Chris Pratt Is Getting Hate Over Super Mario Casting

The all-new Super Mario Bros Movie is releasing on 5 April 2023. Not only is there already a massive amount of excitement surrounding this movie, but box-office trends predict that the film could clear $100 million in its opening weekend. With such a star-studded cast, the anticipation is easily understandable. Chris Pratt will star as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, and the great Jack Black as Bowser. While video game-to-film adaptations might not have the best reputation, most agree that this film might be one of the few exceptions.

Super Mario is one of the core staples of Nintendo’s brand. At this point, the two go hand in hand. With a history dating back to 1981, when the character first appeared in Donkey Kong, it is easy to understand why so many love Mario. That said, there will be more pressure than ever for the movie to perform. Most know Mario as the fun-loving Italian Plumber. They are also used to a specific type of voice. Anything that falls outside of this scope will immediately get slammed by fans. This brings us to the casting of Chris Pratt.

Is The Super Mario Movie Casting Hate Warranted?

To say that the casting of Chris Pratt has been controversial would be an understatement. When the first trailer dropped, fans immediately took to social media to express their disappointment. While actors like Jack Black were highly praised for their performance, the same cannot be said about Chris Pratt. Many people oppose Pratt because he will not do the Italian accent, at least not in a similar way to the games.

Fans responded harshly to this and called for changes to the voice acting. It is worth pointing out that similar fan demands in the past have led to changes in popular movies. Thus, fans were hopeful that their outcry would yield a similar outcome. Most probably won’t even remember this, and neither did I. In 2000, when Mike Myers got cast to play Shrek, a similar backlash ensued when the first trailer for the movie was released. At the time, Mike was not doing any accent for Shrek. The backlash resulted in a reshoot; with it, the Shrek we know today was born.

A more recent example is the movie Sonic The Hedgehog. When people started mocking the abomination that was the original, Sony was quick to respond. They delayed the film and revamped the original model. Sony received much praise for this, and Sonic became a massive box-office success. Fans were hoping that something similar would happen in the Super Mario movie. Since the film is set to release in a few days, we know something else is the case. It should be noted that only some people are against the voice acting of Chris Pratt.

Chris Pratt Responds To Hate: “I Get It”

With all of the criticism against his casting, Chris Pratt did decide to respond. In an interview, he stated that he did understand why some fans were upset. “Oh, I totally get the criticisms and confusion, man,” Pratt told io9. “There’s a passionate fanbase, and I’m one of the fans. I get it. Mostly, people don’t want something like this to get screwed up.” It’s mostly just people who are “precious” about the franchise. He added, “They’re careful. And I’m grateful for that.”

Fans are passionate about Mario. It is a staple of Nintendo, and many want this movie to do the game justice. Pratt also said that although some did not like his performance, they should still watch the film. It is OK to pass judgment, but people should first watch before making up their minds. People will be doing this based on how the movie is trending. Again, it is worth pointing out that not everyone hates his performance. There are many online defending Pratt.

Even those who are not defending him are defending the movie. The story looks intriguing, and the animations are excellent. Nintendo tried hard to capture the world of Super Mario. Based on the trailers that I have seen, they not only tested but also succeeded. Luckily, we will not have to speculate much longer with the movie set to release in a few days. The rest of the cast is receiving praise for their performances. However, the backlash against Chris Pratt might not just be his Super Mario voice.

Why People Hate Chris Pratt?

The hate against Chris Pratt has been coming for quite some time now. Hollywood might be known for its acting, but it is also known for its political activism. However, this activism is not allowed to lean right in any way. If you are religious, that is even worse. Somehow, people got it into their heads that Pratt was a Republican. This is a big no-no in Hollywood. However, his openness to share his religious journey was the final nail in the coffin for many. In 2019, Pratt shared a post where he highlighted his church.

This prompted a fiery response from fellow actor Elliot Page. He accused Pratt publically of being involved with a church that is anti-LGBTQ. This prompted Chris Pratt to respond by stating that his Church doors were open to everyone. Since then, the hate for Chris Pratt has only grown. While it is only a small portion of Twitter weirdoes, it still makes an impact. Many now accuse him of being a right-wing religious personality against gay people. This is not true. However, those who dislike Pratt do not seem to care much about the truth.

The truth is that you do not want anyone to discriminate against any group of people. Your personal religious beliefs should not take your rights away from any group of people. However, religious freedom is still important to uphold. Accusing Chris Pratt of being anti-LGBTQ for simply being religious is not fair. Even if some pastors in the church are against gay rights, it does not mean Pratt is as well. He has expressed his support on multiple occasions, so at this point, people are just looking to hate.

Why Did People Hate The Original Super Mario Movie?

But let’s move on. The nervousness fans have for the upcoming Super Mario Bros movie is not entirely unwarranted. Even after 30 years, most people still remember the live-action disaster that was the original. Although a tiny portion of fans regard the movie as a cult classic, most agree that the movie was just bad. It had no real connection to video games. In all honesty, the movie served no purpose. It came at a time when they thought the Mario brand was at an all-time high. Nintendo was the leader in video games and had lots of success with other IPs.

They thought that this success could move over into live-action films. Sadly, things did not work out too well for them. Now, this movie was doomed to fail from the start. Production was allegedly a complete nightmare. It was riddled with cast members getting drunk between takes and directors changing scrips. Some even allege that there was no actual script to follow. Most were making things up as they went along.

If I look at the result, I can easily believe this. The movie made no sense. However, some people still needed to find more profound meaning. Sticking to the theme of politics everywhere, some felt like the movie was a critique of capitalism. I don’t know how that conclusion is made, but it is a genuine argument online. The truth is that sometimes, people find meaning in places where there is none.

Why Is The Super Mario Movie Getting Hate Online?

Although the reception to the upcoming Super Mario Movie has been overwhelming, some are not pleased with it. Believe it or not, this small group of people’s distaste for the film has nothing to do with Chris Pratt. This small group believes the upcoming Super Mario movie is precisely what the original 1993 disaster warned us about—a complete dystopian nightmare. The first movie warned us about a Trump-esque villain who terrifies cities, destroys free speech, and forces people to stay in check.

They link this terror to how theme parks are run. It also brings us to the next point. This movie serves as nothing more than a marketing campaign. Children will see this and then want to play more games and buy more toys. Although this is an accurate assessment, they reach the wrong conclusion. Every movie serves to sell you more things. People watch Harry Potter, and then they want to go to the Universal theme park. People watch Star Wars and then like the latest toys. It is an entirely natural part of the entertainment world.

This movie, which leads to a Super Mario Theme Park, is not a dystopian nightmare. It is just another form of entertainment that people can enjoy if they choose to do so. This movie serves as a massive advert for the games. The film serves to appeal to the larger Western world. That is the reason why they chose a bunch of famous American Hollywood actors. However, it is just entertainment. People will always find a way to attach their politics to everything.

How The Super Mario Movie Will Boost Nintendo

There can be no denying, though, that the Super Mario movie will boost Nintendo even further. Although they are a massive worldwide brand, tapping into the film market will strengthen them further. Fans of the Super Mario movie will go watch this film. However, it will also reach an audience that might not play the games. The Super Mario series, as it stands, has sold over 396.80 million copies. They have also grossed over $22 billion. This makes Mario one of the most successful games ever.

However, there is always a new audience to tap into. Gaming as a medium is, on any given day, just as popular as movies. Using movies to appeal to a different fanbase is a good idea. A great strategy for Nintendo is selling not just their games but also their toys. This movie will serve to do that further on a whole new scale. With Nintendo now creating its movie studio, this will be the first of many movies. Nintendo has clarified that this is an avenue they want to explore.

Although this movie will lead to more children asking their parents to buy the games, it also has another purpose—good old-fashioned fan service. The film is filled with references to video games. Seeing some of your favorite video game moments in this movie is pretty exciting. Nintendo went out of its way to stay as accurate to the IP as possible. Minus, of course, the Italian Mario accent. It will be interesting to see what Nintendo chooses to do from this point forward. This will likely be the first of many more Mario movies.

Why Video Game Movies Suck

Video game movies have not always had the best reputation, though. The original Mortal Kombat movies were nothing to write home about. Although I was a fan of both back in the day, they did not age well. The original Tomb Raider movies had their moments. I think many fans look back at them fondly, but again, they are by no means Oscar-worthy. Then again, do they need to be?

Although exciting for its time, the Resident Evil movies also failed to impress. Don’t even get me started on the 2006 Doom movie. The point is that there has been a lot of disappointment over the years. One of those disappointments is the 2014 Need for Speed movie or the 2007 Dead or Alive movie. However, I enjoyed this one a bit more as a teenager. With that, only some of the films were a complete disaster.

Some of these movies are classics. They have a dedicated fanbase who enjoy them for what they were at the time. However, there is an opportunity now to do better. To take the video game genre and push it to a new height. They can now do what DC did in the nineties with the Batman movies or what Marvel did recently to the superhero space. It is an exciting time for video game fans. There are many opportunities for movie studios to bring video game worlds to life. Some of the best stories ever written are in video games; studios are starting to see that now. This is why we are beginning to see more series like Witcher and Last of Us popping up.

Conclusion

Overall, it will be fascinating to see how all of this will play out. The world of video games is only growing larger. So is the series and movie space. Over the last couple of years, we have seen the rise of streaming services. At this point, a new streaming service is popping up every day. These services are desperate for more content to stream. This is a big reason why we are seeing more and more video game IPs popping up. Netflix is heavily investing in video game content, and so is HBO.

It is only a matter of time before we see other video game IPs on the big screen. Henry Cavill and Amazon are working hard to bring Warhammer to life. Although the Halo series never got any traction, it was still a big announcement. People, however, are enjoying The League of Legends series on Netflix. In my opinion, it is the best video game series there is. With Cyberpunk Edgerunners, the competition is quite challenging. Then, we also have the upcoming Tekken adaptation by Netflix. The Netflix Bioshock movie is also something I want to watch.

Over the next few years, we will see a massive spike in these IPs. It is inevitable that, at some point, your favorite game will be turned into a movie or series. We hope that they decide to do it justice. Chances are that they will re-imagine it for a newer audience.