Super Mario Bros. (1993)

Two Brooklyn plumbers, Mario and Luigi, must travel to another dimension to rescue a princess from the evil dictator King Koopa and stop him from taking over the world.

Directors:

Annabel Jankel, Rocky Morton

Writers:

Parker Bennett, Terry Runte

Stars:

Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bob Hoskins	...	Mario Mario
John Leguizamo	...	Luigi Mario
Dennis Hopper	...	King Koopa
Samantha Mathis	...	Daisy
Fisher Stevens	...	Iggy
Richard Edson	...	Spike
Fiona Shaw	...	Lena
Dana Kaminski	...	Daniella
Mojo Nixon	...	Toad
Gianni Russo	...	Scapelli
Francesca P. Roberts	...	Bertha
Lance Henriksen	...	The King
Sylvia Harman	...	Old Lady
Desiree Marie Velez	...	Angelica
Andrea Powell	...	Brooklyn Girl

Storyline

Can you make a movie out of a video game? That's the question that is answered by this film. Mario Mario and Luigi Mario, two hard working plumbers find themselves in an alternate universe where evolved dinosaurs live in medium hi-tech squalor. They find themselves the only hope to save the Earth from invasion.

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Plot Keywords:

based on video game | plumber | dinosaur | parallel dimension | orphan | 

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Taglines:

Anything is possible, You just gotta believe in it....

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for sci-fi action, mild language and sensuality

Details

Country:

UK USA Japan

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 May 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Super Mario Brothers

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$42,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$20,915,465

Company Credits

Production Co:

Allied Filmmakers, Cinergi Pictures Entertainment, Hollywood Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min 90 min (Japan) 87 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dennis Hopper described the film's production - "It was a nightmare, very honestly, that movie. It was a husband and wife directing team who were both control freaks and wouldn't talk before they made decisions. Anyway, I was supposed to go down there for five weeks, and I was there for 17. It was so over budget."

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Goofs

Shortly after Koopa is devolved into primordial soup, the Elect Koopa posters are been painted over, how could anyone possibly get the equipment together to do so in such a short time?

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: A long long time ago, the Earth was ruled by dinosaurs. They were big, so not a lot of people went around hassling 'em. Actually, no people went around hassling 'em cuz there weren't any people yet. Just the first tiny mammals. Basically, life was good. Then something happened: a giant meteorite struck the Earth. Goodbye dinosaurs! But what if the dinosaurs weren't all destroyed? What if the impact of that meteor created a parallel dimension where the dinosaurs continued to thrive ...

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Crazy Credits

During the first portion of the opening credits, the theme music from the "Super Mario Bros." video game can be heard.

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Alternate Versions

In 2015, Discovery Family aired the film. Some scenes were edited/omitted because of time and content.

• After Mario throws Luigi the water bottle, there's a wide shot of NYC that's been removed.
• There's a commercial break, so the establishing NYC night shot before the Bella Napoli dinner scene is gone.
• In the flooded construction site, Iggy and Spike's conversation after "What percent is that?" is cut out.
• It cuts to Mario asking for Luigi's hand, cutting out the fun bit with him fixing the leak with multiple tools.
• preparing some fried Tweeter on a bun.
• After Big Bertha steals the rock, her Thwomp Stomper escape is missing the landing in the central walkway before stomping off again.
• In the worst cut so far, Toad's entire monologue about parallel dimensions is gone.
• Koopa: "Goomba." Toad's "Ahhh" response is gone.
• Koopa: "Your de-evolution will be a living nightmare if you don't tell me where that meteorite piece is" is cut.
• The prison escape sequences with cheering inmates is chopped down quite a bit.
• Police Chase alteration--the shots on and around Luigi's: "Hey Mario, you're going the wrong way!" are gone.
• Koopa: "Do you know what I love about mud?" lines are cut.
• Iggy/Spike wanting to formulate their own strategy, "tete-a-tete, inner circle" lines are cut.
• The wide shot of Dinohattan is gone, as well as the following Daisy/Yoshi scene.
• Mario/Luigi using the Snifit masks to sneak past security is gone. It cuts straight to the Boom Boom Bar after the fight scene.
• Mario "acquiring" the crystal from Bertha is trimmed down, likely to make it less risqué.
• Mario and Luigi's "impossible" conversation in the Sludge Gulper is gone.
• Koopa's scene with Daisy's father is cut short for a commercial, and it picks back up after it's over with Mario & Luigi.
• Lena's "If not with you, then on my own" conversation with Koopa is cut, making her storyline pretty confusing afterwards.
• The scene where Luigi begins to make the Goombas dance is cut in half.
• The dancing Goombas being interrupted by their higher-ranking officer is trimmed down.
• In another painful cut, Luigi's "Luigi Mario, you got a problem with that?" line has been removed.
• Mario's "come and get it, ruffle-head" scene is cut so they can only show one shot of the Bob-Omb falling through the foundation.
• After the merge back to Dinohattan, you won't see the Bob-Omb and the clown shoes guy.
• The "Super Mario Bros." logo is missing from the end of the film.

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Connections

Featured in Nostalgia Critic: How Right Are Trailers? (2016)

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Soundtracks

CANTALOOP
Performed by Us3
Written by Herbie Hancock, Kelly Rahsaan, Geoff Wilkinson, and Mel Simpson
Courtesy of Blue Note Records
A division of Capitol Records, Inc.

User Reviews

Too harsh, by far

Yes, this no classic, but it's not that bad. And yes it bears no resemblance to the video games that inspired it except for the jumpsuits that look like the heroes overalls, but it's not bad.

Mario & Luigi (Bob Hoskins & John Leguizamo) are the two down on their luck brother plumbers who get involved with a college student named Daisy (Samantha Mathis) who turns out to be a princess from an alternate dimension. Once transported there themselves, they must fight the evil King Koopa (Dennis Hopper) and save their world from being merged with Koopa's and the human race from being turned into monkeys.

It may be hard to believe that John Leguizamo is Bob Hoskins brother, but the two have good chemistry and John has a convincing Brooklyn accent (although Tom Selleck would have been a more convincing Luigi in some respects). Bob reprises his gruff detective persona from "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" to great effect. Samantha Mathis is cute as the princess and manages to feel less shallow than most heroines in these situations. Dennis Hopper hams it up as the film's villain. Lots of gags and good natured humor, and a beautiful song from Roxette, "Almost Unreal". Worth a rental.