When it was released in 1993, Super Mario Bros. was the first feature-length live action movie based entirely on a video game. No one knew if it could work or be successful, but there were reasons to be optimistic. After all, the Mario game franchise was already one of the world’s largest and most successful intellectual properties. But from its inception to its release, no one could agree on what kind of movie to make. Here’s the story of why Super Mario Bros. is the weirdest video game adaptation (so far).
It Was the First
Buena Vista Pictures
The character of Mario first appeared as the protagonist of Donkey Kong, the popular 1981 arcade game by Nintendo, and went on to appear in multiple games with his brother Luigi, including the console game Super Mario Bros., included for free with millions of Nintendo Entertainment Systems. Highly recognizable around the world, the two Mario brothers could not only be seen on a variety of merchandise but had also appeared in a Japanese animated movie in 1986 and a cartoon series that aired in the U.S. starting in 1989. That show even had live-action segments with the voice actors dressed as Mario and Luigi, and it premiered to strong ratings. But reviews were critical, especially of the acted portions, in what should have been a warning for those considering a film version.
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Still, a movie was inevitable. After both arcades and home consoles had waned in popularity in the early 1980s, Nintendo had turned video games back into a big business. Hollywood wanted a piece of the action, and the Mario brothers seemed like the perfect duo to go on a movie adventure. Nintendo was willing, so someone was going to make a movie.
It Struggled Through Development
Because it was to be the first video game-based movie, there was no precedent for how Super Mario Bros. should be developed. Games at the time told simple stories, if they included a story at all. Nintendo knew any adaptation would be an experiment. In 1990, producer Roland Joffé convinced them he was the man for the job, and just as importantly, let them retain merchandising rights. Known for films including The Killing Fields, Nintendo apparently embraced his vision for an edgier take on the property that would appeal to adults.
Joffé’s production company Lightmotive immediately went looking for big-name talent to attach to the picture, but reportedly was turned down by Michael Keaton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Danny DeVito. Tom Hanks was rumored to be involved for a time, but it was classically-trained Bob Hoskins, straight off the success of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, who eventually agreed to play Mario. He would later deeply regret it. A talented but young John Leguizamo would join him as Luigi.
Greg Beeman, who later became known for television hits including JAG and Smallville, was attached to direct. But at the time, his only film had been the teen comedy License to Drive, and producers decided they needed to go in a different direction. Joffé liked the visual style of husband and wife team Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel, known for commercials, music videos, and the groundbreaking Max Headroom. They agreed to direct but wanted the movie to be more like Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman or the 1990 live-action adaptation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, both of which had been recent hits.
It Had a Bizarre Premise
Many writers worked on Super Mario Bros., and it shows (but not in a good way). What started as a fantasy adventure film like The Wizard of Oz quickly became science fiction. New directors Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel liked the dinosaurs in the most recent Super Mario World video game, but also wanted more action, apparently inspired by the success of Die Hard. Numerous versions of the script were written. Each new writing team took what had already been done and did their best to make the additions that the producers and directors wanted. The Walt Disney Company agreed to distribute the movie, but they wanted changes as well, hoping to make it more family-friendly and suitable for children.
What eventually emerged was very different from the video game that so many knew and loved. The movie started in New York City but mostly took place in a sort of post-apocalyptic alternate dimension. Dinohattan was named for the humanoid dinosaurs that had evolved there, including their leader King Koopa, played by Dennis Hopper. The movie leaned heavily into the Mario brothers’ plumbing profession, which was ancillary in the video games. Sets were to be much darker than the colorful game levels, as production design was led by David Snyder of Blade Runner fame. One important element from the games, mushrooms, were transformed into an ever-present fungus that coated nearly everything. Goombas, which had looked like mushrooms in the games, instead were to be “devolved” giant humans with tiny dinosaur heads!
It Suffered from a Chaotic Set
Nintendo had mandated a tough deadline, so filming had to start in the summer of 1992, though the script was never really finished. Morton and Jankel, perhaps too open to the creative input they were receiving from all sides, constantly added and changed scenes, leaving the cast and crew scrambling. Much of the movie was shot in an abandoned cement factory in hot and humid North Carolina. The lead actors undoubtedly felt betrayed as the project had changed so drastically, and was continuing to evolve on set. Writers who had earlier been dismissed were brought back to rewrite scenes just before they were filmed.
No one seemed to be in charge. Morton and Jankel argued with each other and gave conflicting directions. The cast and crew increasingly blamed them for the chaos. Local strippers were hired to dance in a “nightclub” scene, but some shots were too explicit and had to be cut. Hoskins and Leguizamo started drinking, which may have contributed to a series of accidents and injuries. By the time filming wrapped, the movie was over budget but still faced a long post-production phase. The directors were locked out of the editing process for a time, and the visual effects took much of the next year to complete, though many would look dated almost immediately.
It Has Become a Cult Classic
When Super Mario Bros. finally opened in May 1993, it was a critical and commercial flop. Siskel and Ebert gave it two thumbs down and included it on their list of the worst films of the year. The wildly successful Jurassic Park opened the following month, wowing audiences with dinosaurs that looked real, and eventually earning more than one billion dollars against a budget not much bigger than Mario’s. Bob Hoskins called the movie “the worst thing I ever did” in multiple interviews, repeatedly criticizing it in his final years. Dennis Hopper said it was “a nightmare” and admitted he only took the job for the money. But John Leguizamo was kinder as he looked back on the 20th anniversary in 2013, saying in part that he was “proud of the movie in retrospect.”
Super Mario Bros. has gained a cult following over the years, primarily from those claiming that it is “so bad it’s good.” Other fans genuinely enjoy the movie or at least remember it nostalgically from their childhoods. But Nintendo stayed away from further live action adaptations for decades, finally releasing Pokémon: Detective Pikachu in 2019, a much better-reviewed and more successful movie. In January 2018, they confirmed rumors that a new animated Super Mario Brothers movie was in production.
And other studios were not deterred. Fighting games spawned a series of movies, including Street Fighter in 1994 and Mortal Kombat in 1995, with more to follow. The first mega-hit based on a game was 2001’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, though its reviews were generally worse than Mario’s. Still, dozens of more video game films are currently in the works, proving that far from killing the genre, Super Mario Bros. was just the beginning.
