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Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, Samantha Mathis, Fisher Stevens ... see more see more... , Fiona Shaw , Richard Edson , Dana Kaminski , Mojo Nixon , Gianni Russo , Francesca Roberts , Lance Henriksen , Sylvia Harman , Lucy Alpaugh , Dan Castellaneta , Terry Finn , Don Lake , Wallace Merck , Thomas Merdis , Matt Nikko , Jeffrey Pillars , Robert D. Raiford , Kevin West , Mali Finn , Frank Welker , Harry Murphy , Michael Lynch , Don Finn

The huge success of the video games featuring animated Italian plumbers the Mario Brothers led to this $42 million live action movie. The two brothers (Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo) live in Manhatta... read more read more...n and are chasing Princess Daisy (Samantha Mathis), who wears a necklace made from a meteor fragment. Its powers can free a race of reptilian creatures from the city's sewers. The villainous ruler of the creatures, who are descendants of dinosaurs, is King Koopa (Dennis Hopper). Koopa has kidnapped Daisy and taken her to the underworld of Dinohattan, which is rat-infested and strewn with garbage. The Mario Brothers must overcome many obstacles, just as they do in video games, to free the princess. The film spares no expense with its use of animatronic monsters and high-tech special effects. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

Flixster Users

35% liked it

155,957 ratings

Critics

13% liked it

23 critics

PG, 1 hr. 44 min.

Directed by: Annabel Jankel, Rocky Morton, Roland Joffé, Dean Semler

Release Date: September 8, 1990

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DVD Release Date: June 3, 2003

Stats: 8,129 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (8,129)

  • fb100000883534329
    March 5, 2012
    fb100000883534329
    Oh god this film... This film was every one of these actor's low points in their carrer's. From the second I was told there was a Super Mario Brothers movie, I knew it was going to be bad, but I wasent expecting it to be this bad. I should start off by saying the film was narra... read morerated by Homer Simpson. I then new this would be the cheesiest thing EVER. Then it wasent til later in the film I was like, 'Wait, is that... no, that cant be Dennis Hopper!' but saddly it's true. Bob Hoskins as Mario, Hopper as King Koopa and MOJO NIXON AS TOAD!!! COME ON! What's sad is you know they wanted to make a sequal to this and thank the beard of Zeus they didnt! They didnt include Peach, Wario, Donkey Kong or even the main bad guy BOWSER! Please avoid this film at all cost, for your own sake... I can never get those 114 minutes of my life back...
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    November 14, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    One of the first awful video game to screen adaptation. This adaptation of the popular video game franchise, Super Mario Bros. To say that this film is trash is an understatement. This film is poorly constructed; everything about it seems out of place, poorly conceived, sloppy an... read mored lazy. I really don't know if Super Mario brothers could have been a good idea for a good film. But by having seen this film, evidently not. I saw it when it came out, and hated it back then, hate it now. This film is a poor waste of celluloid and money. If this film would have been made today, it probably would have been directed by Uwe Boll, famed awful director of awful video game to screen adaptations. This films awful plot is decorated with lavish special effects, and unfortunately, it doesn't redeem this horrid film. The cast are terrible in their parts and it sinks the film even further. Sure, the idea of making a film based on the Mario Bros could have been cool, but this film is simply poorly executed. If you haven't seen this film, and are considering it, don't. This film is a waste of time. Stick with playing the classic video game, as it's far superior to this trash. Super Mario Bros was simply filmed to make a quick buck, and this film stands as a testament as no matter what kind of crap the studios greenlight, no matter how awful it is, the audience will go see. Luckily, this film sucks big time, and is a total waste. Avoid this if you haven't seen it. You'll be glad you did.
  • fb100002384654145
    November 4, 2011
    fb100002384654145
    How did we get this out of a simple video game about an italian plumber who has to fight monsters in order to save the princess. It really shouldn't have been that hard to adapt. Mario and Luigi aren't even brothers in the movie. The film's sets are completely ripped off from ... read moreBlade Runner and the plot is incomprehensible. If a Super Mario Bros. movie were to be re-done, please just make it an animated movie. I think it would work out a lot better that way. This movie is one of the worst video game adaptations of all time, and that is truly saying something.
  • DreamExtractor
    August 30, 2011
    DreamExtractor
    Super Mario Bros is a terrible movie, it was one of the worst f#cking things that I have ever had to experience. The plot is so god awful and boring and ruined the video game so much that it mnade me sick to my stomach. The cast was horrible, what the hell were they thinking. ... read moreThis movie nbeeds to be destroyed and never be heard from again, I hate this movie.
  • solesoulsorrow
    June 21, 2011
    solesoulsorrow
    There are some charming aspects to the film; but the target audience is in dire question.
    It strays too far from the original game to be embraced by the nostalgia of the grown-up gaming community.
    The premise is silly enough to be tailored to children, but thats not at all what... read more was done.
    It may be worthwhile just seeing the amazing cast (Samantha Mathis, Dennis Hopper, Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo) perform in their all-time career lows.
  • ythelastman89
    January 25, 2011
    ythelastman89
    I actually have not a whole lot of issues with this. Sure, it's got that bizarre 90s feel to it with outrageous colors and camera angles, but that's part of why it's so believable as a video game movie. Both Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo do Mario and Luigi proud, being almost ex... read moreact representations of the beloved characters. You should know what you're getting into when you see this, it's very over the top and nutty.
  • fb733768972
    October 1, 2010
    fb733768972
    The Super Mario Brothers live action film is a complete fail! I hate this film so much that I have come to love it. Every moment of this film was shot to make an audience smile at how laughably stupid it is. If you want to make a Super Mario film, then make a Super Mario film, no... read moret this! This is a disgrace to video game films!
  • coollala0910
    August 23, 2010
    coollala0910
    Super Mario Bros. is so bad, it's good! A must-see for fans of the video games! It just depends on your mood while watching it.
  • matertenebraum
    May 30, 2010
    matertenebraum
    Burn the f**king tape. Don't ever see this film, unless you're feeling suicidal or if you dream about having intercourse with Mario. Only totally idiotic die-hards should see this, or maybe stupid children.

    This is mind-numbingly bad video-torture. The main characters don't even... read more RESEMBLE the original video game stars, so this shouldn't even have the word Mario associated with it. It should just be called Super Brothers. Or maybe just Brothers, since the production has absolutely nothing 'Super' about it. Also with the aforementioned lack of resemblance of the real characters, it's debatable if the film versions of Mario and Luigi are at all related. This movie may be better suited to remain nameless, but I don't agree. I have a good name for this: D-F-B. (Which stands for Dia-F**king-Bolical.)
  • YosemiteSamFan
    November 28, 2009
    YosemiteSamFan
    Craptacular movie which was barely anything like the videogame! Made on a cheapo budget, they made too many compromises from the source material. The movie's setting was a dank sewer and a dirty steel mill, unlike the bright and colorful block kingdom the game existed in. Bob Ho... read moreskins was perfectly cast as Mario; totally huggable. But what the hell were they thinking when they cast John Leguizamo as Luigi?? Luigi is meant to be Mario's older brother with a moustache, not some goofy kid. Princess Daisy was a beautiful addition to the movie. Dennis Hopper was great acting as King Koopa, but looked nothing like the ten-foot tall dragon in the game. They got the Goombas all wrong with their big bodies and little heads. And where were the turtle enemies which every level of the videogame had? The Mushroom King was goopy and disgusting. Yoshi was cute, but too small for Mario to ride on. The "Super" aspect of the game with them grabbing a mushroom and growing giant-sized wasn't covered. Mario and Luigi could only jump high with special power-boots. Lame. They took a fun fantasy platform game and turned it into an ugly wreck. Gosh this movie was totally disappointing. Terrible movie done hastily to cash in on the Nintendo game craze of the time. Jeez, they should've done a "Donkey Kong" movie at a New York construction site instead. Forget Super Mario Bros. unless you want to host a bad movie night.

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Critic Reviews

Lawrence Cohn
March 26, 2009
Lawrence Cohn, Variety

Wildly overproduced and derivative. Full Review

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

This film's two directors and three screenwriters have clearly tried hard to breathe life into their nonstory, to the point where the film's intensity seems more crazy than cynical. Full Review

Hal Hinson
January 1, 2000
Hal Hinson, Washington Post

This movie, which was directed by music video whiz kids Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel, is sweet and funny and full of bright invention. In short, it's a blast. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

As everyone knows, arcade-style diversions are not known for strong, original narratives or well-developed characters. In that sense, this film is worthy of its inspiration. Full Review

Lawrence Toppman
February 7, 2011
Lawrence Toppman, Charlotte Observer

Bombs explode, cars careen and crash, people leap from dimension to dimension in this blaring, glaring picture. Kids might get a charge out of the mayhem. I got the vapors. Full Review

Tim Brayton
May 30, 2010
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy

As the ad campaign helpfully pointed out, "this ain't no game, it's a live-action thrill ride." Half-true: it is surely not a game, for it is typically held that games are pleasurable. Full Review

April 7, 2010
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Despite eye-catching sets and smart casting, this first feature-length film to be adapted from a video game is a bloated muddle. Full Review

Stephen Garrett
February 9, 2006
Stephen Garrett, Time Out

It will baffle kids, bore adolescents, and depress adults. Full Review

Greg Muskewitz
July 10, 2003
Greg Muskewitz, eFilmCritic.com

While it isn't as bad as it was initially built up to be, it is an early example of why videogames don't make good movies.

Frank Ochieng
May 27, 2003
Frank Ochieng, Movie Eye

Super Mario Bros. is about as playful and challenging as an unplugged pinball machine.

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Facts

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    • King Koopa: Monkey!
    • King Koopa: Ba-bomb!
    • Luigi Mario: There's Mario Mario and Luigi Mario!
    • King Koopa: That 'koopa clown' is one mean, egg sucking son of a snake.
    • The King: Slime-bucket.
    • Toad: Aint got no water anywhere. Food is dead. So's the air. Got no resources. In a great big stupa. All because of the evil king Koopa.
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