Though it's had a bit of a mixed critical reception, fans seem to be turning up in droves to see the Super Mario Bros. Movie, giving it a record-breaking opening weekend. While it's hard to disagree with the critics that the Super Mario Bros. Movie is severely lacking a plot and doesn't quite live up to the franchise's full potential, there's no denying that the movie is a good bit of fun, and a clear love letter to Nintendo's long history in the gaming world.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is packed to the brim with Easter eggs and references coming from across Nintendo's lifetime, ranging from modern series like Super Smash Bros. to old classics like Kid Icarus. But if there's one thing that the Mario Movie excels at, it's celebrating all corners of the Super Mario universe, including even the most underutilized elements of the franchise. This is shown clearly when one underused series power-up plays a suspiciously large role in the movie.
Super Mario Should Bring Back the Mini Mushroom
The Super Mario Bros. franchise has seen countless power-ups over the years, and it's only natural that the Super Mario Bros. Movie would want to showcase some of the most iconic ones in all of their high-res, animated glory. During the movie, fans get to see Mario finally pluck up the courage to eat a Red Super Mushroom, which naturally makes him taller. The Fire Flower power-up gives not only Mario the ability to launch fireballs out of his hand, but Donkey Kong as well. And during the Mario Kart-inspired sequence, a ton of different abilities can be spotted, most notably the Green Shell, which Mario uses to hit a Koopa kart behind him.
But there's one power-up in the Super Mario Bros. Movie that's a little more obscure than the others, and that's the Blue Mini Mushroom. Used during a pivotal point in the Super Mario Bros. Movie, the Blue Mini Mushroom does the exact opposite of its Red Super Mushroom counterpart, shrinking the person down as opposed to enlarging them. While the power-up is integrated into the movie quite well, it's interesting to see the Blue Mini Mushroom make such an impactful appearance, with it appearing in just four mainline Mario games.
The Mini Mushroom actually made its initial debut in Mario Party 4, where it had a pink appearance and allowed players to enter secret gates and play Mini Mini-Games. The underrated GBA game Mario Pinball Land was the next to feature the Mini Mushroom, where it once again let Mario enter smaller, hidden spaces. The Mini Mushroom wouldn't make its mainline series debut until 2006's New Super Mario Bros. on Nintendo DS, where it was finally given its blue makeover. In Super Mario Bros., the Blue Mini Mushroom had a neat risk-reward system whereby those under its effects could enter small pipes, make floatier jumps, run across water, and not trigger Donut Blocks, but they'd also die in just one hit. The Blue Mini Mushroom would then go on to appear in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, New Super Mario Bros. 2, and New Super Mario Bros. U, but it would only appear in just a few levels each time.
The vast majority of Super Mario fans will likely have completely forgotten about the Blue Mini Mushroom before its appearance in the Super Mario Bros. Movie. But with such an underused power-up playing such an important role in the movie, it does hint at its reappearance in future Mario titles. At the minute, the Blue Mini Mushroom has only really appeared in 2D Mario games and sports titles, but it could easily work in a 3D setting, letting Mario access new areas of the map in his mini form.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is available in theaters.