Do you recall how things used to be before Nintendo released the Super Mario Bros on retro bowl. The movie, which is anticipated to be the most talked-about video game adaptation of the 2020s, will come to characterize this period of movies based on video games, which are going to be primarily poor and a few decent ones. Wish I had.
While Chris Pratt's character, the titular plumber, seeks to establish himself in the Mushroom Kingdom with the aid of Toad for more than two minutes, Jack Black hams it up as the villainous Bowser, who fries several penguins in the trailer (Keegan-Michael Key). The lack of an ass in Mario may be to blame for his balancing problems, but he doesn't appear like the platforming master we know and love from the beginning of the film.
The most insulting aspect of this clip, however, is not Mario's anatomy, according to Nintendo fans who responded in real time on social media. According to them, the key question in the next Mario film is who will be providing the voice of the greatest hero of the Mushroom Kingdom. Pratt, a beloved Parks & Recreation alum who sprang to fame as Star-Lord in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and in the Jurassic World series, just doesn't cut it, especially when you hear the voice he selected for the stereotypically Italian-sounding video game character.
On the one hand, it's reassuring that Pratt, Nintendo, and animation company Illumination made the decision to stay away from the hate crime. Pratt, who is from Minnesota, definitely shouldn't be attempting to imitate an over-the-top Italian dialect for laughs. The teaser revealed that the movie's portrayal of Mario merely sounds like...Pratt, which many claim isn't much better than the alternative.
It doesn't help that Pratt raised hopes when he explained to Variety in June the process he claims he went through to come up with his interpretation of Mario, which now seems like an awful practical joke.
"I worked extremely closely with the directors and tried out a couple concepts before settling on something that I'm really proud of and can't wait for people to see and hear," Pratt added.
By hiring a well-known actor to voice their ridiculous video game movie—a name that will fill theaters with people next year—Nintendo is obviously adhering to the tried-and-true Hollywood formula while also avoiding offending a whole group of people who might not enjoy Pratt's use of a cartoonish accent.
Producer Chris Meledandri responded to criticism of Pratt's casting in the next film by saying, "When people hear Chris Pratt's performance, the criticism will vanish, maybe not altogether - people love to speak opinions, as they should. "I'm not sure this is the best defense, but since I'm of Italian-American descent, I don't think I have to worry about upsetting Italians or Italian-Americans in making that choice. We should be alright, in my opinion.
The issue is that, even if Pratt's voice acting were flawless in this instance (and the phoned-in lines in the trailer obviously aren't), for hordes of fans, the actor's biggest offense isn't even his performance but rather the fact that he's taking the place of a genuine video game legend. Many people are questioning Nintendo why they didn't just continue using Charles Martinet, the talented actor who has been lending his voice to Mario since the early 1990s, now that they have heard what Pratt has to offer.
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