Worst Mario film in history to be re-released in Japanese theaters, Japanese fans stupefied 

Hollywood’s infamous live-action film Super Mario Bros. from 1993 is scheduled to be re-released in movie theaters all over Japan in a restored 4K edition starting September 15 this year. The legendary financial and critical failure experiencing a sudden revival in Japan had some users at a loss, but those who find the film “so bad it’s good” and hate-watching connoisseurs are expressing their excitement about it. 

According to a report by CinemaToday, to commemorate the 30-year anniversary of the Hollywood live-action adaptation of Nintendo’s Mario series, the film, known to the Japanese public as Super Mario: Goddess of the Magic Empire, will be screened in a remastered 4K edition in movie theaters nationwide starting September 15. 

The 1993 adventure comedy film follows brothers Mario Mario and Luigi Mario, who work as plumbers in Brooklyn, as they venture into a post-apocalyptic lizard-man-ridden parallel universe called Dinohattan, to rescue princess Daisy and save the Earth from an impending invasion. Nintendo famously gave the producers of the film significant creative liberty at the time – which can be inferred from how little the adaptation has to do with the original story and setting of the Mario series, opting for a dark dystopian setting with goofy action scenes dusted with occasional references to the source material. 

Though it was a pioneer of attempts to adapt a video game into a feature-length film and featured impressive VFX for the time, the film hasn’t been praised for much else, frequently making it into “worst films of all time” rankings and being described by Oscar-nominated actor Bob Hoskins (who played the role of Mario) as “the worst thing he ever did” and “a f***ing nightmare.” 

At the same time, the film does boast a cult following, especially from those who distanced themselves from initial critic reviews and found plenty to enjoy in the bizarre 90s fever-dream that is Super Mario Bros. The similar can be said for Japanese audiences, as the premiere of the film was followed by a significant buzz due to the surreal worldview portrayed and lack of cartoonish-ness. According to CinemaToday, the film has a cult following even now, 30 years later, sometimes being described as “cyberpunk.” 

That said, the announcement of the re-release of the 1993 film was met with a variety of reactions from Japanese users, as people expressed their disbelief at the completely unexpected news. Many were hit with a wave of nostalgia, having seen the film on their VHS as kids and remembering being blown away by its goofy glory. Though some users were cynical about the out-of-the-blue announcement, many were genuinely happy about it, expressing their love for the film despite its infamy and their will to see the screening of the film at all costs.