Video game movies have had a rocky history in the film industry, including plenty of flops. But the subgenre has been doing well lately, thanks to projects like Mortal Kombat and Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. The latest of these movies to hit theaters is The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which is now available to stream with a Peacock subscription. The Mario movie passed $1 billion at the box office, and is one of the most successful movies of the year. Although now that Super Mario Bros. is streaming, we need to talk about Peach.
I didn’t get the chance to watch the new Mario movie when it was in theaters, thanks to a variety of personal reasons. I counted down the days till it arrived on Peacock, and had a great time watching the beloved Nintendo characters come to life. But my one complaint came down to the characterization of Anya Taylor-Joy’s Princess Peach.
Rather than needing to be rescued, Peach was a capable character throughout The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Instead Luigi was the one who needed to be saved from Bowser, to hilarious results. While I think this was a wise choice, where the movie failed Princess Peach was that she ended up becoming the least interesting character in the mix. Others like Donkey Kong and Toad got to be silly characters and create comedic moments, while Anya Taylor-Joy’s character was left out of that fun.
While Peach was a capable badass in the movie that never needed to be rescued, she was also the least quirky/interesting character in the cast. Much of her dialogue felt like exposition dumps, despite the talent of the Queen’s Gambit star on the mic.
Even Princess Peach’s backstory felt like an afterthought to me when watching The Super Mario Bros. Movie. When asked why she was seemingly the only human living in the Mushroom Kingdom, she explained she doesn’t really know where she came from… and then she never talks about it again. Give me more information, you cowards at Illumination!
Considering just how wildly successful Super Mario Bros. was at the box office, it seems like a sequel is basically an inevitability. If/when this occurs, I’m hoping that we get introduced to more female Nintendo characters like Daisy or Rosalina. Perhaps this would help illuminate her backstory. Or even if the sequel “yadda yaddas” her origin, I’m hoping having some friends will help make Peach a more dynamic character. Fingers crossed, but I think there’s still hope for this version of Peach.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is streaming now on Peacock, and hopefully sequel news is coming sooner rather than later. Be sure to check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
