Any one remember the live action 80s Mario brothers film?

[Leofan26]

Did you like it? In my opinion, it was ok. I enjoyed few bits of it but felt it was done all kinds of wrong, first off I felt they should have focused on Mario not Lugi ( Sorry Mario fans if I spelt his name wrong ) I felt should have been romance between Princess Peach and Mario like the games and series if I remember right, or a love triangle even if they had to add in that girl he was with in the film but meh. Oh also, what'd they do to Yoshi? He had such a small role in the films and didn't interact with the Mario brothers at all

What's your opinion on the film?

[Leo656]

It was 1993, and it was awful. Bob Hoskins and Samantha Mathis were the only good things about it. Apparently everyone who worked on it says it was among the lowest points of their entire lives. Long story short, the studio switched directors mid-stream just before they started filming it, and the movie ended up being a completely different project than the one literally everyone had signed up for, so everyone making it was completely miserable and it turned out to be a pile of sh*t. Not much more needs to be said about it.

Oh, apparently Hoskins and Leguizamo were hammered in almost every scene, to hear each of them tell it. They could only get through the day by drinking to excess during breaks. It explains a lot.

[Powder]

One of my all-time favorite movies. People who don't like this movie because of how it deviates from the SMB property are doing it wrong. Take it as it's own thing. Pretend that the game never existed & this movie came along. Everyone woulda loved it.

[Leo656]

I try that. It's still only passable whilst drunk. I still watch it, it's just not very good regardless. I used to be pissed that it wasn't more like the game - to me, why call anything "Something" when you're doing something completely different? Just call it something else and cut the pretense! - but nowadays I'm just baffled by how it actually saw the light of day at all.

Like I said, I still watch it occasionally. It's way up on the "So Bad It's Good" list, but... objectively, it's just bad. The best thing I can say, is that Bob Hoskins is good in absolutely anything, and secondly, that so long as "Street Fighter: Legend Of Chun-Li" exists, there will always be a WORSE movie based on a game.

I've only seen Double Dragon once in its entirety, so I can't remember if I thought that was better or worse than this one. That was definitely a sh*t sandwich too, though. I think what kills me most about the SMB movie is that, it gave Hollywood free reign to make sh*tty video game movies - which they almost exclusively have. "F*ck it, they won't know." I hate that.

[Lou 500]

I watched it when I was little and I remember actually enjoying it. But I wasn't familiar with the story of Super Mario so that's probably why.

[TMNT_Guy]

I hold a grudge against this movie because it completely killed all interest in a Super Mario expanded universe. Before the movie there were cartoons, comics, novels and now nothing. This goes for Nintendo’s other characters; we’ll never see a Legend of Zelda movie, a Metroid comic series, etc, now.

Recently, Miyamoto created three Pikmen short cartoons, when questioned about a movie or TV series about his other characters he replied that he doesn’t feel comfortable with other people using his characters. I wouldn’t be surprised if this movie was the cause of that.

[Candy Kappa]

The movie was so terrible, so bad, I should despise it. And I do, yet, I can still watch it and get a good laugh.

It's one of those movies you don't laugh with, but at it.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

It isn't a good movie but by today's standards, I believe that's the point! I see it as a product of it's time just like the 66 Batman show. This was released before Nintendo decided to give Mario a definative voice with Charles Martinet and expand upon the universe post SM64. It may not have aged well for some but for others, they get that for a movie of it's time, it's hilariously enjoyable. To me, it falls into the "it's so bad, it's good" category. I enjoy it for what it is.

[ProactiveMan]

I liked it a lot when it came out, and it's fun to talk about it with people now. I even had the novelisation if you can believe such a thing existed. The production design was really neat - I've always loved the bumper car style electric grid idea.

It's an odd interpretation of Super Mario Bros. but the property was not as well defined as it is now.

[Leo656]

Originally Posted by TMNT_Guy

I hold a grudge against this movie because it completely killed all interest in a Super Mario expanded universe. Before the movie there were cartoons, comics, novels and now nothing. This goes for Nintendo’s other characters; we’ll never see a Legend of Zelda movie, a Metroid comic series, etc, now.

Recently, Miyamoto created three Pikmen short cartoons, when questioned about a movie or TV series about his other characters he replied that he doesn’t feel comfortable with other people using his characters. I wouldn’t be surprised if this movie was the cause of that.

I think he's said so, or something similar. I was gonna mention all that other stuff, but I didn't want to be a downer.

"Product of its time" definitely fits, for sure. I mean, it's not un-watchable. People should definitely watch it. It's just insane. Not even how little it relates to the original, just that it's bat-sh*t crazy. You don't see many movies like that these days. In the 80s and early-90s, movies were definitely all over the place, but that was the peak era for "So bad, it's hilarious and almost good" sort of movies. You know how many times I watched "Sidekicks" with Chuck Norris? I still watch it when it's on. I know it's lousy, I knew it was lousy when I was 10, but it was on four times a day on cable, so I watched it a lot. I've lost count of how many times I've seen this f*ckin' thing. It's a lot.

What apparently happened was, everyone signed up for a kids' movie, and the husband/wife directors came in and decided they wanted to make it "dark", "edgy", and "adult", which is... not exactly the first thing you think of when you think of Mario. But, I mean, in 1993, for like 5 minutes, it almost kind of made sense. Sh*t was crazy back then.

[Casey]

Still own a bootlegged VHS that my Dad made. Bad/awesome/ freaking weird. I love it and watched it as much as the turtles movies. It's on the same tape as TMNT 3 actually.

[RaphAndDonnie]

I remember watching that movie on one of the free movie channels when I was...about four. I loved it but even then I remembered questioning why Yoshi looked so different...even though all of the characters looked really different. I recently rewatched it on YouTube and I now think it's so bad it's good.

[Wildcat]

I always hated it and still do but now I can understand that they wanted to put a different spin on it. Still it deviates so far from the games its unforgivable. Human Bowser? No.

I used to have the Mario and Luigi action figures.

Im sure one day another Mario movie will be made so at least it'll get its fair shake at a proper movie. I know Nintendo is hesitant but its too big to never get another one. Goes for about any of their games. You know its happening eventually.

[Eiko]

I remember going to the movies to see it, it was ok. When it was released on video I watched it and it didn't seem as good.

[fridaynightdestination]

Yes, and I wish I didn't.

[Whatswiththeheadbands?]

I've never seen it.

[BlueKatana]

I remember....

[pennydreadful]

FWIW, I like it. Like Powder, I just kind of let it be its own thing and don't even think about it being related to the game.

[Cryomancer]

I own the laserdisc, movie rules I don't even care.