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~Toad Town – Mushroom Kingdom – Night
“Come on, Mario! We-a don’t want to be late!”
“H-hold on, Luigi! I’m-a coming! Slow down!”
“I-a can’t slow down, we’re-a gonna miss it! Oh my gosh! I’m-a so excited! I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time!”
“Luigi, wait up! We need to wait for the others first!”
“Tell them to move their-a lazy butts faster! I-a don’t wanna miss peak cinema!”
“Ugh… Luigi!”
As Mario ran through the streets of Toad Town, trying to chase his younger brother – he took a look around and noticed the scenery had changed. Streamers printed with the M and L initials hung diagonally from one window sill to another and there were balloons of the brothers tied to multiple street cones. Toads placed several closed signs on their stores as they ran down the street, almost knocking each other over. Of course, they helped the fallen stand up as they continued running as fast as they could.
The red-hatted hero stopped to catch his breath; however, he looked down and noticed a reflection shining off of the floor. Raising an eyebrow, he looked up and saw a large white sign with these words written in red.
Now Premiering – The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Seeing the title made him smile as he pressed both hands against his hips, feeling his heart beat as fast as someone playing the bongos.
This was it.
Tonight had finally come.
Not too long ago – a movie studio approached Peach's Castle and asked if they could speak to the Mushroom Kingdom's famous heroes. The princess replied with a nod and that was when Mario remembered the conversation that followed after – the studio pitched an animated movie about the brothers' first time they came to their new home and rescued Peach from the dreaded Lord Bowser; however, they mentioned that some changes were going to make. At first, the brothers were a bit skeptical about these “creative ideas”, but as soon as they got ahold of the script and skimmed through it, they were all in.
After several trailers, sneak peeks, and months of waiting – the movie’s release day was upon them and Mario couldn’t help but feel happy.
He tilted his head down and looked over at a red booth with the word "Tickets" painted in gold. There, he saw Luigi jumping up and down as he presented his tickets and got them approved. Mario chuckled at his brother's excitement and took a step forward, but he was soon stopped by a familiar voice.
“Mario!”
Princess Peach ran up from behind and stopped, placing a hand on her lover’s shoulder. She breathed in and out, putting the other hand on her chest. Sweat poured from her cheeks and she wiped her face with a small pink towel. Right behind her was Toad, who panted as he caught up to her.
“Jeez, I’ve never seen Luigi run this fast before,” Toad coughed. “Not since I told him we were having donuts in my house.”
"Heh, sorry about that, Toad," Mario laughed nervously. "I guess he's-a just excited about the movie."
“And we all share his enthusiasm,” Peach smiled, wrapping her arms around the knight in shining armor. She bestowed a kiss on his cheek and said, “We’ve been waiting for this movie for quite some time. I’m excited to see myself on the big screen.”
"Me-a too!" Mario beamed from ear to ear. "I'm-a so happy they made you a fierce warrior in this movie! I have a feeling you're-a gonna kick some serious butt!" He made kung-fu movements with his hands and Roundhouse kicked the air.
The blonde princess chuckled and cupped her hands together. “Thank you, Mario. I just hope you and I share a few scenes together.”
“Oh… romantic scenes?” her boyfriend smirked.
"I was thinking of some fighting scenes,” she mirrored his expression.
“Even better.”
Luigi approached the group with four stamped tickets in his hands. “There you guys are! Are you-a ready for the best movie of all time?”
“Luigi, we haven’t even seen it yet,” Toad said. “What makes you think it’s going to be that good?”
"Oh-a Toad, you're-a so close-minded," he shook his head, wrapping his arm around Mario's shoulder. "It's-a got me and Mario in it! Of course, it's going to be great!"
Toad folded his arms before he shrugged. "I guess I can buy that. I can't wait to see myself in the film. I got my Captain's backpack, and a frying pan, and I have an awesome monster truck! I'm going to be amazing in this movie! I'm so happy!"
“Let’s-a find our seats before the theater gets-a too crowded,” Mario said, looking at the swarm of Toads in front of the ticket booth.
“Do you think we can-a get some snacks first, Bro?” Luigi inquired. “You can’t-a have a movie without-a snacks.”
“Very true, Bro. Very true. Come on, everyone! Let’s-a head inside!”
And with that, the four heroes shared a high-five as they raced inside the theater along with a few more excited Toads.
~Movie Theater – Toad Town, Mushroom Kingdom – Night
As soon as the four stepped inside the theater, their eyes lit up with delight as they noticed a lot of Mario-themed decorations everywhere they looked. Balloons with both Mario and Luigi's initials were tied to some orange cones placed near the entrance and streamers of the same logos hung from the ceiling. Peach and Toad were quick to notice some cardboard standees of their movie counterparts and both of them couldn't help but jump with joy. Toad approached one of them and whipped out his camera, positioning himself next to the cut-out. He took a quick picture and giggled with excitement.
Both brothers walked towards the concession stand to buy some snacks when all of a sudden, Mario looked over and noticed a few posters of the movie on the walls. He asked Luigi if he could take care of the snacks while he looked around, to which his brother said it was no problem. As the green-hatted hero placed a large order, the star of the show stepped toward the posters and admired all of them. They were all placed in chronological order – meaning the very first poster – which showed Mario looking at a packed Mushroom Kingdom – was all the way to the left and at the end of the right sat the final poster – which included Mario and Luigi standing back to back, Bowser looming over them, Donkey Kong holding a barrel and flexing a muscle, and Peach standing alongside Toad.
The smiles on everyone’s faces (even the sinister one from Bowser) made Mario close his eyes and beam brightly. He placed both hands on his hips and stared at the posters for a while before he was called over by Luigi, who carried four large buckets of popcorn, four big cups of lemonade, and a blanket of napkins. He was about to drop some of the food, but Peach performed a cartwheel and grabbed her popcorn and drink before they could spill all over the floor.
Mario’s eyes widened when he saw her do that; guess the parkour she has in the movie’s starting to rub off on her. The plumber shrugged and chuckled before he followed his friends down the hallway.
Once they showed their tickets to the usher, he pointed them to Screen Number 10, which was down the hall and straight to the left. The group followed the pathway before they reached their destination.
Opening the black doors, they arrived inside a black-walled theater with golden lights shining above. They walked up a small flight of stars before they looked to the right and saw several rows of seats. Most Toads were already in their seats and some Shy Guys were searching for which ones they booked online. Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Peach searched around for their seats but they came to a stop, admiring the massive screen before their very eyes.
The screen was as big as all of Bob-omb Battlefield and Luigi gulped once he saw it. His eyes were so big, they could pop out of their sockets and his heart rapidly beat against his chest.
“Are you okay, Luigi?” Mario inquired, nudging his brother’s shoulder.
“W-wow…. B-big… s-screen…” Luigi replied excitingly.
“This must be the Director’s Room,” Peach said, munching a handful of popcorn. “This is supposed to be the best screen in the theater.”
“And they picked the perfect movie to show it in,” Toad grinned.
“True that, Toad,” Mario winked. “So… where do we find our seats?”
Suddenly, the group heard a loud voice.
“Hey, Cuz! Hi Honey! Over there!”
The group turned over their shoulders and noticed someone waving at them with her white-gloved hands.
“Hey, down in front!” she called again with a laugh. “You’re blocking the way! I can’t see!”
“Very funny, Daisy,” Peach chuckled, rolling her eyes.
Princess Daisy was in the seventh row above and she sat beside Yoshi, Rosalina, and Toadette. They waved to their friends as they watched them come over and squeeze between the seats, finding ones that suited them perfectly. Mario and Peach sat next to each other with Yoshi sitting on the former’s right. Luigi happily sat beside his girlfriend, who hugged him tightly, and Toad sat near Toadette, offering her a bite of his popcorn. As for Rosalina, she sat next to Yoshi and a few Lumas sat on her lap.
“Glad you guys can make it in time,” Daisy smiled. “I know you wouldn’t want to miss your big screen debut.”
“Well… this technically isn’t the first time Luigi and I have been in a movie,” Mario rubbed his head. “We-a don’t like to talk about it though.”
“I’m so excited to see you guys though, especially you, Luigi,” Daisy grinned.
“Oh… w-well… heh,” Luigi blushed; his cheeks turned as red as a tomato. “Grazie, Daisy. Say, maybe you and I will share a scene together. I’m-a not sure if you’re going to be in the movie, but it would be awesome if you showed up in an after-credits scene. The same goes for you, Rosalina. It would be amazing if they adapted Mario’s galaxy adventure in the sequel.”
"I appreciate the thought, Luigi," Rosalina nodded. "It would be interesting to see me in a movie. I think one of my Lumas was in the second trailer, so it would make sense they'd have me in the sequel or the end of this movie."
“I-a guess we’ll have to wait and see,” Mario said.
“I can’t wait to see all of the Yoshis,” said the green dinosaur. “I wonder if we’re going to have big roles in the movie.”
“Oh man, Mario riding a Yoshi would be the coolest thing ever!” Luigi squealed with joy.
“Wow, easy there, Honey,” Daisy said, rubbing her ear. “I won’t be able to hear the movie if you keep yelling.”
“Oh… sorry.”
As the group continued to chat amongst themselves, some unexpected guests sat all the way in the front row – those guests being Bowser, Bowser Junior, Kamek, and the seven Koopalings.
"Everyone, move aside!" the Magikoopa shouted, forcing everyone to look at him. “Lord Bowser demands to have his favorite seat!”
“Thank you, Kamek,” Bowser nodded, patting his head. “All right, Junior. You and the Koopalings take your seats and grab your popcorn. No, making a mess in here, okay!? I don't want to get kicked out of this movie!"
“Aww, but I want to throw popcorn when we see Mario’s stupid, dumb, ugly face,” Junior whined. “Please, can’t I just make a small mess? I’ll clean it up.”
“I appreciate your love for the Koopa Empire, Junior. But no. I want to see this movie as mess-free as possible.”
“That’s going to be difficult because Roy looks like he can’t get his bag of chips open,” Ludwig rolled his eyes as he glared at his brother, who struggled to open a small bag of honey barbeque chips.
“Why do they make these things so hard to open!?” Roy snarled as he grabbed the bag from the middle and ripped it open, causing a few chips to pour over the side. “Aww, dang it!”
“Come on, Roy, don’t get us kicked out,” Morton grunted. “I want to see how I look in the movie!”
“I do not believe we’re in this movie, Morton,” Iggy said, adjusting his glasses. “Given how we weren’t in any of the trailers and advertising, it’s safe to say they’re saving us for a possible sequel.”
“If this stupid movie does well anyway,” Wendy giggled.
Lemmy munched on his popcorn and waited for the movie to start when he suddenly heard a loud “Wah!” coming from his right. Raising an eyebrow, he looked around and saw two familiar figures three rows behind him. He nudged Larry, who was preparing his camera to record the movie.
“What’s up, Lemmy?” the blue-haired Koopaling asked.
“Look,” Lemmy pointed. “Is that Wario and Waluigi?”
Larry turned to see Mario and Luigi’s archrivals snarling and chatting amongst themselves.
“Great,” he rolled his eyes. “Looks like this theater’s gonna smell like garlic.”
Wario and Waluigi took their seats and stared at the screen. A scowl covered the former’s face as the latter groaned in annoyance.
“Will you give it a rest, Wario?” Waluigi asked. “You’ve been ranting about this for months.”
“I just find it dumb how they decided to make a Mario movie and not a Wario movie!” his chubby brother threw his hands in the air. “I pitched a WarioWare several years ago; it was supposed to be a documentary about what life is like in the office. I was prepared to be the star of my very own motion picture, but they scrapped it! They said it wasn’t ‘educational’ enough! Who the heck goes to the movies to learn something? People watch movies to see characters pose in front of green screens and beat each other up! This is so stupid! I don’t understand how you’re so calm about this, Waluigi!”
“Because I have a feeling we’re going to show up in the after-credits scene,” he smirked and rubbed his hands together.
“After what?”
“You know, the after-credits scene. It’s been a trope ever since those comic book films came out. After the credits, they show a sneak preview of the sequel – letting audiences know that the story is going to continue. I think Bowser’s going to lose in this movie and by the end, we take over and become the main antagonists for the sequel!”
A smile appeared on Wario’s face when he heard that. “Yeah… yeah, yeah! Oh! And we could be the directors!”
“And the writers!”
“We could make the movie however we want it to be!”
“We could have garlic!”
“We could have gold!”
“WE COULD HAVE EVERYTHING WE’VE EVER DREAMED OF!” Both of them shouted at the same time.
“Hey, keep it down over there!” Bowser grunted.
“We may not be able to beat the Mario Brothers in real life, but we can beat them on the big screen!” Waluigi said with a snap of his fingers.
“Now you’re talking my language, Waluigi!” Wario nodded. “High five!”
Both brothers high-fived and laughed obnoxiously. They dug their faces into buckets of popcorn and garlic before they leaned back and waited for the film to begin.
Mario and Luigi couldn’t help but overhear their loud conversation and sigh; when will those two learn their lesson?
As everyone continued getting comfortable, five more guests arrived and found themselves a few rows down from where Mario was sitting: Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, Cranky Kong, and Funky Kong. All of them waved to a few Toads in the audience that got excited over their arrival. The five of them stepped over a few more rows before they found their seats.
“This way, DK!” Diddy jumped with joy. “Our seats are right here!”
“Ha-ha, settle down, Diddy,” Donkey Kong smiled, patting his best friend’s head.
“I can’t, DK! You’re finally going to be in a movie! This is huge!”
“Ha-ha, thanks little buddy,” the big ape smiled. “Although, this isn’t the first time I’ve been in a movie. I was in that one movie where aliens used pixelated video games to take over the world.”
“Technically, that was me, DK,” Cranky said, stroking his chin. “They based that design off of when I was young.”
“Oh, yeah,” Donkey Kong nodded. “Sorry about that, Grandpa. I really liked you in that movie.”
“Ugh, I didn’t.”
“Huh? Why?”
“I was defeated by a scrawny human who made terrible jokes and the special effects for me were awful. It’s such a shame how movies these days rely on cheesy graphics, bad writing, and poor acting. They don’t make movies like they used to.”
“So… do you think this movie’s going to be bad?”
“As long as they don’t make me look stupid, I’m okay.”
“Good,” Donkey Kong smiled.
The five Kongs took their seats and exchanged popcorn buckets filled with chocolate, bananas, and of course; popcorn.
“Say, Diddy,” Dixie nudged her boyfriend. “Do you think we’re in this movie? I hope we share a scene together.”
“I hope so too, Dixie,” Diddy smiled. “Hey, Funky! Do you think you’ll see yourself in this movie? Maybe we’ll see some Kongs we haven’t heard from in a while.”
“Hmm… maybe,” Funky scratched his head. “Just as long as we don’t see King K. Rool, I’m good.”
King K. Rool, who was sitting in the row ahead of the Kongs, turned around and shot Funky a glare.
“Wow… looks like everyone is here,” Mario smiled. He munched on a handful of popcorn and watched most of the audience find their chairs and sit in anticipation. “I-a hope they all like it.”
He sat in silence for a bit before he reached for his cell phone. “I’m-a curious. How is this movie doing anyway? I-a probably shouldn’t look, but I can’t help myself.”
Humming the best part of his theme song, Mario typed the movie’s name into a search engine and clicked on a website with a red tomato icon. As soon as the website loaded, it presented a picture of the final poster and two tabs – one was the critical score and the other was the audience score. Clicking the former, he watched a black circle load up the page and it loaded the critical percentage.
Fifty-Six Percent.
Noticing the green splat in front of the number, the plumber’s eyes widened, and his heart jumped.
“Huh?”
He stared at the number for a few seconds, recalling that a green splat meant whatever the critics reviewed as bad.
“Wait… that-a can’t be right. M-maybe this is incomplete. W-what’s the critical synopsis?”
Scrolling to the bottom, he found a general review of the movie and read it to himself.
While it's nowhere near as thrilling as turtle tipping your way to one-hundred and twenty-eight lives, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a colorful – albeit thinly plotted – animated adventure that has about as many Nintendos as Nintendon’ts.
As soon as he finished reading the review, his face went pale, and his heart sank.
Mario stared at the phone and read the review to himself a few times and started to think – could his fear of the movie being bad have come true? Was he right to be skeptical from the start? He slowly leaned back in his seat and started to remember the day he voiced his concerns to Luigi, who found him sitting on a tree in Waterspout Beach.
~Waterspout Beach – Sparkling Waters – Afternoon {Flashback}
“The truth is…” Mario froze for a bit as he rubbed his arm and deeply sighed. “I’ve been feeling a little down since last night – after we watched the trailer for our new movie.”
“Why?” Luigi inquired, scratching his head. “I thought you liked it. Was there something wrong with it?”
“No, no, of course not,” Mario shook his head and waved his hands. “I-a loved that trailer. Peach’s character development looks amazing, I look like I’m going to be a great hero, and I’m-a wondering how you’re going to escape Bowser’s clutches. The movie looks amazing, and I’m excited to see it.”
He paused for a brief moment before he continued, “But once I went to bed… I-a started thinking.”
“About?” Luigi asked.
Mario froze for a second, formulating the right words to say. He said nothing for a while longer before the truth came out. “I’ve thought of two outcomes for the movie and both of them have me nervous. The first one is… what if this movie is bad? What if it doesn’t live up to the hype? Something I’ve noticed these days is that people will get so excited about the trailers but when the actual film itself is released, it’s either bad or-a mediocre. Another outcome I thought was… what if people really like it? And I mean really like it.”
“I can understand your concern with the first one, but what’s so bad about people loving the movie?” Luigi asked with a smile. “Isn’t that what you want?”
“Yes, but… what if the movie’s too good to the point where it warrants several sequels and spin-offs? I hear talk about a possible Luigi’s Mansion movie if this one does well.”
“I would love to see a Luigi’s Mansion movie. That would be awesome, but again… I’m not seeing the problem.”
“If this movie does really well, then… then… then…” Mario paused for a moment to take a deep breath. He felt his hand shaking and his heart pounding. A few breaths helped him calm down as he closed his eyes and looked at his brother. “There’s-a going to be a lot of pressure on me. Let’s say that this company plans to make sequels, spin-offs, or even a whole cinematic universe. If that-a happens, then-“
“You’ll feel like you’ll have all of these expectations you need to live up to?”
Mario was shocked to hear that response. “Y-yes… h-how did you know I was going to say that?”
“Eh, lucky guess,” Luigi shrugged.
Mario chuckled. “I’m… sorry for not-a telling you this earlier. I thought coming here would help me clear my head, but I can’t help but keep thinking about it. What do you think, Luigi? Are my concerns justified or am I overreacting?”
~Movie Theater – Toad Town, Mushroom Kingdom – Night {Present Day}
“I guess I-a now the answer to my question,” Mario exhaled with a frown. He looked down at the ground and pressed his hands together, repeating some of the review’s exact words in his head.
Thinly plotted.
As many Nintendos as Nintendon’ts.
He sat there for a few minutes before Peach turned to him and noticed his sadness.
“Mario… are you okay?”
He looked up and closed his eyes, showing her his phone screen.
She gently took the device and turned it on, seeing the review page before her very eyes. Squinting, she read it to herself before she gasped and looked at her boyfriend. Scoffing and rolling her eyes, she returned Mario’s phone to him and folded her arms.
“This is why I don’t trust critics anymore,” she said. “They always seem to hate everything these days. I prefer to have my own opinion.”
“But… what if they’re right?” Mario asked softly. “What if… what if we made a mistake agreeing to this? What if it’s as bad as people say it is?”
Peach placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled warmly. “Mario, didn’t you have this talk with Luigi a while back?”
“I did and he helped me, but… that was before I saw this," he motioned to his phone. "I was worried it wasn't going to do so well and now… it looks like my-a-fear is coming true. I'm-a sorry I dragged you all into this."
“Mario, stop,” the princess shook her said. “You did nothing wrong. All of us were skeptical about allowing the company to make this movie, but as soon as we read the script, we agreed to it. I remember how excited you and Luigi were as soon as you finished the script. You two were so excited that you agreed to this without hesitation."
“Perhaps my excitement got the best of me then.”
“Mario… I need you to listen to me.”
He sat still and looked into her girlfriend's ocean-blue eyes, feeling her warm smile touch his heart.
Peach brushed back her blonde hair and shrugged her shoulders. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned being a fan of movies, it’s that they can’t appease everyone. Take me and Daisy for an example. She likes those movies where a bunch of guys jump around with laser swords and fight soldiers to protect the galaxy. Me, I'm not into that kind of stuff. Personally, I like romantic movies. They're sweet, they're dramatic, they're funny, and they mostly have some good writing. Daisy doesn't like them because she thinks they're too sappy. What's important is that I respect her opinion and I don't let it jeopardize our relationship."
She paused for a moment, allowing herself to clear her throat. “Excuse me. People have different tastes. One person might like one thing, but they may not like another. I have no idea what this movie is going to be like; however, all of us here are going to have different opinions. Let’s say you really loved this movie, and I didn’t – my opinion shouldn’t discourage you from liking it. Besides, my negative opinion doesn’t determine the experience as a whole. In other words, I could hate this movie but that won’t stop it from finding an audience that really likes it.”
Mario looked at the huge screen in front of him, soaking all of that in. With a single nod, he turned back toward Peach and smiled lightly.
“May I show you another example?” Peach asked.
“Sure,” he replied.
“May I see your phone again?”
Mario handed his phone over and she went back to the website. In the main menu, she clicked on the audience score and showed it to his face. Leaning back, he took the phone and squinted, seeing a number that was drastically different than the one he saw before.
A gold tomato icon with Ninety-Six Percent.
Widening his eyes, he felt his heart jump as he scrolled through a list of reviews.
My son and I loved it! It was cute and entertaining!
Very enjoyable laughs for young and old.
Fun movie to watch! Great for the kids!
It was really good! A must-see movie.
IT WAS SO MUCH FUN! The music and art were fantastic! Don't listen to critic scores!
Super cute movie! My son and his friend loved it!
Mario and Peach scrolled through more reviews before the former turned off the phone and placed it back in his pocket. He sat back in his chair and felt a sense of relief in his body. A warm smile painted on his face as he turned toward Peach and nodded.
“Grazie, Princess,” he said.
She wrapped him in a warm hug and kissed him on the lips. “You’re welcome, my little movie star.”
He chuckled at that remark before the lights went dark.
“Huh?”
“Hey!” Luigi whispered. “The movie’s starting!”
“Oh boy! Time to see my big screen appearance!” Bowser clapped his hands together.
“DK, Donkey Kong! DK! Donkey Kong is here!” all five Kongs chanted.
“Are you ready for this?” Peach smiled.
Mario turned to the big screen and watched it light up. “Let’s-a go.”
Everyone sat in their seats as they watched the movie’s title appear on the big screen.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
As Mario took a bite of his popcorn, he felt someone’s hand tap him on the shoulder. Curious, he turned around and immediately leaped back. Two short, yellow creatures with large goggles and blue denim overalls stared at him with huge smiles. One of them reached for his pocket and pulled out a banana, offering it to the dumbfounded plumber.
“Banana?” it asked in a high-pitched voice.
THE END