The Super Mario Bros. Movie is chock-full of references to the franchise that both new and old fans are going to get a kick out of. Some of the best references in the movie are through power-ups. For example, in the commercial that they do, Mario and Luigi are wearing capes like from Super Mario World. However, those aren’t real power-ups so much as they are costumes.
There are seven real classic Mario power-ups that get used in the movie. Some get used multiple times, while others are a one-and-done situation. Many of them were already shown in the trailers leading up to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, but there are some surprises too. Let's break them all down in this quick wrap-up.
There will be spoilers ahead.
7 Super Mushrooms
The first power-up showcased in the movie is the Super Mushroom. There is a dinner scene with Mario and Luigi’s family that establishes Mario doesn’t like mushrooms. It’s funny that Luigi likes them, seeing as Luigi is afraid of seemingly everything else.
Mario has to get through this hurdle so that he can eat a Super Mushroom to become big and strong so that he can beat Peach’s exercise course. In the games, the Super Mushroom makes Mario bigger. That’s approximately what it does in The Super Mario Bros. Movie too, but in the film, it’s more like an overall booster for stats. The Super Mushroom appears again in the montage that involves Mario and Donkey Kong running through the Mushroom Kingdom.
6 Fire Flowers
The Fire Flower first appears during the journey that Mario, Peach, and Toad take to get to the Jungle Kingdom. They stop at night for a quick campfire in a field of Fire Flowers, where Peach uses one to light the wood fire.
Mario tried to get a Fire Flower in his fight against Donkey Kong, but the big ape blows out the Fire Flower as if it were a candle. Finally, Donkey Kong uses a Fire Flower in the aforementioned scene wherein he and Mario run through the city. This might be the only time Donkey Kong has ever used a Fire Flower in the franchise.
5 Mini Mushrooms
Mini Mushrooms are a rare power-up in the franchise. They can shrink Mario down to size, which will increase his speed and jumping capabilities. They can also get characters to secret areas, which was one of its bigger uses in New Super Mario Bros. on the DS.
However, there's a tradeoff, because characters are more vulnerable to death in this state. In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, getting hit will return characters to their original state though. Mario uses one in his match against Donkey Kong. The Mini Mushroom is also used to shrink Bowser down to trap him in a jar.
4 The Ice Flower
Peach gets to use another power-up in the movie via an Ice Flower, when Toad hides one in her wedding bouquet. As she approaches the alter, Peach admits she has no plans to marry Bowser and then begins a counterattack.
It’s great to see her in action, because the Fire Flower example only allowed her to light a wood fire. This scene showcased how strong Peach is on the battlefield beyond the exercise course. It’s a shame she didn’t get to do more, but encasing Bowser in ice did buy Mario some time.
3 The Tanooki Suit
There are a lot of flying power-ups in this franchise. The movie teased one with the capes in that aforementioned commercial, but again, they were just props. The movie instead decided to give Mario a Tanooki suit, which is interesting for several reasons.
He could have just been given a Super Leaf to grow ears and a tail. The inclusion of the full Tanooki Suit meant that Mario should have been able to turn into a statue like in Super Mario Bros. 3. Unfortunately, that part of the power-up seems to have been missing from The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
2 The Super Bell
The Super Bell is not shown as an item in the movie, but Mario does indeed transform into his Cat Suit form. Fans can presume he touched one offscreen in the fight against Donkey Kong. The whole battle scene throws Mario through the wringer like never before.
He gets his mushrooms, as it were, rearranged until the claws come out. After that happens, Mario makes fast work of Donkey Kong. It’s one of the best recent power-ups to come out of a mainline game thanks to Super Mario 3D World.
1 The Super Star
The Super Star is a common power-up in the games, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t overpowered. In the games, players become invincible for a short amount of time. Getting more Super Stars will continue the invincibility string of power.
Bowser steals a Super Star from the Ice Kingdom at the beginning of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and it serves as the MacGuffin of the movie. He threatens to use it if Peach doesn’t marry him. Thankfully, Mario and Luigi are able to thwart his plans by touching the Super Star first. They then absolutely wreck Browser at the end of the movie, Brooklyn style.