A month or two ago I headed with some friends to a movie theater. Ready to spend way too much on popcorn and sit in a theater where you can’t actually talk to your friends for the duration of the movie, I was prepared to buckle down and see what the Super Mario Bros. Movie was all about. And by god, it was an enjoyable little experience. Not sure if I’d ever pay money again to see it, but it was a fun adventure with great animated spectacle for the audience to witness as a wide variety of famous worlds and locations were put on the big screen. Later I wrote an article about how this might open doors for Nintendo to produce more movies of their franchises. It did not open the door. It fucking obliterated the entire door, doorframe, windows, walls, ceiling, the neighbor’s house, and anything else standing in their way. This film has now become the third highest grossing animated movie of all time according to Wikipedia at the time of writing. And it’s still earning more.
Today I want to hear if the overwhelming success of something you enjoyed has affected your perception of it. When I first heard how well the movie was doing, I was proud that a video game adaptation was finally winning the hearts of viewers and put together a fun watch for hardcore fans and regular families alike. Then the numbers started rolling in. It beats WALL-E. It beats Monsters Inc. It beats Finding Nemo. Hey wait a minute, don’t those movies actually have some semblance of… plot? Character development? Wasn’t WALL-E a funny yet prophetic movie about the dangers of increasing automation and the ever-decreasing physical activity in our lifestyles? Does it really deserve to be less successful than a movie with essentially no plot or meaningful moment whatsoever? Obviously success isn’t tied to raw quality, in fact the opposite is often true, but god damn the Mario movie was about as braindead of a piece of media as it can get. The beautiful animation and fast-paced scenes kept it from ever feeling boring don’t get me wrong, but in terms of intelligent writing, I can’t recall a single element in the film. It’s crazy to me that such a piece of media so devoid of any real meaning or message can climb to the top. Hell, even Frozen taught little girls not to blindly fall in love with the first hot dude they ever meet. I guess that’s why Frozen II is still in the #2 spot baby. For now.
Not my Shrek!
Hopefully I’ve been able to convey the situation. It’s not like I think the movie was bad by any stretch of the imagination (like some reviewers giving it a 2/10 expecting it to have the social commentary of a masterpiece), but when I see the success of it I can’t help but feel like it didn’t really deserve the heights it reached. There’s still plenty of time for it to become the highest grossing animated film of all time, in a world where Up exists, and I’m not sure if that’s a world I vibe with. Did you watch the movie? Did you expect Nintendo to see such huge returns on their investment? Which movie do you hope to see next from them (because god knows it’s already in the works)? Eat a mushroom, find your brother, and save the day in the comments below!
