The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

Film and Plot Synopsis

In this film that is based on the characters from the 80’s video games Donkey King and Super Mario Bros., Mario and Luigi are two struggling plumbers in Brooklyn. When a plumbing accident sends the brothers across dimensions to another world, Mario and Luigi find themselves in the middle of war between mysterious creatures. Now, can Mario and Luigi find each other so they can return home while also trying to navigate the political landscape of the Mushroom and Jungle Kingdoms?

‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Movie Summary

Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) are two down on their luck Italian American brothers who live in Brooklyn. The pair are trying to start their own plumbing business. However, they are in constant competition with their former boss Spike (Sebastian Maniscalco) who seeks for them to fail. They also lack support from their father (Charles Martinet), who disapproves of their career choice.

One day, the brothers see a news story about a water main leak. The pair decide to go underground to fix the leak in order to get some free publicity. However, both brothers are sucked into a Warp Pipe that separates them and takes them to a distant land. Mario ends up in the Mushroom Kingdom which is ruled by the beautiful Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy). Unfortunately, Luigi lands in the Dark Lands which are ruled by the evil Koopa king Bowser (Jack Black). Bowser is obsessed with Peach and wishes to marry her. Bowser threatens to use a Super Star to destroy the Mushroom Kingdom unless Peach agrees to his demands. Bowser perceives the arrival of Mario in the Mushroom Kingdom as another potential rival for Peach’s affections. Bowser uses Luigi as leverage against Mario.

Once in the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario meets Toad (Keegan-Michael Key), who takes Mario to meet Peach. Peach decides to build an alliance against Bowser and journeys to visit the Kongs in the Jungle Kingdom. She takes Mario and Toad along with her. During the journey, Peach informs Mario that she too ended up in the Mushroom Kingdom as a baby. The Toads took her in and raised her and eventually the Mushroom Kingdom made her their leader.

The trio eventually arrives in the Jungle Kingdom. The leader of the Kongs, King Cranky Kong (Fred Armisen), agrees to help Peach if Mario defeats the king’s son, Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen), in battle. Mario is hopelessly outmatched, and the fight looks like it will be a short one. However, Mario ultimately wins the battle by using a Cat Suit.
With the Kongs’ support behind them, Peach, Mario, Toad, and the Kongs begin their trip back to the Mushroom Kingdom on karts. Along the way, they are ambushed by Bowser’s army while crossing the Rainbow Road. A blue-shelled Koopa General (Scott Menville) destroys a part of the road in a kamikaze attack. As a result, Mario and Donkey Kong fall into the ocean while the remaining Kong forces are captured. Peach and Toad escape and return to the Mushroom Kingdom. Once there, they urge the citizens to evacuate before Bower arrives.

Not long after, Bowser arrives with his flying castle. Bowser proposes marriage to Peach who only agrees to the proposal after Bowser’s sorcerer advisor Kamek (Kevin Michael Richardson) begins to torture Toad. At the same time, Mario and Donkey Kong find themselves in the belly of an eel-like creature called a Maw-Ray. The two bicker constantly until they realize that they are both desperately seeking the respect of their fathers. The two reach an understanding and begin working together. They escape the stomach of the Maw-Ray by riding a rocket from Donkey Kong’s kart. Once free, the pair race to stop Bowser and Peach’s wedding.

Back at the wedding reception, Bowser announces his intent to execute all his prisoners in lava in honor of his betrothed. However, Toad smuggles an Ice Flower into Peach’s bouquet which she uses to freeze Bowser. Mario and Donkey Kong arrive at that moment and free the prisoners. Mario even uses a Tanooki Suit to save his brother. A thoroughly enraged Bowser frees himself from the ice and summons a Bomber Bill to be launched to destroy the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario knocks the bomb off course and unfortunately directs it towards the Warp Pipe where it explodes. The explosion creates a vacuum that pulls everyone, including Bowser and his castle, back to Brooklyn.

Once back in their world, Mario and Luigi team up to fight Bowser. They grab the Super Star and become invincible. While invincible, they are able to defeat all of Bowser’s Koopas. Peach uses a Blue Mushroom to shrink Bowser and imprison him. In the aftermath, Mario and Luigi are hailed as heroes by the citizens of Brooklyn. Mario and Luigi receive the approval of their father, something they desperately needed. Some time later, Mario and Luigi move into a house in the Mushroom Kingdom and open their own plumbing business in the new world.

In a mid-credits scene, a tiny Bowser attempts to sing a song but is told to shut up by Toad. In a post-credits scene, a little egg with green spots is seen sitting alone in the sewers of Brooklyn. Suddenly, the egg begins to hatch and a little voice yells out “Yoshi!”