The Super Mario Bros. (2023) Movie Ending, Explained: After being fans of the video game for years, everyone was quite happy at the announcement of the Super Mario film. And now that it is finally here, we can not be happier. The movie is directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic and produced by Chris Meledandri, the founder and CEO of Illumination. The movie is based on the popular video game franchise of the same name and will feature a star-studded cast, including Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, and Jack Black as Bowser.
The plot of the movie revolves around Mario and Luigi, two Brooklyn plumbers, who find themselves transported to the Mushroom Kingdom through a portal. In the Mushroom Kingdom, they team up with Princess Peach and Toad, an anthropomorphic mushroom, to stop Bowser, the evil king of the Koopa Kingdom, from taking over the Mushroom Kingdom and rescuing Princess Peach.
Disclaimer: Spoilers ahead. Proceed at your own discretion
The Super Mario Bros. (2023) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis
It all starts when the King of Koopas, Bowser (Jack Black), attacks the icy kingdom of the Penguins. He defeats their army, led by Penguin King (voiced by Khary Payton), and seizes the Super Star, the most powerful power-up, which makes him the most powerful being in all the galaxies. He believes this will help him win the heart of Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy). Even though he knew he could easily defeat any of the kingdoms in all of the galaxies, his obsession with Princess Peach made him want to marry her first using any means possible.
Meanwhile, in Brooklyn, the Mario brothers are struggling to set up their new plumbing company amidst the doubts of their ex-employer and the disapproval of their dad. One day, an accident threatens to flood the whole neighborhood. They venture into the sewers and stumble upon a mysterious green pipe. It transports them to a nexus between many different galaxies, hurling each of them into different ones. Mario finds himself in the Mushroom Kingdom, and Luigi ends up in Dark Lands. In the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario meets Toad, an anthropomorphic mushroom who promises to help rescue Mario’s brother from the treacherous Dark Lands.
Toad then accompanies Mario to meet Princess Peach, who’s worried about Bowser’s conquest of the Super Star. The King of the Koopas now has his sights set on the Mushroom Kingdom, under the mistaken assumption that he’s the ideal candidate to win the Princess’s heart. When Mario arrives at her castle, Peach is surprised to see that he’s human, just like her. They then decide to get help from other kingdoms to defeat Bowser. After a quick training session, they join forces to confront the Kongs and ask for their help. Peach explains to Kongs that Bowser is a threat to all the galaxies; her origin story is that she doesn’t know where she comes from; the Toads took her in as a toddler, and eventually became their Princess and protector.
The group reaches Cranky Kong’s palace, where Mario is challenged to defeat Donkey Kong in order to earn the Kongs’ army’s assistance. The scenario is amazing; just like in the game, Mario discovers various power-ups and ultimately defeats his opponent. They’re now en route back to the Mushroom Kingdom on new and super-stylish karts, only to be attacked by Bowser, who’s furious at the idea of losing Peach to Mario. He sends his minions to pursue the group while they ride along Rainbow Road, leading to an incredible sequence that ends with Mario and Donkey Kong trapped in a sea monster’s belly. The use of game-like battles in the movie is very engaging for the true fan of Super Mario.
The Super Mario Bros (2023) Movie, Ending Explained
Bowser has now kidnapped Peach and Toad, and the Kong army is imprisoned with Luigi and the Penguins. As Mario and Donkey Kong search for a way out of the sea monster’s belly, Peach reluctantly agrees to marry Bowser when he threatens to torture Toad. The villain also plans to sacrifice everyone in her honor. Despite this, Princess Peach manages to stop the ceremony and prevent the sacrifice, thanks to her remaining power-ups, just as Mario and Donkey Kong arrive to rescue everyone. Frustrated and angry, Bowser sends a Bullet Bill to destroy the Mushroom Kingdom, but Mario redirects it toward the green pipe that brought him there.
The result is a massive explosion that catapults everyone back to Brooklyn and opens the portals between all the galaxies. Now the King of Koopas threatens to invade New York, and Bullet Bills fly around. Mario struggles to find the strength to keep fighting Bowser, but after seeing a nearby TV commercial for his plumbing company with Luigi, he gathers his courage. The Mario brothers team up and catch the Super Star, the ultimate power-up making them invulnerable. They defeat Bowser, and Peach feeds Bowser a blue mushroom, a power-up that shrinks him down, making him small and harmless. The movie concludes with the Mario brothers embarking on a new adventure in the Mushroom Kingdom after making their parents proud of them for the first time.
The Super Mario Bros. (2023) Post-Credit Scene Explained:
The Super Mario Bros. has a post-credits scene that shows a white and green egg within Brooklyn’s underground pipe system. It’s possible that the egg, which clearly comes from Princess Peach and Donkey Kong’s world, was left behind after the pipes transported everyone to the human world.
In the scene, the egg hatches, and Yoshi, the green dinosaur from the Mario game franchise, is heard but not seen before the screen goes black. This implies that Yoshi will play a significant role in a possible Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel and might even become Mario’s sidekick, just like in the games.
The arrival of Yoshi also suggests that his species will be a crucial part of the sequel. Interestingly, the first movie doesn’t set up a new villain for Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach to fight against, but this might be for the best. The post-credits scene teases a beloved character from the Mario games and suggests that there is more to come. The world of Mario has just begun, and the arrival of Yoshi could definitely spice things up.
Here are some other questions left unanswered after the film which might intrigue the audience-
What is Peach’s Origin story?
One of the most significant unanswered questions is where Peach comes from. Every gamer has wondered at some point: how can the only human in the Mushroom Kingdom rule over the Toads? While The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s answer may not apply to the games, it’s still a plausible one.
It turns out that Peach, like Mario, is not from the Mushroom Kingdom. She reveals to Mario that she stumbled upon the kingdom accidentally as a baby and was subsequently taken in by the Toads and crowned their Princess. Later, while riding with the Kongs on their karts, she asks Mario if turtles are evil in his world, hinting that she was too young to remember that they are, in fact, cute and harmless. This secrecy can make up for an amazing plot in the upcoming sequels.
Do we get to see more galaxies in the upcoming films?
Recent Super Mario games have explored the concept of different kingdoms, planets, and galaxies coexisting, such as Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy, and Super Mario Odyssey. The movie’s depiction of New York bears a striking resemblance to New Don City in the last game. Peach’s mention of the galaxies to Mario suggests that this theme will be further explored in future sequels.
Also, Read: Burning Patience (2022) Netflix Movie Review
The Super Mario Bros. (2023) Movie Links: IMDb
The Super Mario Bros. (2023) Cast: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day
Where to watch The Super Mario Bros.
