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)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,532,623, 31 May 1993, Wide Release

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

None of the enemies in the film ever refer to Mario and Luigi by their first names. They only refer to them as "Plumbers, Mammals, and Monkeys." The only exception is the desk sergeant, who refers to them as "Marios" and "Mario Brothers."

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Goofs

At the ledge just before they enter the alternate dimension, you can hear the words "Watch it!" as Mario and Luigi switch places. It's obviously Mario speaking, but if you look, he isn't.

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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

After the closing credits, some Japanese business men ask Iggy and Spike about appearing in a video game based on the incidents in the movie.

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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

Spoofed in The Parodies 4 (2014)

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Soundtracks

I WOULD STOP THE WORLD
Performed by Charles & Eddie
Written by Mick Leeson and Peter Vale
Courtesy of Capitol Records, Inc.

User Reviews

A very dark version of the light-hearted series.

Okay, I'll avoid everyone's usual comments of why they hated this movie and such. My main gripe with this awful film is one reason: the setting. In all Mario games, from Super Mario Bros. to Mario 64 to Mario Sunshine to Mario Party to Mario Tennis to Mario Golf to Mario Kart to Mario RPG to Super Mario World, and even in the 3 cartoon shows and in Smash Bros. I might add, the settings have always been happy, light-hearted, and made the person playing feel welcome to world of the Mushroom Kingdom. However, in the motion picture, we are taken to a very cold, hi-tech, dismal metropolis. Instead of a light-hearted, happy-go-lucky, feeling, we are now facing a dark and even depressing tone. Nothing of this setting makes the viewer feel welcome to the world like the games and cartoons did, which is why this fails to capture the real spirit of Mario(and Luigi).