Take your mind back to the 1990's. The likes of Terminator 2 and other action flicks are tearing up the cinema, President Clinton comes under fire for his affair, and on the video game side of things, Mario is white hot at this point. 1991 saw the release of the acclaimed Super Mario World, and the debut of Mario's rival, Sonic. The two were in a heated battle for supremacy, and both had adamant supporters. So, like the Ninja Turtles before them, Mario and friends were destined for the big screen.
Now, before we delve into the movie itself, let me give you a little bit of pre-production history so you have a better idea of what we're dealing with. Super Mario Bros. is a 1993 sci-fi adventure film directed by married co-directors Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel, and is a loose adaptation of the popular Super Mario video game franchise. Several years prior, Roland Joffe, owner of production company Lightmotive negotiated a $2 million contract and a temporary ownership of the Mario property.
There were quite a few actors considered for Mario after the rights were secured, such as Tom Hanks and Danny DeVito, while the likes of Michael Keaton and Arnold Schwarzenegger were considered for King Koopa.
The script went through....quite a few changes, some for the better, some for the worst. The very first was written by Jim Jennewien and Tom S. Parker in early 1991 and very heavily based the story on fantasy elements like the Princess Bride and later on, Shrek. Because this writing team was let go, they were forced to rewrite it.
The next version of the script was written by Parker Bennett and Terry Runté in late 1991, and would go into a story that would be a solid Sci-Fi that cut down on the comedy and outright focus on the fantastical and science fiction elements of the story. Later versions of the script would keep this basic setup.
The NEXT versions would focus on many different genres, ranging from a Ghostbusters-like comedy to a Die Hard inspired adult action film, but the one that really caught on was a Mad Max type story, and one that garnered interest in acting talents Bob Hoskins and Dennis Hopper, who would replace the likes of Tom Hanks and Michael Keaton for the titular roles of Mario and King Koopa.
Why did I go into detail about only two of the early drafts? Because that, my friend, is the crux of the argument that plagued this film: many of it's creative minds wanted a grittier, dystopic film with an alternate take on the Mario Bros., and others wanted a family friendly fun romp Disney film. How did they solve this conundrum? I'll answer that question in a moment.
My next topic of discussion is telling you what the film got wrong. Yes, I want to throw out there what exactly turned out to be this film's downfall, and for the sake of consistency, it boils down to three big points.
The Three Problems That Doomed Super Mario Bros.
1. The Public's Perception of An Adaptation-
People always like to look at adaptations as something that will simply be an extension of the product they already love. Adapting, by it's very nature, is changing the format to better suit whatever platform it has. With this in mind, you can't tell the story of Super Mario 64 in an average movie format.
Whereas a video game, like a book, can be as long as need be, movies are on a time limit. Because of this, they can only tell so much in that time, meaning they have to alter anything they can for the sake of remaining consistent for the general public. Because people expect a completely faithful rendition, they're going to be disappointed from the start.
2. Source Material Isn't Your Friend-
Take a look at Super Mario Bros. as a series. Before the era of three dimensional Mario adventures with a bit more of a cohesive story, there were only handful of side scrolling platformers that didn't have any semblance of a story. Even Nintendo themselves admit that they never make games with stories in mind, instead focusing on gameplay.
Because in 1993 the only story Mario had to his name was the typical "Hero saves Princess" trope, the filmmakers were faced with the challenge of making a mountain out of a molehill. They literally had to make something out of nothing. But hey, it's an adaptation, right?
Since we have so little to go on, why not loosen up some and make what we can? This is where we get they idea of so many aesthetic changes in the Mario universe. How can you make cute Disney-like Mario when you want Mad Max-esque Mario? This leads to our third and final point.
3. Nightmare on Production Street-
Remember when I asked you earlier about how they solved the conundrum of wanting two different interpretations of Mario? They didn't. So many creative minds had differences about exactly what this movie was going to be, it became a nightmare. Remember how I mentioned that the allure of a Mad Max type story for the Mario Bros is what attracted the likes of Bob Hoskins and Dennis Hopper?
The final revision of the script, affectionately named the "Rainbow Script" due to the highlighted revision marks, was made AFTER the actors were signed on. This last script was an amalgamation of the gritty Blade Runner idea with fun Disney story for the whole family, and the result was....strange.
This obviously didn't please Bob Hoskins or any of the other main cast, and this poor mismanagement would continue for the duration of filming. Some actors didn't put in full effort, odd mishaps halted production (like Hoskins being stabbed four times, electrocuted, and breaking his pinky finger). This would truly make for something I like to call brilliant in concept and poor in execution. On record, it was said that the film's production was, "A F*****g Nightmare".
The Jury's Verdict
Because of the above factors, May 28th, 1993 would prove to be the bane of the crew's existence when Super Mario Bros. was unleashed to the public, and the reaction wasn't pretty. Terribly low reviews as well as bashing from even Siskel and Ebert cemented this movie's place in the pantheon of movies that should be swept under the rug....or is that really the case?
What if it didn't have to be bad, not in the way you think, anyways? What if we looked past the dated effects and hammy acting....would we find something more worthwhile? Let's find out together.
What Super Mario Bros. Did Right!
1. The Directors Did NOT Neglect The Source Material-
Contrary to popular belief, the power couple directors and producers didn't cast the original Mario games aside like a used napkin. As a matter of fact, they went so far as to add many, many insignificant details referencing jokes and characters that Mario fans would appreciate. Take a look at this, a portion of the set of the film's primary setting, and note the references. Speaking of which....
2. The Movie's Design, From Sets to Monsters, Is Brilliant-
That's right. You read that correctly. Take a look at the above picture if you need a reference, and I'll add more below, but it doesn't take a genius to see that the sets are pretty elaborately designed, from Dinohattan and it's dystopic neon to the dark, clean, and symmetrical lair of the nefarious King Koopa.
All of it is so well thought out, and the fact that the references mentioned above were meticulously added just for you to nitpick. This brings me to the creatures: Goombas, and Yoshi. Both of which, upon first glance, are silly puppets.
But take a closer look. Do you know how elaborate those animatronics are, or how many they had to make just for each Goomba? Put into context, it's astounding. Yoshi was an incredibly advanced puppet for it's time, and remains a high spot for the film.
3. The Creativity Is Most Certainly There-
Now, we've established the detail is there. But what about the heart behind it? The real passion? It's there too. The lack of good direction for the film really serves a quick kick to the groin of all the love put into this movie's production. Forna good creatice example, you have the Thwomp Stompers, boots with hydraulics allowing the Mario Bros. to jump high into the air (like their in game counterparts).
You've also got the neat, albiet outlandish, concept of a world underneath ours, where everything plays out in just about the exact opposite way. King Koopa runs a Dictatorship over the innocent inhabitants of the underground world after the old King "died", and the fact that Luigi's love interest is technically part of this world adds a very interesting dynamic.
Then you have the characterizations of the characters themselves. Mario (Bob Hoskins) is played up as a very likeable reluctant hero, while his brother Luigi (John Leguizamo) is portrayed as this much more relaxed "free spirit" type guy who thinks with his heart. It's a neat Big Bro/Little Bro dynamic.
Daisy (who is moreso a composite character of Daisy and Peach) is portrayed as a much more ambitious character and not the typical "Damsel in Distress" role, leading to her playing a huge part in the film's story. Not only is she a character who can make her way around, but one pivotal to the plot.
Then, you have King Koopa, portrayed by Dennis Hopper. Y'see, Mr. Hoskins and Mr. Leguizamo really did put forth one hell of an effort on the acting front, legitimately giving it quite the try. Hey, gotta put in 110%, right? Dennis Hopper's portrayal of a tyrannical, oddball and germophobic King Koopa is well loved for....different reasons.
It's debatable wether his acting chops really shine through here, but it's very obvious he is really enjoying hamming up the role and making it as absolutely as silly as possible. All of them are a blast to watch, especially when their goofy characters trade all sorts of gems of dialogue.
4. The Devoted Fanbase Makes It Worthwhile-
While panned by the general public, and in some aspects justifiably so, Super Mario Bros. has garnered a huge cult following of devoted fans that have dug up every last bit of evidence on it's creation and celebrate the mark it's left in cinema, regardless if it were good or bad.
The fact that people, myself included, have involved ourselves in this wonderfully weird film, it gives you a sense of community as we continue to dig up bits and peices of information that shed more light on what we love, hate, or love to hate, and that's about all we could ask for, to be honest. There is an awesome website I'll link to at the end of this that archives all known information about the film, and if you're interested, I highly recommend you look into it.
In Conclusion
Regardless of it's status as a notoriously bad film, Super Mario Bros. has some very distinct and unique features and design choices that make it one of a kind, and it almost has this strange charm to it that never fails to make you smile, wether it be in sincerity or laughing at it. And hey, if it weren't interesting, why would we keep talking about it?
If you're a Mario fan, please seek this out for a viewing experience. If not out of enjoyment, then as a historical peice to show you where the series had spread it's influence throughout history. I'll link to the Super Mario Bros. Archive (seriously, they have everything.) Many of these images used here are from the Archive site, and all rights to them belong to their respective owners. I'll show you some of the production stills they have to offer on the website as an added bonus.
Thank you for reading! And with that, we'll meet another day.
The Super Mario Bros. Archive》http://www.smbmovie.com
Production Photos
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