For any one old enough to remember the golden age of Nintendo, you will no doubt recall the popularity of a certain overweight plumber (with possible mafioso connections?) and his oft overlooked sibling.
Of course i am talking about super mario. It was at the height of the games popularity in the west that we were treated to (and i mean that sincerley) Super Mario Bros the Movie.
Now, if you were to ask someone who was there in the early 90's their thoughts on the plumbers transition to big screen you in all likelihood would be faced with bitter recolections of one of the most misjudged cash in's in the history of game to screen adaptations.This is a film which most believe to have caused so much damage that it put a stop to the idea that there would ever be a decent video game adaptation, and it often appears on 'worst films' lists.
Even Bob Hoskins says it is the biggest mistake of his career.
But i am here to say no, this is not the case.
I still remember the trip to the cinema, it was my cousins birthday. I remember the excitement, this was MARIO! I loved the film then and i love it even more now, heres why.
The look: Criticised as being much darker then its gaming origins, the majority of the film takes place in a beautifuly realised dystopian 'dinopolis' where reptiles have continued to evolve.
We are presented not with the cutsey cartoon world of the various games but with a bladerunner like noirish future. The art direction is fantastic, the city feels alive, it feels organic, from the first time the camera pans over this city scape i am sold, this is real, i can almost smell the fungus....
The Story: Another complaint directed at the film was that it bore little resemblance to the rest of the franchise. I say good. Take a look at the various videogames, as good as they are do you really want that garish cartoon pallet on the screen? Do you really want to see a mario who is heading down the path to 50 chasing around a young girl at least half his age? No of course not, that would be wrong.
And so the filmakers crafted a sci-fi plot involving meteors and paralel dimensions, which at least brought a level of fantastical believability to the consept of a fat catchphrase spouting plumber who saves the world from a giant lizard.
And you know what, it works well, its something new, interesting but it still manages to weave in countless references to the games within the enviroment.
I do not believe the people involved wanted to step all over what had come before. Only that they wanted to try a new approach, to find a new way of bringing the franchise to a wider audience.
Everything Else: All the players are great, Dennis Hopper as Koopa is an inspired piece of casting and Hoskins and liguizamo work well together.
The action is solid, the special effects fantatstic for its time and the script is oftenwitty ("Fascist,opressor of the proletariat!"...."guy in charge")
Cult film?: Most certainly yes, Mark kermode recently said that what defines a cult film is the fact that it was concieved as being a major hit, that the filmakers wanted to create something spectacular but for whatever reason the resulting film did not live up to expectation but overtime built up a small following of loyal fans, and that by concieving something as a cult film (such as the recent pirahna 3d) you are contradicting the very idea of cult, and there-fore can never be cult.
If this is to be believed then SMBTM is the epitome of a cult classic.
As a videogame adaptation: One of the best, granted its not a hard list to top but i just do not understand how people can honestly say this is the worst example in a world where you can buy jcvd's street fighter or Paul w.s andersons mortal kombat/resident evil films. Compared to these this is fucking le dolche vita!
Go back, watch it again. Im telling you even if you dont love it, its a good solid action/adventure sci fi film which i am always happy to watch.
