Chris Pratt hypes the new Super Mario Bros. movie following the release of the poster. The famous video game plumber first hit the scene in 1981 as Jumpman with the release of the arcade classic Donkey Kong. Following this, he was renamed Mario and went on to star in the ever-popular Super Mario Bros. video game series. The character became known for his versatile appearances as he would go from Mushroom Kingdom hero to race kart driver to tennis player, and to Olympic medalist seamlessly between games. The only thing that Mario could not master, an issue faced by most video game franchises, is feature films.
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Hollywood Pictures released a film version of Super Mario Bros. in 1993 starring Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo and Dennis Hopper where it bombed at the box office and received negative reviews, including those from its cast. This resulted in Nintendo becoming hesitant about any more film adaptations of their video game franchises. Years later, Nintendo reentered the world of filming by teaming up with Illumination to produce an animated feature film adaptation of the beloved character and cast Chris Pratt to voice him in a somewhat divisive decision.
To prepare for the release, Pratt has made it known that he is excited about the movie. He took to Twitter to comment on the poster and hype audiences for the trailer with the message, "This one is VERY special. Cannot wait!!! Get ready to be blown away!" followed by a reminder to check out the October 6, 2022, Nintendo Direct to see the new trailer. Check out the Tweet above.
Can Pratt’s Mario Performance Win Over A Skeptical Fanbase?
Following the announcement that Pratt would be cast as the character, the internet became divided with some finding the casting unique and original, while others found it controversial. The negative reception from people mainly stems from those believing that Pratt is simply miscast for the part. Others found it strange that they would pick Pratt over Mario's original voice Charles Martinet, despite the fact that he will have several cameos in the film. Some fans even went so far as to attack Pratt's personal, and wrongly misinformed, aspects of his life, resulting in other filmmakers such James Gunn to come to his defense. Pratt is not without his supporters, as some viewers are patient enough to wait and see how Pratt's performance will be.
It has taken years for video games to receive positive reactions to film adaptations. Movies such as Detective Pikachu and Sonic the Hedgehog have shown that it is possible to take these characters and tell compelling stories. Pratt's portrayal of Mario, while strange, is no different from the likes of Ryan Reynolds as Pikachu or Ben Schwartz as Sonic. Audiences have yet to hear what Pratt's portrayal of the character would be like, though he has stated that he will be using a different voice than the one he naturally uses. Despite this, there is no denying that the Super Mario Bros. movie will have a significant amount of hype leading up to its release.