Transitioning a beloved video game into a feature-length movie is a hefty feat, but a recent video game adaptation that just arrived on Peacock managed to be one of the best. The historical video game adaptation curse that has plagued cinema and TV for decades with critical and box office flops like 1993’s Super Mario Bros. and 1997’s Mortal Kombat: Annihilation has seemingly run its course. In recent years, video game adaptations have cashed in big at the box and earned high praise on TV, and one did it better than all the rest.

We’re talking about The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The 2023 animated adventure comedy based on Nintendo’s Mario video game franchise earned rave reviews from audiences and became the first video game adaptation to cross the $1 billion mark at the box office. The movie, which sees sibling plumbers Mario and Luigi transported through a mysterious pipe to the magical Mushroom Kingdom, was so successful that a sequel, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, is in the works. Before that film hits theaters on April 1st, fans can catch The Super Mario Bros. Movie on Peacock after it joined the platform on February 3rd.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie Successfully Brought the Beloved Video Game Franchise to the Big Screen

What makes The Super Mario Bros. Movie so great is that the film absolutely understood the core appeal of the iconic Nintendo franchise and delivered a vibrant animated spectacle that perfectly captured the source material’s joy, aesthetics, and gameplay mechanics. The movie is something of a nostalgic thrill ride for long-time fans with a straight-forward plot that pays homage to the spirit of the games as Mario embarks on an epic quest through the Mushroom Kingdom to save his brother from Bowser. Through stellar animation, Mushroom Kingdom and other iconic game locations are brought to life on the big screen, and Mario’s adventure manages to capture the experience of playing the games with fast-paced sequences, platforming, and plenty of competition.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is really a film that appeals to just about anyone. The numerous nods to the franchise, including Luigi’s Mansion, Mario Kart (including the iconic Rainbow Road course), and classic NES titles make, it perfect for longtime fans, and the fast-paced, visually stunning adventure is pretty entertaining for even those who have never touched a Mario game. Audiences were overwhelmingly favorable to the movie, too, giving it a near-perfect and “Verified Hot” 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes. It remains to be seen if the sequel, based on the 2007 video game Super Mario Galaxy and Nintendo’s broader Mario franchise, will replicate that wide appeal.

What’s New on Peacock?

February has only just begun, but Peacock has already added tons of great streaming options to its content catalog. Prior to the arrival of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the NBCUniversal streamer kickstarted the month with movies like The Boss Baby, The ‘Burbs (1989), Happy Gilmore, and Spider-Man: Homecoming.

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