In 1993, Nintendo and Disney came to the end of a noble quest. They tried their very best to make a live-action Super Mario Bros. movie. And man, did it turn out poorly. The characters looked and behaved bizarrely. The plot was weak. Its only real redeeming quality is its kitsch. Despite the $48 million that was thrown into that movie, it turned out all wrong. To be honest, we suspect that a fan could do a better job.
Those suspicions have been confirmed, actually, as YouTube filmmakers Beat Down Boogie went ahead and did just that. At its best, it’s a gritty and fun reimagining of a darker Mushroom Kingdom in which Bowser’s aggressions are taken seriously. Even at its worst, it’s definitely better than the real Super Mario Bros. movie (via Neatorama).
The saga began as an eight-part series of short films released between 2012 and 2014, and once the initial project was completed, they decided to re-cut the clips into a feature-length, 77-minute movie. And one that features Toad as a total badass, Princess Peach finally standing up for herself, and a bunch of violence that’s fun for the whole family, to boot! In a fun twist, Peach decides to reach outside the Mario universe when she realizes that she needs an army to defeat Bowser. She ends up recruiting some other pals that we’ll let you discover for yourself.
Watch a trailer for Mario Warfare above, the complete film below, and some bonus features, deleted scenes, and other extras here.
Featured image: beatdownboogie/YouTube
