I really liked the first US commercial for Mario Galaxy 2, but this one is better. This is how I would want a Mario movie to feel. Like the US commercial for New Super Mario Bros Wii, I’d want a new Mario movie to fully embrace the weirdness of the Mario Universe, integrate it into regular life, and show how the people of the world find it all to be totally normal.
The Mario games are really weird; more surreal than most videogames, let alone movies or TV shows. Even most Pixar movies, often filled with talking bugs and toys, don’t really come close to Mario. Despite being so distanced from reality, Mario and his unique form of videogame logic have managed to find acceptance from mainstream American culture. That’s no small feat.
I think it’s about time that Nintendo capitalized on that acceptance with a live-action movie, one that doesn’t try to constantly prove to the viewer that there was a logical explanation for everything. If the original Super Mario Bros. movie had spent more time reveling in “Mario-logic”, and less time trying to makes us OK with the fact that it didn’t make any sense, maybe it would have been just effective as this 30 second commercial at evoking that unique Mario-feeling.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 Planets TV Commercial– [Genmega, thanks J S!]