Independant Study Project - Super Mario Bros. The Movie. A success or not?

Super Mario Bros. is part of the Mario series of video games, consisting of over 200 titles that span across video game history. Nintendo's moustached-mascot is the most recognizable character in gaming, so it's no wonder that he has appeared on many forms of media, including video games, books, comics, and movies. Super Mario Bros. the movie, is the theatrical take on the Mario series of games. It is the first and last time a live action Mario film was made, largely due to negative criticism from consumers and critics alike. This was due to the many sacrifices that resulted in the adaptation of game to film. In this post, ill review the three main aspects of the film: plot, design, and the impression on critics and fans alike, how truthful the film was to its source media.

Plot

When you play a Mario game (or at least when I did) you play for the fun and addictive game play, you don't notice just how much the game makes no sense at all. I mean why is a dragon turtle king trying to kidnap a girl who princess of a kingdom on mushrooms? Why is the only one trying to save her an Italian plumber? Weirdness aside, the movie fails to create a plot in which is logical enough to be live action. I mean, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against fantasy live action movies, but the movie tried to much to follow the games, and thus when it moved to the film medium, it didn't change enough to be good in and of itself. it seemed like an imitation of the game in movie form, not a fleshed out plot for film. An example of this is how the plot is still the same as it was in the games, Mario has to save the princess. The problem is that this is the only aspect of the movie that stays true to the video games. Everything else is entirely changed to the point where it is confusing to follow and fails to resemble the games. If your going to make a movie based on a game, don't change so much that it is almost unrecognisable. The plot involves the two Mario brothers Mario and Luigi as they try to rescue Daisy, a regular human girl, who has been kidnapped into the mushroom kingdom dimension by Bowser's forces. The main problem of the plot is that there is a meteorite that is unexplained, which becomes critical later in the film. Apparently, Bowser's plot is replace one sliver of the meteorite, and when it is whole, the dimensional wall between the Mushroom Kingdom and the human world will vanish, and Bowser will rule broth dimensions. What makes even less sense is why the sliver of the meteorite is found to be the gem on Daisy's necklace, which makes her the egg baby. (the sliver was found with the egg.) With yet another of example of utter randomness in its plot, Super Mario Bros. once again cements itself as one of the most ridiculous movie plots ever. Aside from the rescue part of the plot, all the charm from the games due to fun gameplay and cool design has been lost in the transition to film. One example of this is the setting of the movie; the film begins with a girl running through Brooklyn, twenty years ago. She drops off an egg at a churn, and it hatches to reveal a human child. Not only is not explained, but how does a human child hatch from an egg? Already we have an example of random movie only material, with no context from it's game series of origin; Nothing like this ever happens in the games. The director may have made this choice to make a more simple origin story for what takes place, but instead, it comes of confusing and unexplained. The official origin story for Mario and Luigi takes place in the game Yoshi's Island, but apparently the directors never heard of that game.

(In this game, Mario and Luigi's origin is explained by being two babies in sacks carried by a stork. The stork was ambushed by Baby Bowser's forces, and Baby luigi fell out of the storks mouth and was kidnapped by Baby Bowser. Baby Mario fell down to earth to Yoshi's island, where a Yoshi carried him through the world to rescue his brother. That origin story worked just fine, Super Mario Bros. The Movie!)

Design

The lack of continuity with the series continues with the overall design of the film, many of the characters barely represent what they are supposed to. I understand that the directors had a challenge trying to emulate the Mario series in one movie, but that's is no excuse for a 48 million dollar budget movie having no real effort put into its design. The Mushroom kingdom for example is often portrayed as a lively, bright, happy place. At least until the later levels, when lava and stormy skies symbolize the nearing of the final confrontation with Bowser. In the movie however, the Mushroom kingdom is a dark, gloomy, gritty city. A towering building with a sign saying "Vote Koopa" stands in the background, the residence of Bowser himself. This is actually one of the few choices I personally like. In the games, Bowser resided in vast fortresses or castles, often situated in dark or dangerous locals. I think the city with its dark atmosphere represents the hostility of being so close to the final confrontation. For this reason, I am inclined to believe that the director may have decided to use a more stylistic or subtle approach to design since making an exact match to the series style would be hard in real life, but they should have known that to begin with. But if so many other movies like Lord of the Rings could incorporate realistic cgi into their fantasy worlds, then why didn't this one? I mean, common, how does this look like a Goomba, one of the most prevalent minions of Bowser's army?

(What Goomba's look like in Mario Bros. The Movie. Seriously.)

(Compare that to what they look like in the games.)

Lasting Impressions

In the Nintendo Power (Magazine which followed Nintendo's media, including games and movies) 20th anniversary retrospective issue, as they chronicled the games and other related releases over the magazine's life span, the film's release was listed, to which the issue stated that, while neither the film, nor its cast and crew won any awards, the fact that the film was made shows how much the game series has impacted popular culture.

Bob Hoskins has spoken critically of Super Mario Bros., saying that it "the worst thing I ever did" and "the whole experience was a fuckin' nightmare" in a 2007 interview with The Guardian. In another interview with The Guardian, Hoskins answered Super Mario Bros. to three of the questions he was asked, "What is the worst job you've done," "What has been your biggest disappointment," and "If you could edit your past, what would you change?"

Dennis Hopper was also disparaging of the 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."[13]

Here is Shigeru miyamoto's opinion on the movie, and it is one that I totally agree with that pretty much sums up this film better then my entire post. I think it a great way to end this project.

Shigeru Miyamoto, Mario's creator stated, "In the end, it was a very fun project that they put a lot of effort into," but also said, "The one thing that I still have some regrets about is that the movie may have tried to get a little too close to what the Mario Bros. video games were. And in that sense, it became a movie that was about a video game, rather than being an entertaining movie in and of itself."

The end

Works Cited

Wikepedia for it's great info on the reception of the film.

Mini-reviews

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Mini-view #1

In this film, we follow Joel; a normal guy bored with his life. He meets a girl named Clementine, and the two begin a relationship. When things start to turn for the worse and they break up, a unique aspect of the plot is introduced. To remove haunting memories of their relationship, Clementine undergoes an experimental treatment for removing memories. Joel discovers this and is devastated, so he decides to submit himself to the same procedure. I believe this film is very unique, it is a romance, but also contains sci-fi elements such as the sophisticated process of memory removal, and the way the memories collapse as Joel runs through them in his mind. It is a very cool and interesting idea, and the film received much critical praise for this unique concept. I think it is very cool too. :)

RIP!: A Remixes Manifesto - Mini-view #2

This is a film about copyrigh

t, and what is considered legal or not. It is a very

sobering piece of cinema that shows just how corrupt the nature of ownership has become. This documentary focuses primarily on the

right to "intellectual property" or the ownership of ideas. I really like this

film because its an entertaining and informative look on an issue that is not really talked about. Massive corporations controlling all the media we have, who threat with fines of thousands or millions of dollars to control all media. It brings up fundamental questions about what is sharing and what is pirating, and it highlights the nature of the SOPA bill before it was introduced. For that reason and many others, I highly recommend this movies to anyone who has ever used media before; almost everyone.

Blade Runner - Mini-view #3

This is a film that looks at the future of Los Angeles, a future where global warming, food shortages, and crime are rampant. Technology is so advanced that humanity has created machines called Replicants, similar to Terminators, who are used as mining slaves with limited life spans. They are so similar to

humans that the only differences lie in eye structure and serial codes on the cells. Four of them have illegally immigrated to earth, looking for their maker in hopes of getting more life span. The film is a detective/thriller/action/sci-fi movie, because it incorporates the investigative atmosphere of a foggy, dark future, full of crime and an investigative plot. The plot follows a cop/famous retired bounty hunter who is called back in to

action a last time in an effort to capture the escaped Replicants. Action movie type fights happen, a notable one the final fight between the cop and the last Replicant. Sci-fi elements are everywhere: flying cars fill the skies, huge flashing buildings that resemble circuit boards tower in the skyline. To conclude, this a must see to any fan of sci-fi, and a remarkable example of good early special effects.

Spinal Tap - Mini view #4

Spinal Tap is a parody documentary that follows the life of a heavy metal group; Spinal Tap. It's ironically hilarious because it so accurately reflects actual metal bands of the time. The plot follows the European band as they go on a promotional tour to America, and that's about it. Along the way, they make complete fools of themselves, and lose members almost every day. The type of film is a documentary, and apparently people actually liked the parody songs so much they released them. Spinal Tap have a very loyal (although small) male fanbase, and their songs about teenage angst, sex, drugs, and alcohol are all very hilarious and suprisingly reminiscent of actual bands of the genre. Overall, this is a very entertaining movie that will make you laugh. :D

Le end.

Film Genre Analysis - Action: 3/5 Components

#1. List films that you think exemplify the genre (action). What similarities do you see?

There are quite a few films that exemplify the action genre, but to figure out these, allow me to define the action genre in film so you know what I'm talking about. Cool? Cool.

Typically, action flicks are more focused on exciting action sequences then on character development or plot. I don't mean that action movies have no substance, but it is most of the time not the plot which attracts the crowds. Its the super duper awesome effects and violence! Avatar is a fantastic example of this. The selling point was the technology behind the movie. The effects, the "revolutionary" 3D gimmick, they are all designed to draw in the general public. (No one commended Avatar on its plot, as it is basically Disney's Mulan with blue people.) It worked, as Avatar is now the most successful film of all time, not because of its story, or character depth, but because it caters to the desensitized youth, and focuses more on the action sequences, all common action movie tactics. My theory is that by targeting teens and young adults with all the guns, explosions, violence, and technology on screen, Avatar can attract an era of people desensitized by overly violent media like FPS games, and other action movies; because once you see enough of something, it looses its value. Remember, killing in movies used to be very rare and graphic; "Psycho" anyone? Today, that is simply not the case, an action movie without violence and often death is very uncommon.

A wholesome 100% stereotypical action flick needs four main things: Fighting, explosions, one liners, and chases. These components show that action films are almost always violent to some degree, which can be a good tool in figuring out which movie is action-oriented, and which ones aint. Due to their frequency in action sequences, these four components are a tell-tale sign of the genre; respectively earning the right in the classification of action movies. Examples of movies that contain all these elements, making them action films: Terminator 2, Dark Knight, Expendables, Rambo, Mission Impossible, Transformers, and many more.

Other similarities could include: Heroes, villains, guns, leather jackets, sunglasses, ridiculous odds, fight scenes, stunts, cool cars, attractive women, rock music, and much more.

#2 and 3. What time period did the genre emerge? How did the genre emerge? List eight influences/forces/artists that shaped the genre, and explain their significance to it's development.

The action genre in film began in 1920, when sword fights and the "western" genre of action came about. As things developed, James Bond came on to the scene in the 60's, and was easily the most popular action icon of the time, developing the blueprints for modern action films, including the violence, and one-man-army type film recipe reused repeatedly today.

The genre as we know it emerged as an idea of creating exciting, mass-produced entertainment for the masses. action movies often incorporate historic events in their structure, like World War I and II, (Ex: Saving Private Ryan) and wars between cowboys as seen in the western sub-genre of action.

The eight major influences of action film are no doubt the actors of the biggest action movies of all time. Jackie Chan, legendary super-star of the Martial Arts sub-genre of action movies, was a defining force in shaping action movies as we know them, with his box-office influence and perseverance in his work; He always did his stunts for real and without doubles, often resulting in serious injury. He pushed the limits of how extreme hand to hand combat could be, inspiring the world. Other icons that have shaped the action genre are Sylvester Stallone as Rambo, and Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator. Both are displayed as ultimate engines of destruction, each winning against impossible odds, which established the theme of good versus evil in the action genre. Chuck Norris and Bruce Willis, continued in the same fashion, establishing themselves as unbeatable icons. Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, and Pierce Brosnan as James Bond both flirted with the Adventure genre, bringing ever changing locals, and enemies with them. James Bond established the theme of one night stands, one liners, cool cars, and gadgets into the genre. Indiana Jones brought exciting chase scenes to the forefront of action movies, and the common act of an enemy local falling apart, threatening to take our heroes with them. Without these super stars of action, the genre would not be half as successful as it it today, each one has continued off the work of another, and made action movies one of the most popular movie genres.

Blog Assignment #3

1. The silent films of this period revolutionized the film industry by pionerring the first instances of motion cinema. They are good films, they promoted thought and wonder from the first people who watched the movies. Many innovations that are evident in modern day films were ctreated here; such as color, camera movement, both voice acting and visual expression, sound, music, and narration were introduced to the film medi um. In the film, Trains Pulls In Station, the first film was published and shown in theatres. It was teh`st time motion was captured and showed to a live audience, who was afraid to see a train comming at them in real life. Film was a new thing. The Sprinkeler Sprinkled was the first instance of acting, and charlie chaplins films were the first succesul silent films. His acting allowed the audience to feel emotions protrayed by the character. All old films are dated by today, but they made films what they are today.

4 C's of Media #1 - Media as a Construct of Reality

1. and 2. - Reality in Britney Spears - Baby One More Time' is presented as a inappropriate party in your pants, all the girls just burst out of the class in provocative clothing that would never be allowed in actual school. Way more girls then guys, and teachers hardly exist, let alone any authority of any kind. No body sit in gym, and all they do is dribble basketballs. The school might as well be a play boy mansion. The bigger slut you are, the more popular/successful you are. great message!

3. The stereotypes that are the most evident in the pop song are in most others. They are the coordinated dance scenes, provocative clothing on the women, and the nonsensical random dancing for no reason. In the end, everythign is great, that usually transfers across all pop. A dance solves the conflict, with high energy beats.

4. What creeds and values? All the music video si is a random orgy of scantilly clad woman and dancing. Basically the message is that if you dance in the gym, the teachers come in and dance with you and you get an A! All sarcasm aside, it really is a terrible message for growing up teens, saying the sluttier the better of you'll be.

5. Most pop music videos, (and most music vidoes in general) are targeted to teenagers becasue they are shown to be more susceptible to being influenced by media. If aparticular girl names britney wears special brand name sweat pants, they want them too. people who want to be Brittney will buy this CD, and they wanna be her because she seem popular and successful and has an easy, unrealistic life in this videos.

6. I think this is bad music video. The quality being portrayed leaves nothing of value and questions of what kinda crack were the producers on. The take on reality this is totally skewd, everything in a slutty and to be blunt, stale lens. This has been done before. Its all great in school, it teaches girls to be sluts, to not try to get good grades since classes seem to contain nothing more then waiting for the bell to ring. A good music video leaves you feeling satisfied and you get feeling they actually tried and it was not just for money. This is the exact opposite. Product placement on the clothes everywhere, and cheap sex appeal. Not good.

The Supereme Baconator's First Post!

1. I believe that media is very important in my life, because on of my favourite things to do is too create movies with my friends. Without media, I could never even film the movie, because movies are a form of media, or share it with YouTube, the largest site for video media. I also like to play video games, and those would also be gone.

2. A few types of media a very important to me. The first one I use daily is Facebook, a form of social networking. I also love to surf the web, and that has gotta be one of the most media saturated environments around. I love to read, listen to music, watch movies, all of which are typed of media.

3. I think that modern popular culture is really annoying, I don't care about the celebrities or reality television of popular culture. One thing I do really enjoy is all the the technological advances, like facebook and mobile devices, that i use frequently. I tend to like things that I truly like, and not roll with the fake gang.

4. I am really into film media, I love to make videos with my friends, and then share then on YouTube. I watch videos all the time, and I try to learn from their camera angles and effects. It has influenced me because I used to think the only thing I liked was drawing but through filming-making i have discovered I so have a passion for making movies. This comming summer, me and my friends plan to do the biggest production we have ever done, we have planend everything for it: costumes, scripts, props, etc. So I am really excited to start that.

THATS ALL BRO!