New Super Mario Bros. Movie Scene Brings A Level Of The Video Game To Life (And More Of Chris Pratt’s Accent)

Mario (Chris Pratt) in The Super Mario Bros. Movie
(Image credit: Illumination/Nintendo/Universal)

Video game movies don’t have the greatest track world, as there have been countless disappointing projects released over the years. But there have been some winners recently, including Detective Pikachu, the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, and Uncharted. The subgenre is getting a new installment with The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which features a killer cast bringing the Mushroom Kingdom to life. And a newly released scene brings a level of the video game to life… plus more of Chris Pratt’s accent.

Ever since the cast of The Super Mario Bros. Movie was announced, there’s been some backlash surrounding Chris Pratt playing Mario himself. This has only increased thanks to the limited footage from the trailers, with the Guardians of the Galaxy star taking a ton of flak for his accent work. A new clip from the animated blockbuster recently hit Twitter, featuring Keegan-Michael Key as Toad showing Mario around, and it feels delightfully accurate to a level from the beloved gaming franchise. Check it out for yourself below:

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I mean, how fun is that? While there’s plenty of shade being thrown at The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it does look like it’s ripped straight out of the Nintendo Games. This clip perhaps proved this more than any other footage that’s been released, as we watch Toad and Mario walk through a maze of game mechanics. Although the reaction online has been all about Chris Pratt (of course).

The above clip comes to us from the official Twitter of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and is a highlight for both the movie’s visuals and the voice performance being given by Keegan-Michael Key as Toad. It opens on various Toads mining coins from a coin box, and it seems like jumping like that is easier in the games than in the movie. We also see the fish known as cheep cheeps, as well as a tube used to transport characters around.

Keegan-Michael Key is pretty hilarious in this scene, especially when he’s shouting out about Luigi’s impending death in order to get his fellow Toads to get out of their way. Chris Pratt only gets a few lines as Mario, but they immediately served as fodder for memes online. Case in point: the follow tweet which pokes fun at his performance while also showing a deep love for Mario lore:

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When Chris Pratt was cast as Mario, there was immediate backlash from certain corners of the internet. Although the trailers have increased this, as some fans have been disappointed with the accent chosen by the Parks & Rec alum. He doesn’t go for Mario’s over the top Italian dialect, sounding more like a New Yorker, which is a point of contention for the generations of Nintendo fans out there.

Chris Pratt has one major line in this new clip from The Super Mario Bros. Movie, saying: “Ok so these bricks are just floating here?” That one moment of dialogue inspired a number of responded online, with one voice actor tweeting:

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Indeed, this brief clip featuring Chris Pratt’s new line of dialogue has already been ripped and distributed online in social media outlets like Twitter and Instagram. One bit of criticism compared his accent to the one and only Jerry Seinfeld, reading:

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Clearly the discourse surrounding Chris Pratt in The Super Mario Bros. Mario is showing no signs of slowing down, as folks will no doubt be dissecting every line of dialogue from the upcoming movie’s protagonist. While none of the movie’s actors are trying to imitate their video game counterpart’s voices, Pratt remains the only person in the hot seat of public opinion. But any publicity is good publicity, so perhaps it’ll increase chatter and box office results as the movie approaches its release.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is currently expected to arrive in theaters on April 7th, 2023. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your trips to the theater in the New Year. We’ll just have to wait and see how the marketing continues to roll out footage, and which clips are chosen.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.