The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Universal Pictures | Release Date: April 5, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
46
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 53 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
24
Negative:
13
Watch Now
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
Film ThreatCalan PanchooJul 10, 2023
A rather forgettable affair. Read full review
60
ABC NewsPeter TraversApr 21, 2023
This lively computer-animated take on the video game just opened and it’s already the biggest box-office smash of 2023. Despite lapses into dull and disposable, it’s also a gift for parents seeking family entertainment for the 5-year-old in all of us. Game on. Read full review
60
VoxAlex Abad-SantosApr 10, 2023
What you see — the bright, beautiful sweetness of it all — is what you get. Just like the video game. And it doesn’t yearn to be much more than that. Read full review
60
Time OutPhil de SemlyenApr 6, 2023
Candy-coloured fun for greying gamers and fresh-faced wee’uns that does the basics well but not much more. Read full review
60
The Irish TimesTara BradyApr 5, 2023
It is unfortunate that two directors and a screenwriter (Matthew Fogel) felt the need to shoehorn in an extended family and – groan – Oedipal crisis for both Mario and Donkey Kong. Despite this misstep, the film belts along with an assault of candy colours and a commendable command of canonical detail. Read full review
60
PolygonJoshua RiveraApr 4, 2023
This new take on Mario is so faithful in its efforts to recreate iconography from four decades of video games that there’s almost no energy left to expend on reaching the unconverted. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a sermon for the Nintendo faithful, their children, and few others. Read full review
60
Total FilmFay WatsonApr 4, 2023
While it could use a few banana peels to slow its relentless pace, this adaptation is a faithful introduction to the Mushroom Kingdom. Read full review
60
Screen RantMolly FreemanApr 4, 2023
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is chock-full of Nintendo Easter eggs—to the detriment of the story and its characters, which lack any real substance. Read full review
58
Paste MagazineJesse HassengerApr 5, 2023
Really, this is a diverting kiddie movie that struggles most visibly when attempting to graft some kind of moral sensibility onto a story that – spoiler alert? – gets resolved by the good guys hitting the bad guys really hard. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneKatie WalshApr 7, 2023
Fortunately, this loud, hectic movie doesn’t overstay its welcome, but it wouldn’t have the material to last a second longer. It’s bright, busy, inoffensive and exactly the opposite of the weird, dark, edgy 1993 movie adaptation. That may be better for the business of Mario, but it’s not exactly terribly interesting either. Read full review
50
ObserverDylan RothApr 6, 2023
For the Mario fan in your household, young or old, it’s likely exactly what they want it to be. However, if you’ve somehow managed to go through life without having any attachment to the character, there is absolutely no reason for you to watch it. Read full review
50
The Film StageEli FriedbergApr 5, 2023
The Super Mario Bros. Movie isn’t an actively unpleasant way to spend an afternoon, but the glib literalism with which it applies cinematic narrative to video games’ abstractions can’t hold a candle to the wrenching pathos and self-discovery of a night on the track with real-life loved ones and Mario in his original medium. Read full review
50
The AtlanticDavid SimsApr 4, 2023
The intellectual property has become intimidating, too profitable to warrant risk-taking—so instead, audiences are served an appetizing confection. But kids do love candy, and I’m sure that around the world, they’ll have just one command for their ticket-buying parents: “Let’s-a go!” Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshApr 4, 2023
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is mildly amusing, swift, noisy and unrelentingly paced, which is par for the course considering this is the studio that brought us the Minions. Read full review
50
Screen DailyTim GriersonApr 4, 2023
Whether it’s the hit-or-miss jokes or the familiar action beats, the film too often plays down to its young audience, valuing rambunctious energy over wit or heart. Read full review
50
The PlaylistMarshall ShafferApr 4, 2023
The film is in fact so busy introducing characters and churning through plot points that there’s not really even time to let animation powerhouse Illumination give it a spin of inspired silliness that made the “Despicable Me” franchise such an unexpected hit. Read full review
40
NMENick LevineApr 6, 2023
As The Super Mario Bros. Movie progresses, it’s hobbled by a perfunctory plot and some lazy creative choices. Read full review
40
Little White LiesMichael LeaderApr 6, 2023
Since the 1980s, Nintendo has built its reputation on gleeful, ingenious entertainment that delights in design. Conversely, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is empty-calorie, time-filling amusement for the school holidays. In other words, a licence to print money. Read full review
40
ScreenCrushMatt SingerApr 4, 2023
For a couple minutes, it starts to feel like the film is building on top of the Super Mario mythology rather than simply regurgitating it. The rest reminded me of the attract mode that would automatically start to play on old arcade games if no one pressed start: A bunch of computerized images going through the motions over and over. Read full review
40
SlashfilmJosh SpiegelApr 4, 2023
The Super Mario Bros. Movie brings together the many recognizable characters of the franchise, the musical flourishes, the colorful design, and even some replication of familiar gameplay, into a brisk 90-minute package that is as critic-proof as it is largely uninspiring. Read full review
40
The IndependentClarisse LoughreyApr 4, 2023
It’s hard to demand all that much from a Mario Bros film when its source material has been historically devoid of plot, but shouldn’t we be allowed to demand a little more than mere competency? Read full review
40
BBCNicholas BarberApr 4, 2023
The film-makers are obviously so sure that they have a can't-fail franchise on their hands that they haven't even bothered with world-building. Read full review
40
EmpireJohn NugentApr 4, 2023
Beautifully animated, and about as faithful and affectionate as a corporate cash-in is possible to get — but it still doesn’t come close to the experience of actually playing the games. Read full review
40
The GuardianPeter BradshawApr 4, 2023
The second film adaptation of the phenomenally successful video game is a disappointment to rival the first. Read full review
More From This Movie

46 Critic Reviews

8.3 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 72 The Sheep Detectives
5 63 Normal
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL