Amidst ongoing discussions of ever-growing cinematic universes, fan service, and easter eggs far too often taking precedence over plot and character development, The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023), directed by Michael Jelenic and Aaron Horvath exists in a unique space in between. Following Mario and his Brother Luigi as they are transported to a magical world where they go on an adventure to be reunited once again, the film is full of call-backs to previous iterations of Mario and his adventures, as well as references to fan-favourite characters and moments. While the film seems to often sacrifice its plot and its overall character development in favour of these references, it still seems to work, at least to the extent that a film about a beloved video game empire should.

The plot is what could be expected from a children’s Mario film. Following Mario and Luigi, as they are separated when transported into a magical world, the film follows Mario on a quest to reunite with his brother, meeting up with many beloved characters along the way. The story the film is telling is quite basic and does not challenge any pre-conceived aspects or otherwise assumed first impressions of Mario and the worlds he explores in the video games. Despite it still being a children’s movie, this lack of any thing new to say about the beloved brothers does leave one questioning the point of watching the film, rather than playing one of the many iterations of the Mario video games, following similarly basic story lines but providing an interactive experience on top of the story experience. Aside from it’s very straightforward plot, the film seems to understand its audience, and while full of easter eggs and references to other worlds and characters, it doesn’t try to pack too much in story wise. Leaving up to the inevitable Mario Cinematic Universe to unpack further characters and relationships, the focus remains on Mario, Luigi, Peach, Donkey Kong, and Toad, with other characters seeming to pop in as mere easter eggs, waiting to be further included in future films, existing simply to service the dedicated and loving fans.

Despite the source material being packed with multiple worlds open for expansion and building upon, the film ultimately utilizes these spaces in a much more basic way, using them more as easter eggs lasting on screen for mere minutes as service to the fans, rather than as any sort of setting worth further exploring. Because of this commitment the film seems to have to being packed full of easter eggs, it seems to sacrifice any attempts it could have made to world building or character development. Rather than properly building one world, whether that be the Mushroom Kingdom, where our princess and the toads reside, the Dark Lands, the home of Bowser, or even Luigi’s haunted mansion, all appearances of these locations and many of the characters inhabiting these spaces seem to be used for mere cheers from recognizing audiences, rather than adding any sort of new exploration into the worlds, or providing forward motion to the already bare-bones plot of the film.

Regardless of the aforementioned inundation in the film of easter eggs, this over-utilization seems to still work – to a certain extent. One cannot go into a movie about a video game as beloved, by so many, as The Super Mario Bros. and not expect there to be anything less than an insane amount of fan service. Years of playing as Mario to save Princess Peach, generations of children defeating the final boss Bowser, dozens of characters each with their own devoted fan bases who religiously select these characters each time they begin a new game. For these viewers, and more casual viewers alike, easter eggs in the film are a crucial part of the enjoyment of the game itself, seeing their favourite aspects of the game included in the big screen film, no matter how small their part. For easter eggs to work, there must be a devoted fan who will be able to catch these references, and appreciate their use on screen. And for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, based on a game almost every child had a try at at least once in their childhood, the references to characters, settings, and inside-jokes can be appreciated to a certain extent by a large majority of the viewers. Even if these references come at the expense of the plot and character development.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie was sure to be the early summer blockbuster it was intended to be. Following the beloved brothers, Mario and Luigi, after their separation being transported to the magical worlds of the video games, as they try to find their way back to each other, the film is full of service to the fans. Often sacrificing its plot and any new explorations into the characters loved by many, these easter eggs seem to work for the audience, providing a fun night at the movies for casual and dedicated fans alike, regardless of its lack of anything new to say about Mario and his friends. While viewers can only wait for the inevitable announcement of the continuation of the story and the building of what can only expected to become the Mario Cinematic Universe, one can only hope for a bit more world building and additions to the characters in future films, so as to avoid the great migration of fans out of the movie theatres and back home to play the interactive and immersive video games instead.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) is out now in theatres across Canada.