Super Mario Bros Movie stars: ‘Our toughest critic will be some middle-aged man living in his basement’

Published

2 years ago

April 5, 2023

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“Did any child in the ’80s not play Super Mario Brothers?”

It’s a question that’s helped pile on the pressure when it comes to the latest iteration of the classic video game – which is one of the best-selling of all time.

The franchise has already seen numerous games, an animated TV series and animated Japanese film, a live action US movie and even a theme park – all cementing its place in popular culture.

Now, moustachioed plumbers Mario and Luigi are getting the Hollywood treatment in a feature-length animation voiced by Jurassic Park actor Chris Pratt and It’s It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia star Charlie Day.

Both admit that now “screwing up” has been foremost on their mind.

Pratt tells Sky News: “The pressure of these characters, you know, you feel it.

“There’s a built-in expectation… all of this nostalgia, of loving the games as a kid, the score, the characters, little Easter eggs.

“Anyone who played Nintendo growing up or loved these characters, you’re going to go to the movie.

“That same thing that has you thinking: ‘Oh, please don’t screw this up – it’s such a big part of my childhood,’ is the same thing that will be so elated and joyful when you see the film, because we didn’t screw it up thankfully.”

Day adds: “Especially just how passionate everyone is, everyone grew up with the characters. They love them. Look, our job is just do the best acting we can do.”

However, some fans of the game have already been critical of Pratt’s casting, highlighting his lack of Italian ancestry and pouring scorn on his Brooklyn accent.

Day is quick to defend his co-star: “I have as much Italian descent as Robert De Niro, so yeah [I do have Italian heritage], but I’m going to vouch for my buddy Chris here and say, as having seen the movie, his performance is top notch.

“I think everyone, just wait to see the movie and make the decision afterwards because the guy does a fantastic job.”

Despite the backlash, Pratt says it was a part he jumped at.

“For the most part you don’t know much about Mario and Luigi playing the video games or Princess Peach or Wario or Yoshi or any of these characters,” he says.

“[Mario’s] essentially a blue-collar, American worker. And when Illumination [the animation company behind the film] called and thought I would be right for that role, I was just like: ‘Of course I’m going to do this’. I was thrilled.”

Mario first appeared as a character in Donkey Kong in 1981, getting his own arcade game in 1983, which was then turned into a platform game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1985.

Meanwhile, Japanese company Nintendo was founded in 1889, originally producing handmade playing cards, before branching out into consoles in the late 1970s.

Now, directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, this the second American feature-length adaptation of the game, following the largely maligned 1993 adaptation starring Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo. Producers will be hoping this version is a bigger success.

A few years ago, video game adaptations for TV and film were synonymous with a flop.

But with adaptations of games like The Last Of Us, The Witcher and Arcane (the first video game adaptation to win a primetime Emmy) achieving both critical and commercial success – many see this as the time for gaming to truly step into the mainstream.

The video game industry is worth hundreds of billions of pounds globally and is one of the fastest growing industries in the UK. With many turning to gaming during lockdown, it’s a hobby that has only increased in popularity over recent years.

Pratt and Day agree this is a boom time for video games.

Day says: “We’ve gotten better at it, right? I think a few years ago, you’re going way back, there’s been a big sort of space between the video game movies.

“Right now, I think now they’re making movies with as much attention as they’re making any other story. I think before [it] was a little bit like: ‘Well, it’s just a one-off for kids’.”

Meanwhile, Pratt, who is married to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s daughter Katherine, has received positive feedback from his A-list in-laws.

He says: “I took my brother-in-law, Christopher [Schwarzenegger, 25, Arnold’s youngest son], who’s a big gamer.

“[He] grew up playing all these games, and he said: ‘I think that’s the best video game movie I’ve ever seen’. Pretty high praise.”

Fans of the franchise will be pleased to know there could be more to come.

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Day says: “Illumination [the US studio who teamed up with Nintendo to make film], they really bring a lot of what is in the game, and not just the first game but many of the Mario games – and other Nintendo games too.”

Pratt adds: “It kind of gets you excited about the possibility of like this Nintendo Cinematic Universe, which is pretty cool. Probably you’re going to see more characters over the next 10 years, I hope.”

With both stars having 11-year-old boys, will their reaction to the movie be the real litmus test for audience reception?

Pratt and Day think not.

“I think my toughest critic is probably going to be some middle-aged man living in his basement somewhere,” Day says.

“But I think my boy is going to be fine with it.”

Pratt agrees – and with both boys “beyond excited” to see their dads take on one of the greatest video games of all time, only time will tell what the rest of the world thinks of the Super Mario Brothers’ latest adventure.

The Super Mario Bros Movie is in UK cinemas now.

Entertainment

Glastonbury 2025 line-up revealed

Published

14 hours ago

March 6, 2025

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The 1975 and Olivia Rodrigo will be among the stars headlining Glastonbury Festival this year, it has been announced.

Glastonbury organisers have revealed the line-up for this summer’s event, taking place between 25 June and 29 June, after months of speculation.

The 1975 will take to the iconic Pyramid Stage on the Friday to headline, then Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young will perform on Saturday and Olivia Rodrigo on the Sunday.

Other big names performing include British pop sensation Charli XCX, rapper Loyle Carner electronic group The Prodigy.

The announcement comes after Sir Rod Stewart was booked for the Sunday teatime legend slot and Young was confirmed as a headliner earlier this year.

Young’s announcement in January came amid some confusion, as he had days before told fans he was pulling out of the festival because the BBC’s involvement was a “corporate turn-off”.

The Canadian singer-songwriter later said this decision was down to “an error in the information I received”.

The 1975 will be headlining for the first time, having made their Glastonbury debut in 2014.

The Cheshire band, known for hits such as Somebody Else and Chocolate, have regularly made headlines due to the antics of frontman Matty Healy.

Glastonbury, which takes place at Worthy Farm in Somerset in the summer, has worked closely with the BBC – its exclusive broadcast partner – since 1997.

Appetite for the esteemed festival saw standard tickets sell out in 35 minutes in November.

They cost £373.50 plus a £5 booking fee, up £18.50 from the price from the 2024 festival, and were sold exclusively through the See Tickets website.

The date for the resale – where tickets not fully paid for are put back up for purchase – is set for some time in spring.

The headliners last summer on the iconic Pyramid Stage were Dua Lipa, SZA and Coldplay, who made history as the first act to headline the festival five times.

2026 is likely to be a year off for Glastonbury, with the festival traditionally taking place four out of every five years, and the fifth year reserved for rehabilitation of the land.

Entertainment

Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX BRIT Awards appearances spark hundreds of Ofcom complaints

Published

1 day ago

March 5, 2025

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Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX BRIT Awards appearances spark hundreds of Ofcom complaints

Ofcom received 825 complaints over the Brit Awards, with the majority relating to Sabrina Carpenter’s raunchy performance and Charli XCX’s outfit, the media watchdog says.

US pop star Carpenter, 25, sported a red sparkly military-style blazer dress for her performance at the awards show on Saturday night, paired with stockings and suspenders for a rendition of Espresso.

The song was mixed with a Rule Britannia mash-up, as dancers in military parade dress followed her.

She then switched to a red sparkly bra and shorts for her next song, Bad Chem, which she performed alongside dancers in bras and shorts while sitting suggestively on a large bed.

Carpenter later received the global success award at the ceremony, and was also nominated in the international artist and international song of the year categories.

But much of the buzz on social media surrounded her performance, which took place before the 9pm watershed.

Ofcom said some of the complaints were also aimed at British pop sensation Charli XCX, who dominated the night by winning five awards, including album of the year.

Some viewers took issue with her outfit – a black see-through dress.

The singer addressed the concerns during her acceptance speech for artist of the year, saying: “I heard that ITV were complaining about my nipples. I feel like we’re in the era of ‘free the nipple’ though, right?”

Carpenter paid tribute to the UK in her acceptance speech, saying: “The Brits have given me this award, and this feels like such an insane honour in a very primarily tea-drinking country… you really understood my dry sense of humour because your sense of humour is so, so dry. So I love y’all more than you even understand.”

Entertainment

Why is Noel Clarke suing The Guardian?

Published

1 day ago

March 5, 2025

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Actor Noel Clarke begins his High Court libel case against The Guardian’s publisher today.

Clarke, 49, is suing Guardian News and Media (GNM) over a series of articles it published about him in April 2021.

They were based on the claims of 20 women Clarke knew “in a professional capacity” who allege his behaviour towards them amounted to sexual misconduct.

Clarke, known for his roles in the Kidulthood trilogy and Dr Who, “vehemently” denies “any sexual misconduct or wrongdoing”.

What will the trial cover?

Clarke is suing GNM for libel, sometimes also referred to as defamation.

It’s a civil tort – not a criminal offence – defined as false written statements that have damaged the person’s reputation. This means Clarke can seek redress or damages but no one will face charges or prison.

Clarke claims the articles The Guardian published in 2021 altered public opinion of him, damaged his reputation, and lost him work.

He said after the allegations emerged: “In a 20-year career, I have put inclusivity and diversity at the forefront of my work and never had a complaint made against me.

“If anyone who has worked with me has ever felt uncomfortable or disrespected, I sincerely apologise. I vehemently deny any sexual misconduct or wrongdoing and intend to defend myself against these false allegations.”

The Guardian is defending the claim on the basis of truth and public interest.

It said in its statement: “Our reporting on Noel Clarke in 2021 was based on the accounts of 20 brave women. After we published our first article, more women came forward.

“At trial, 32 witnesses are set to testify against Mr Clarke under oath. We look forward to a judge hearing the evidence.”

The trial will only focus on liability – not the amount of damages to be paid if Clarke is successful.

The actor tried and failed to get the case struck out in January, with his legal team saying it had “overwhelming evidence” of “perversion of the course of justice”.

His lawyers told the High Court three of the journalists involved in the articles had “deliberately and permanently” deleted messages, which meant he could not get a fair trial.

Lawyers for GNM told the court there was “no adequate evidential basis” for Clarke’s application for a strike out and said it sought “to smear Guardian journalists and editors without any proper justification”.

The trial, which will be presided over by judge Mrs Justice Steyn, is expected to last between four and six weeks.

What has happened since the articles were published?

A month before the articles about him were published in April 2021, Clarke received BAFTA’s outstanding contribution to British cinema award.

However, once the allegations against him emerged, he was suspended by the organisation and the prize rescinded.

His management and production company 42M&P told Sky News they were no longer representing him and Sky cancelled its TV show Bulletproof, starring Clarke and Top Boy actor Ashley Walters as the lead roles.

ITV also decided to pull the finale of another of his dramas, Viewpoint, following the Guardian articles.

The Met Police looked into the allegations against Clarke for any potential criminal wrongdoing, but in March 2022 announced they “did not meet the threshold for criminal investigation”.

Clarke filed the libel claim the following month and has attended several of the preliminary hearings in person.

He says he has faced a “trial by media” – and that the ordeal has left him suicidal and in need of professional help.

‘Rising star’

Clarke made his TV debut in a revived version of Auf Wiedersehen Pet in 2002.

Soon after he played Mickey Smith in Dr Who and Kwame in the six-part Channel 4 series Metrosexuality.

He wrote and starred in the film trilogy Kidulthood, Adulthood, and Brotherhood, which were based in west London, where he grew up, and explored the lives of a group of teenagers given time off school after a bullied classmate takes their own life.

It was a box office success and eventually saw Clarke given BAFTA’s rising star prize in 2009.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.