We saw yesterday the final trailer of the movie “Super Mario Brothers”., as well as several clips of the actors talking to the camera. Obviously, to show off the star power to jerks like me who set the alarm for the latest Mario trailer, gang Chris PrattCharlie Day, Seth Rogen and Keegan Michael-Key were in the same group with Anya Taylor-Joy and Jack Black in another. After they reminded us that they were in a movie, we cut to a trailer that doubled down on what we’d already seen. There wasn’t much new revealed (Fire Donkey Kong aside), instead the trailer told of Bowser’s fiery prison, Luigi being trapped, mario studying his platform skills and Mario Kart. Lots of Mario Kart. At first I thought it was just the scenery, but the more I look, the more I realize that this is not a Super Mario Bros. movie at all. This is a Mario Kart movie.
I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing. I mean, we all love Mario Kart, right? Don’t like Mario’s adaptation The last of us where there is one particular story with a narrative thread that fans expect to follow. There is no such thing as a “filler episode” in the Mario universe. We want them to play with different Mario tropes over the years, and I expect there will be some fleeting references to some sports or parties in the mix. When we saw Rainbow Road, we all thought it was good fan service. But after this latest trailer, I think it’s more than that.
At first, it was just Mario and his allies competing for fun people, drifting down Rainbow Road to increase speed, with a dozen Easters behind him. However, in this latest trailer, we get something a little more Ben-Hur-like. It’s less Mario Kart and more Burnout, with Mario crashing into Koopas and knocking them into each other or throwing them out of the way for a sweet Beth Trauma or Gone Fishin’! points We also see Bowser leading his army into battle, but instead of charging at Mario, Peach and the others. with a battalion of soldiers, instead we see his thugs leap onto Rainbow Road from a nearby cliff to wreak havoc.
Looking back at old trailers, we can see this as well. At first, it seemed to be a hint to fans that when Peach picks up her halberd for battle, she dons her Mario Kart costume. But now it seems that’s because the combat and Mario Karting (probably called Peach Kart or just karting in this world) are the same thing. Mario’s violence has always been very cartoony, but even then, the translation of him stomping on the heads of his enemies is difficult to translate to the big screen if you also want to have epic showdowns. But with Mario Kart, the spectacle is complete.
It’s not just that the latest trailer spends so much time on Mario Kart, it’s also that the footage shows the film’s commitment to it. From the close-ups of the twinkle in Mario’s own kart to Peach grabbing the gas, not to mention how much of the race has been shown so far, it’s clear that a lot of the runtime will be focused on Mario Kart. Obviously something will happen with Luigi being trapped in the fortress and Donkey Kong going from fighting Mario to siding with him, but I suspect it will come down to Mario Kart somehow. It’s not what I expected, but I’m looking forward to the Mario Kart movie.