It turns out that this is the very first anime based on a video game, and was released in 1986. Please keep that in mind when you see the screencaps I've taken. When you're working with a movie that's more than 30 years old, you're not getting 4K-quality picture, I'm just saying.
Our opening is actually rather surreal, with Mario actually playing a game on his Famicom! Basically, it's the Japanese equivalent of the NES.
Then, all of a sudden, Princess Peach appears onscreen; trying to flee from a bunch of enemies! That was fast, and something tells me this movie is going to be one of the strangest things I've covered here.
She tries to fend them off with her parasol, but she's overrun as she leaps out of the television and into Mario's arms! The games are already pretty bizarre, and I would do my new running gag; but I'm not convinced that Nintendo or the animators needed the help.
Then, who should show up to reclaim the princess but Bowser! As per usual, it falls to Mario and his brother Luigi to rescue her before he marries Peach and brings disaster to the Mushroom Kingdom! While this plot setup is very strange, it at least makes more sense than a meteor creating a parallel universe where people evolved from dinosaurs rather than apes. Don't even ask me how that works, I'm not entirely sure the people who made that infamous film did either.
He even has another motivation: to return her necklace! It's thankfully not a crazy piece of meteorite, but one constant between that bomb and this movie is that it was an heirloom given to the princess by her late mother.
Setting aside how the Mario Bros.' iconic outfits are off-model and other things I'll get into later, I will at least give this some leeway as the very first anime based on a video game; and there aren't NEARLY as many deviations as the 1993 film.
They have been summoned by an old wizard known as "Kinoko Sennin," loosely translated as "Mushroom Hermit" or "Mushroom Mystic." Essentially, he's going to be our sort of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Gandalf or other such mentor archetype. He tasks the Mario Bros. with finding a trio of power items that will help them on their quest to stop Bowser and save the princess. They are the Super Mushroom, Fire Flower and Power Star.
As for this bit where Mario fires off weapons while dressed as a Mexican bandit: I don't really know where it comes from. Still, it kind of fits how he's an Italian man created by a Japanese game designer based on his landlord when he was living in New York. Rather looking forward to playing in New Donk City in Super Mario Odyssey.
Luigi is also pleased to hear he can have all the gold coins he finds, and apparently the dog's name is Kipitengo. With this, the Mario brothers and Kipitengo set off to find the powerups and save the kingdom from disaster! Admittedly, the writers and animators had to embellish some details; as the previous sentence is basically the plot of the game in a nutshell. To be fair, it does at least try to adhere to the whimsy of the games' setup instead of trying to turn it all dark and gritty.
They find the first item as well as a bunch of other mushrooms with the help of two Goombas, who are walking mushrooms and not seven-foot-tall people with dinosaur heads! I've been wanting to do this movie for a while, and that was back when I had that false start, and my main computer stopped working.
Mario is nearly fed to the Paratroopa's babies, but he is able to bluff his way out by revealing he and Luigi don't taste good; and gives them all extra mushrooms!
The Mario brothers then come across the realm of the Toads, and in addition to being a precursor to the multi-colored ones later in the series; I am also pleased to report that the main one is actually a funny man in a mushroom hat rather than a folksy street performer!
Anyway, the Goombas point them out to the flower world; where the Fire Flower is located! However, in the field, Mario and Luigi run afoul of a horde of Piranha Plants!
Then, the Mario brothers get attacked by a Lakitu throwing Spinies at them! Those things are so obnoxious. Not as much as the hawks in the original Ninja Gaiden, but whenever I get a chance to jump on them and steal their clouds, I take it.
Also, for some reason, the Lakitu sounds like the abridged Bulma Briefs; and the Spinies awaken with sunlight and water. At least they're eco-friendly minions.
With the help of a vine, Mario is able to take off a piece of the Lakitu's cloud and rescue Luigi!
The cloud also reveals itself to be another one of the Toads, and it's a kindly female that gives the Mario brothers the Fire Flower! So, a proto-Toadette of sorts.
The Mario Brothers then continue their quest, as only one power-up remains: the Power Star! Also, I find it kind of odd how Mario is able to attack the Buzzy Beetles with the Fire Flower despite them being flameproof in the games. Is Mario using a Game Genie, or what?
At the halfway point, Mario and Luigi even come across a large supply of instant ramen! I forgot to mention: there was a tie-in promotion with a brand of furikake rice topping during the film's initial release, and the ramen was actually a real product at the time. Much like the film itself, they're quite rare and have become valued collector's items. Personally, I'm not rich or brave enough to try a kind of novelty snack that's more than 30 years old. If I had the money, I'd probably try to get a Switch and maybe finally bite the bullet and get an NES Classic Edition on the aftermarket. Plus, I've got acid reflux disease; so there's that to consider.
The Goombas then trap the Mario Brothers in a cave so they don't interfere with the wedding of Bowser and Peach, but this is going to come back to bite them, and I will tell you when the time comes why.
Furthering this is how they only leave them with one of the Hammer Bros., despite the fact they'd outnumber them if they stayed. "I'm just going to leave them in an easily escapable situation and assume the whole thing went to plot!"
While Luigi continues digging for gold, Bowser tries to win over Peach before they are married! Even though I'm not sure how the wedding of a princess and a kaiju would go, it's at least not as creepy as Dennis Hopper trying to jump Samantha Mathis' bones. Also, is this the beginning of Bowser Jr.?
Conveniently, Luigi has not only tunneled out of their cell; they've also found the Power Star! Now, they must rescue the princess!
They take the river towards the castle, and Big Bertha is actually a big fish in this version and not just an overweight nightclub bouncer!
As for how the scale keeps changing on this old ship as well as the size of this Blooper attacking them: I think Lucy Lawless can explain this just fine.
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| Whenever something like that happens, a wizard did it. |
The moonlight even leads them straight to the castle, just as the wedding is about to take place! Their ship even goes over the red moon! Sailor's delight, I suppose.
Bowser tries to escape the castle with Peach in hand, right as the castle starts crumbling! What follows is actually a pretty clever way of adapting the boss stage from the game as Mario and Luigi give chase to Bowser.
Even if this movie is totally insane, I am very glad that it makes an effort to embrace the craziness of the game instead of trying to turn it into some ill-fated "edgy" adaptation.
Peach is pleased to see Mario, but Bowser stands in his way as the two finally face off! Even Kipitengo will help fight!
Mario even combines the power-ups he acquired, but not before he enjoys a bowl of furikake rice! At least it's not as egregious as the Pepsi in World War Z.
Mario is hurled off the side of a cliff as he loses the Power Star, but thankfully Luigi pops into give it back to him, tunneling up as if he were Bugs Bunny!
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| I knew I should've taken that left turn at Albuquerque! |
Luigi feeds Mario the Power Star, and after he rescues Peach, the battle truly begins!
Mario royally clobbers Bowser and even hurls him into the horizon by his tail a full decade before Super Mario 64!
So, we close on Mario and Luigi returning home; and Bowser is now helping out at the supermarket with his minions, ending on the line "Game Over" appropriately enough. As good an ending as any for my 300th post.
One of the things I enjoy most about writing here is the opportunity to poke some fun at my interests. This movie, much like the Nintendo game that inspired it is totally bonkers; but I had a lot of fun writing about it. Given all the jokes I made at the expense of the live-action film, I submit this one does a better job at adapting the game while also giving people something to enjoy by itself. There is also talk of rebooting the film in animated form at Sony (ironic, given how the two companies are long time rivals in the video game industry). Given all the video game references I make on this blog as well, I am glad I chose this one to for my 300th post. I still have plenty of content in mind for the future, so don't worry about me going anywhere just yet.
I would like to thank the people who helped bring more attention to this movie, and all the people who helped inspire me to make this recap. I wanted to have this done sooner, but I'm glad I got it done. I once again have some assignments I need to finish for health, but after they're done I can get right back on my other projects before the month is out. Right now, I'm going to enjoy the weather and see what else I can do for more content for the rest of this year. That will be all for now. Bang.
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