Adapting a piece of media from a video game into a movie is never easy. Video games aren't structured like films, and even the most beloved IP won't always translate well onto the big screen, especially if they're changing it to be live-action. This is why animated video game adaptations have a slight edge, as they're able to comply with the original art style of the game and represent the world and characters in a way that's still accurate to the way they're portrayed in the game.
Of course, with that comes the need for a different type of performance - voice acting. This was something The Super Mario Bros Movie knew it would have to work out, especially since the characters in the Mario franchise never say more than a few words each, and while they have distinct voices, they're not sustainable for a long-form piece of content like a movie. As the main character, Chris Pratt got a lot of flack from fans before the movie had even been released for having a bad Mario voice that didn't fit the character at all. While his performance is decent at best - not the best in the movie, but not awful - there is actually another vocal performance that is much worse and much more distracting.
What Makes A Good Voice Acting Performance?
Most Hollywood movies these days seem very averse to hiring any actual voice actors for roles and instead will hire whichever celebrities are the most talked-about at the moment in order to get as much attention to the film as possible. This isn't always a terrible idea, as there are a lot of actors who turn out to be dedicated and are really good at lending their voices to animated movies. However, actors who professionally do voice work are, 9 times out of 10, going to be the best choice for an animated movie since they're aware of the specific skills that are needed for a compelling vocal performance. The 2020 Scooby-Doo movie Scoob! caught a lot of backlash for replacing all of the voice actors with celebrities, so it's clearly something that people are passionate about.
But what makes a vocal performance stand out, really? Not every performer needs to totally change their voice for a character, but when a well-known actor steps into a role and just uses their regular voice, it can often be very distracting from the character, especially if that actor is known for having a unique voice. Voice actors know how to change the sound of their voices to embody a specific character's traits, but they also know how to properly convey emotions through just their voice. A lot of actors who don't typically do voice work are just used to screen acting where their faces can tell as much of the story as their words can. However, a voice performance needs to convey those same emotions just through sound alone, and sometimes even the most celebrated actors aren't able to figure out this specific skill.
Which Vocal Performance In The Super Mario Bros Movie Is The Worst?
While Pratt was criticized for his Mario voice early on, it doesn't actually do the movie a huge disservice. If anything, it's just a little boring and sounds a little bit too much like Chris Pratt to be considered really good, but it's not that bad. The one voice performance that was really a standout in a negative way was Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong. Since Rogen doesn't do anything to change his voice, any time Donkey Kong opens his mouth, it just sounds like Seth Rogen talking - which is especially egregious in one moment where DK laughs Seth Rogen's incredibly distinctive laugh and breaks the suspension of disbelief almost instantly.
Not changing the voice for DK would be fine if Rogen had a voice that fit the character, but it felt off the entire time. DK is a character who should come off at least a little bit commanding, perhaps with a deeper timbre to his voice, and Seth Rogen gives off none of that. He makes DK sound a little too goofy, which makes it hard to take him seriously in any capacity. Sure, he's a bit of a comedic character, but that doesn't mean that the voice needs to be that of a comedian. Rogen doesn't really do anything interesting with Donkey Kong, and the voice work itself is boring at best. Compared to a lot of his castmates, it just feels like he was putting in minimum effort and not really trying anything new with the role.
Does The Movie Have Any Good Voice Work?
Despite the mediocrity of the aforementioned voice performers, The Super Mario Bros Movie actually has a lot of great vocal performances throughout it. Anya Taylor-Joy is good as Princess Peach, whose voice is very different from her video game counterpart, but in a way that really works for this version of the character. Charlie Day is a great Luigi, his naturally higher-pitched voice perfectly channeling that classic Luigi scaredy-cat energy. Keegan-Michael Key has his work cut out for him as Toad, as the character is known for having a rather screechy voice, but Key manages to turn that into a voice that still feels in keeping with the tone of the character and is much less grating to listen to.
However, the absolute standouts from the cast are definitely the villainous characters. Kamek is voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson, who is a prolific voice actor who has been in basically any animated media one could think of, including Lilo and Stitch, Mortal Kombat, and The Simpsons. He perfectly captures Kamek's energy with a voice that suits the character so much, despite having no previous voice to work off of. It's not surprising that one of the best performances in the film is from an actual voice actor, of course. However, the other major standout is Jack Black as Bowser, who has been praised by audiences and critics for his fantastic work in the role. He nails Bowser's energy and menacing voice while still keeping it fun, and he also doesn't sound like himself very much which helps with the suspension of disbelief. Nobody else could sing the "Peaches" song and have it not sound absolutely cringe-worthy, but Jack Black's voice acting skills absolutely helped him to pull it off perfectly.