It was back in April 2023 that I went to the cinema to watch a preview of The Super Mario Bros. Movie – and, I must add, with trepidation because I'm a lifelong Mario fan and assumed that it would be terrible. But it's not! As I wrote back then, the early critics' reviews were best ignored.
Interestingly, the movie has been in the US Netflix chart for many dozens of weeks – as my colleague wrote about at the end of last year – but here in the UK we've not had access to it on Netflix in the same manner. Indeed, it was Peacock where streaming rights were first awarded. Well, now Mario is very proudly sat in the top spot to see out February.
I'm really pleased those early critics' reviews were turned on their head by fans, too, as the original 53% score now sits on 59% on the aggregator site – but fans rate it a far more admirable 95%. There aren't many animated movies that achieve that accolade, from Toy Story to Shrek (the latter of which also happens to have just crashed Netflix's Top 10 too!).
I think it's the various easter eggs that Mario fans will enjoy which helps elevate the movie to another level. It's from a high-quality production studio, though, with Illumination Entertainment getting plenty right. No surprise, really, given its success with Minions and The Secret Life of Pets – both of which had great sequels, which is the same route The Super Mario Bros. Movie will take, too, as the follow-up is due in 2026.
It's always a roller coaster watching the Netflix no.1 chart, given the top spot changes on an almost daily basis these days. In the battle to be the best streaming service, Netflix does need to keep the varied yet considerable content coming, of course, which is part of the reason for such change.
I'm going to have to add Mario to my repeat watch list, I think, especially now that I'm up to date on Severance and done with Silo season 2 – two shows which, thanks to Apple TV+, have kept me very entertained in recent weeks. But sometimes some simple animated folly is exactly what the doctor ordered. Let's-a-go!
