Wait, Is The Super Mario Movie Actually A Mario Kart Movie?

Yesterday we saw the final trailer for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, along with a few clips of the actors all talking to camera. Clearly intended to show off the star power to dorks like me who set an alarm for the latest Mario trailer, the gang of Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Seth Rogen, and Keegan Michael-Key were in one group, with Anya Taylor-Joy and Jack Black in another. After serving their purpose of reminding us they're in the movie, we moved onto the trailer, which doubled down on what we've already seen. There weren't many new reveals (Fire Donkey Kong aside), with the trailer instead expanding on Bowser's fiery prison, Luigi being trapped, Mario learning his platforming skills, and Mario Kart. Lots of Mario Kart. Initially I thought this was just a set piece, but the more I see, the more I'm convinced this is not a Super Mario Bros. Movie at all. It's a Mario Kart movie.

I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing. I mean, we all love Mario Kart, right? Adapting Mario is not like The Last of Us where there is one specific story with a narrative thread that fans will expect to be followed. There is no such thing as a 'filler episode' in the Mario universe. We want them to play around with the various Mario tropes down the years, and I expect there will be fleeting references to some of the sports or Party titles in the mix. When we saw Rainbow Road, we all thought that was a neat bit of fan service. But after this latest trailer, I think there's more to it.

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Initially it was just Mario and his allies racing for funsies, drifting down Rainbow Road for a speed boost with a dozen Easter Eggs packed in behind him. In this latest trailer though, we get something more like Ben-Hur. It's less Mario Kart and more Burnout, with Mario slamming into Koopas and knocking them into each other or tossing them off the road for some sweet Berth Trauma or Gone Fishin'! points. We also see Bowser lead his army into battle, but rather than racing towards Mario, Peach, and co. with a battalion of soldiers, we instead see his goons jump onto the Rainbow Road from a nearby cliff to cause havoc.

Looking back at older trailers, we see this too. It initially seemed like a reference for fans that when Peach grabs her halberd for battle she's wearing her Mario Kart outfit. But now it seems as if that's because fighting and Mario Karting (presumably called Peach Kart or just go-karting in this world) are one and the same. Mario's violence has always been very cartoonish, but even then translating him stomping on his enemies' heads is difficult to translate to the big screen if you also want to have an epic showdown. With Mario Kart though, the spectacle is packed in.

It's not only that the latest trailer dedicates so much time to Mario Kart either, but that the shots demonstrate the movie's affection for it. From the close-ups of the glimmer on Mario's own kart to Peach grabbing the throttle, not to mention how much of the race has been shown off so far, it's clear that a lot of the runtime will be focused on Mario Kart. There's obviously something going to happen with Luigi being trapped in the fortress, and Donkey Kong going from fighting Mario to being on his side, but I suspect that somehow, it will all come down to Mario Kart. It isn't what I would have expected, but I find myself looking forward to The Mario Kart Movie.

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