The kingdom is being attacked, leaving the king and Princess Peach at risk. The royal bodyguard, Toad, is found almost everywhere around the castle, taking down Shy Guy warriors left and right. Of course, by the end Bowser kidnaps Peach, always in the wrong castle when Mario comes to rescue her. We all know this age-old tale of plumber seeks princess, reiterated time and again throughout the Super Mario franchise, but how did the events leading up to the princess’s first capture occur? Fan film Mario Warfare portrays these events and the deadly war fought by the Mushroom Kingdom and its surrounding homelands.
As the princess escapes the castle in disguise during Bowser’s raid, Mario and Luigi are attacked while fixing toilets in the royal bathrooms. When Mario revives, he finds me must save his brother from the Hammer Brothers who have set up not far from Donkey Kong country. After saving Luigi, the brothers are captured again, this time in a familiar club in Nintendo canon – Smash Club. Here we find other familiar faces such as Captain N (a character I was not aware was real until doing research for this post), Kirby, Link, and even Ash (accompanied by Pikachu). Each of the members of Smash Club become extremely vital in the defeat of Bowser’s army.
What makes this film enjoyable is the lack of computer-generated special effects, aside from Pikachu’s powers and the final scene in the film. With plenty of Shy Guy’s, Turtles, the Hammer Brothers, Donkey Kong, Bullet Bull, and even Toad, everybody wears costumes and masks that make them look close enough to the character without using digital add-ons. This also adds to the realist nature of the war on the Mushroom Kingdom, filled in between the campy Nintendo references. Had Toad actually been a CGI character, his immense gun fights (using more ammunition that is available – a wonderful action trope) would not have been as believable. The same goes with Donkey Kong’s training montage and Kirby’s choice to battle with both guns and his stomach. Unfortunately, like the 90’s Bob Hoskins film, Bowser’s lack of being a lizard makes what fans have known for a long time difficult to comprehend in this scenario.
If you are looking for a fun take on Super Mario Bros., I recommend checking out the film online.