Introduction

I like the Sonic the Hedgehog movies, both of which I watched in the Theater and bought on Blu-ray. I got some Sonic 2 Movie toys at McDonald's last year, and also got a poster. So naturally, I got excited about the new Super Mario Bros. movie. I remember seeing the first image/poster for it, which was full of Easter eggs and references to many of the games. I watched the Trailer videos. Some people were disappointed about Chris Pratt voicing Mario and sounding different than Mario does in the games, but honestly I didn't really have a problem with the voice and the movie itself already looked promising and like it would be similar to the games.

I received a Mario shirt in January, which was a late Christmas present that I was told was shipped from (somewhere in) California. Also in January, I bought the Mario Happy Meal that was at McDonald's.

And I got a Mario movie poster recently that I proudly display in my game room. I was ready to watch the new movie on the big screen.

I had a chance to watch The Super Mario Bros. Movie in the Theater recently. As expected, after seeing the trailer videos, the movie is chock full of Easter eggs and music from the games. So, I decided to write a blog about some of my favorite moments from the movie.

As the movie hasn't been released on Blu-ray yet, I won't be able to include any pictures of the movie itself. But I'll point out when in the movie these moments occur. Also, while I'm sure many Mario fans have already watched the movie, there might be some who still haven't seen it, so possible spoilers ahead.

My Favorite Moments and Easter eggs in The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Super Mario Bros. Super Show Rap

This is something I wasn't expecting to actually be included in the movie, but am glad was included. Early in the movie, during the commercial for Mario and Luigi's Plumbing business, a Rap plays that should be familiar for those who have watched the Super Mario Bros. Super Show.

Punch-Out Pizzeria

Early in the movie, we see Mario and Luigi in a Pizza restaurant known as "Punch-Out Pizzeria". It is, of course, named after the Punch-Out!! game series. This scene alone has quite a few fun Easter eggs. There are pictures showing some of the Punch-Out!! characters (such as Glass Joe, seen in pic above), and a guy playing the original Donkey Kong (called "Jump Man" in the movie, which was Mario's original name). Luigi's ringtone is the GameCube's iconic startup sound, and there's a picture on Luigi's phone that looks like a Mii character. They also talk to a Construction worker named Spike who is from Wrecking Crew for the NES, a game that features Mario and Luigi as Construction workers.

Mario's Room

Not surprisingly, Mario's room in the movie is full of NES and also some SNES Easter eggs. In the scene Mario plays Kid Icarus, one of the earliest games for the NES. There's also a poster with a Polar Bear wearing sunglasses on it, which is a character from Ice Climber (another early NES game). And there's an Arwing from the Star Fox games, among other things.

Luigi Entering the Dark Lands

After Mario and Luigi are sucked into a pipe, they are separated and Luigi enters the Dark Lands. This scene was shown in some of the Trailer videos. Luigi trembles, uses a Flashlight, and walks through a forest. This is a reference to the opening in Luigi's Mansion for GameCube, and some Luigi's Mansion music even plays briefly. This is also the scene where Luigi is attacked by some Dry Bones enemies, and says his now famous "You've just been-a Luigi'd!" line. World 8 in the NES version of Super Mario Bros. 3 is also called "Dark Land" (though in earlier copies of the NES version and the SNES All-Stars version, it's called "Castle of Koopa", while the Game Boy Advance version calls it "Bowser's Castle").

Our Princess is in Another Castle!

This line should be familiar to just about every Mario fan, since it's from the first Super Mario Bros. game which has also been re-released on nearly every Nintendo system. After Mario meets Toad and arrives at Princess Peach's castle, the famous "Our Princess is in another Castle!" line was included as a joke said by the Toad Guards.

Fire Flower Fields

The scene where Mario, Princess Peach, and Toad are in a field full of Fire Flowers. I don't know why this is one of my favorite scenes in the movie. It could be that we see Peach using a Fire Flower to light a campfire. Or it could be that the scene just looks cool, with the Fire Flowers lighting up the area. Peach also mentions in this scene that "there's a whole Galaxy out there." Of course, just because Peach said "Galaxy" doesn't necessarily mean it's a reference to Super Mario Galaxy. But then again there's a Lumalee (Blue Star) from Super Mario Galaxy in the movie, so it's possible.

DK Rap and Diddy Kong's Appearance

As Mario, Princess Peach, and Toad enter the Jungle Kingdom (complete with the Donkey Kong Country theme playing in the background), we see a Kong with sunglasses who I thought was Funky Kong (though some have said it is a different character). They then meet Cranky Kong, and tell him that they need the Kongs' help to battle Bowser.

Those who watched the trailer videos knew Donkey Kong would be in the movie. In this scene, Mario battles DK in a setting that is reminiscent of both the original Donkey Kong and Super Smash Bros. A nice touch during this scene is the inclusion of the DK Rap, which plays during the intro in Donkey Kong 64 and is also included in some of the Super Smash Bros. and Donkey Konga games. The DK Rap is one of those songs that is so bad that it's just awesome. Not surprisingly, the DK Rap was included in the Donkey Kong 64 Soundtrack CD.

During this scene, I thought "OK, we've seen DK and Cranky, but where's Diddy Kong?". I wondered if any other DK characters would make an appearance. Then I hear Cranky say "Everyone simmer down! That means you, Diddy Kong!". So Diddy is shown, and other DK characters like Dixie Kong (from Donkey Kong Country 2 and 3) and Chunky Kong (from Donkey Kong 64) are there beside him.

Mario Kart 

Of course, I've always been a big Mario Kart fan and have played most games in the series since the first one.

In the Mario Kart scene, we see Mario, Princess Peach, Toad, and Donkey Kong creating their Karts, with the same customization seen in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. They then race on Rainbow Road, variations of which have appeared in every game in the series. Just like every game in the series, we see characters drop banana peels and throw shells. After Mario throws a shell, he even says "wahoo!" like he does in many of the games.

The Tanooki Suit 

Later in the movie, Mario grabs a Leaf and turns into Tanooki Mario (or Raccoon Mario). This might technically be a reference to Super Mario 3D Land for the 3DS, as Mario gets the Tanooki Suit just by grabbing a Leaf. But as longtime Mario fans know, both the Leaf and Tanooki Suit first appeared in Super Mario Bros. 3 for the NES. Music from Super Mario Bros. 3 plays during this scene in the movie. I really like this scene, and Super Mario Bros. 3 is my favorite Mario game.

Mario and Luigi Working Together 

Unfortunately, (possible spoilers) Luigi doesn't have a very large role in the movie. But later in the movie, during the battle with Bowser, we see Mario and Luigi working together. They grab a Star that Bowser has dropped (which Mario and Peach were after earlier in the movie), and the invincibility music from the Mario games plays. We see Mario and Luigi grab Bowser by the tail and swing him around, a reference to Super Mario 64.

Conclusion

My twentieth blog is complete. There are other Easter eggs I noticed and scenes I like that I didn't list, but I'm sure there are lots of Easter eggs that I didn't notice. As anyone who's watched the movie likely knows, nearly every scene has some Easter eggs and references.

Also, I'm glad the GameCube wasn't left out. It is an underrated, yet very good console. I remember watching the Trailer videos and didn't see much for GameCube references, other than the scene showing Luigi walking through a forest. Luckily there are more than that, including a reference to Super Mario Sunshine that I didn't mention above. Chris Pratt (Mario) and Charlie Day (Luigi) have also mentioned that they want a Luigi's Mansion movie.

Movies based on games have sure come a long way since 1993. The Sonic movies are pretty good, and The (New) Super Mario Bros. Movie has reached $1 billion at the Box Office just like Top Gun: Maverick did last year. A sequel seems likely, but who knows...maybe we could also see Zelda, Metroid, and/or Donkey Kong movies in the future. Maybe Kirby might get an actual movie sometime (the Kirby: Fright to the Finish DVD that was released in 2005 is really just a bunch of Kirby: Right Back at Ya! episodes combined). Who knows.

I noticed that iam8bit is releasing the new Mario movie's soundtrack on Vinyl, CD, and even Cassette. Still don't know which one I'm going to purchase. The Vinyl is cool, but the Cassette is tempting. I think the last Audio Cassette I got was the Donkey Kong Country 2 soundtrack, which I still have (and it still works).

-MegaMan52