs escape into the new dimension, evolving into a humanoid race and founding the city of Dinohattan. In 1973, a large egg and a rock are left at a Catholic orphanage; the egg hatches into a human baby. Twenty years later, Italian-American brothers Mario Mario and Luigi Mario working as plumbers in Brooklyn are close to being driven out of business by mafioso Anthony Scapelli’s construction company. Luigi meets Daisy, an NYU archaeology student who shows him she has been excavating for dinosaur bones under the Brooklyn Bridge. There, they witnesses Scapelli’s men sabotaging it by leaving the water pipes open. Mario and Luigi fix it, but Iggy and Spike—henchmen and cousins of Koopa, the king of the other dimension—kidnap Daisy and the brothers pursue them through an interdimensional portal to Dinohattan.
Now… I don’t know how Mario and Luigi will defeat Bowser in the new movie… but I doubt it will be with spring-loaded boots and “de-evolution” guns like the first movie.
But I have to be fair here… the actual plot to Super Mario Bros (the game) sounds pretty different too:
One day the kingdom of the peaceful mushroom people was invaded by the Koopa, a tribe of turtles famous for their black magic. The quiet, peace-loving Mushroom People were turned into mere stones, bricks and even field horsehair plants, and the Mushroom Kingdom fell into ruin. The only one who can undo the magic spell on the Mushroom People and return them to their normal selves is the Princess Toadstool, the daughter of the Mushroom King. Unfortunately, she is presently in the hands of the great Koopa turtle king. Mario, the hero of the story (maybe) hears about the Mushroom People’s plight and sets out on a quest to free the Mushroom Princess from the evil Koopa and restore the fallen kingdom of the Mushroom People. You are Mario! It’s up to you to save the Mushroom People from the black magic of the Koopa!
Oh, and for anyone who’s never read the original plot to the first game… if you notice the line “Mario, the hero of the story (maybe) hears about…” The “maybe” that they added was because Mario is destroying blocks and stuff in the game… which is essentially killing the Toads that had been transformed into those blocks.
You know… if Mario ever fell into the public domain like Winnie the Pooh did recently, someone should probably make a movie with that original, darker storyline.
Well let’s not forget Mario use to own Donkey Kong & abuse the ape. So… Mario was just a sociopath that killed any & everything because abusing an ape got boring.
Then he invaded Happy World stormed their castles jumpsmashed everybody and named it Mario World. I hear ya.
And lit them on Fire!!!
Yeah let’s see THAT movie!!!
The fact the bros are using smartphones in it already kind of ruins it a bit.
Smartphones and laptops and all kinds of gadgets are used by various characters in the series, and movies need devices to make the action go faster than in a 6-hour platforming game. I have yet to see the movie but I can’t fathom how something so insignificant can ruin anything about the movie, ESPECIALLY since they’re from Brooklyn, in the real world, in this instance of the universe.
Seeing them using that stuff is like watching Popeye and Charlie Brown using them. The games that also do that are just as guilty. Brooklyn origins are fine, but making it be in the 1980s and not in a reference-y meme way would have been preferable. Modernization just feels like another trace of Illumination-ification to the ip that other bits shown have given off. It feels like Mario in a very superficial way from the visuals, but not the content. Like a Mario themed food product with the characters slapped on the box.
I can’t wait to see the movie and then read post about it, and then read other post about how everyone who seen the movie is spoiling it for anyone who hasn’t seen it.
Maybe it’s because I’m an undying optimist, or the fact that I really love the guardians of the Galaxy movies, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the Mario movie is going to be fine: I’ve watched the trailers comment and I still don’t understand why people are so bothered by Chris Pratt voicing Mario
You’re already biased, that’s why. At least you admit it.
My childhood was destroyed by Mario’s voice in the trailer.
Man this guy is still being hated by his performance in the film. He still is.
I just want to say that I’m condfident that this movie is not going to suck.
I AM confident that the spinoff movie starring Seth Rogan as Donkey Kong WILL suck donkey balls. They could cast Neil Patrick Harris as Diddy Kong and Patrick Steward as K.Rool and it would still be awful.