Here's Where You Can Watch The Super Mario Bros. Movie
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Though the stigma is slowly on its way out, for a long time, the idea of a video game movie sent a shiver up the spines of many. For decades, studios tried to translate popular, console-based franchises to the big screen — failing to stick the landing more often than not. As a result, the prospect alone of such a project became a borderline taboo subject, but where did this fear really find its roots? Look no further than 1993's "Super Mario Bros.": a film that haunts the video game adaptation conversation nearly three decades past its premiere.
Nintendo's "Super Mario" video game franchise was hitting its stride in the early 1990s, enamoring young gamers across the globe and constantly searching for new ways to innovate. This led the husband-and-wife duo of Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel to take the reins of a cinematic venture, with talents such as Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, and more signing on. To put it mildly, from the moment it got off the ground, everything that could go wrong inevitably did. On-set fights, creative shakeups, last-minute rewrites, and more hampered the final product, and it certainly shows.
At the time, "Super Mario Bros." was a financial and critical bomb, only recently being reevaluated and appreciated for its jarringly dark and cynical presentation. Interested in seeing this train wreck yourself? Here's where you can give it a watch.
You'll have to go old school for a Super Mario Bros. screening
Sadly, at the time of this writing, "Super Mario Bros." is not on any streaming platform. However, that doesn't mean that your hopes of checking out this infamous '90s flop are dashed, seeing as there's one, now-relatively outdated way to get this movie night up and running: getting your hands on a physical copy. Amazon currently has the film on DVD for a mere $3.99 or, if you want it on Blu-ray instead, it'll set you back $31. Although, if you do some digging, you could probably find a used DVD or VHS copy even cheaper elsewhere.
Additionally, if you're not keen on shelling out a few bucks for a flick you're not so sure you'll enjoy, only to be stuck with it from that point on, there's also the option of Netflix's still-kicking DVD rental service. It'll cost you $7.99, and the streaming giant will send the "Super Mario Bros." disc directly to your home with free shipping. Once you're done, just stick it back into the prepaid red envelope, toss it in the mailbox, and perhaps check out the sequel webcomic that attempted to resolve the story's cliffhanger ending if you feel so inclined.
"Super Mario Bros." is, at the very least, an interesting take on such a beloved pop culture property. It's not the most readily available feature in the world, but if you're that determined to give it a go, it's certainly not impossible to track down.