The Super Mario Bros Movie Final Trailer: The Coolest Moments Shown
After months of waiting, the final trailer for "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" has finally arrived. The trailer debuted as part of a brand-new Nintendo Direct livestream, which brought together some of the movie's stars for the special occasion. The cast clearly enjoyed poking fun at one another, complete with a whole bit where Jack Black tried to have this year's Mario Day rechristened as Bowser Day, but nothing could distract from the main event for too long.
The last major trailer for the upcoming adaptation definitely runs shorter than the last preview, but it is by no means lacking in coolness. Like previous trailers, this one contains a number of easter eggs referencing the long history of Mario and friends — including another extended look at the movie's "Mario Kart" sequence — as well as some unexpected twists and turns. Heroes are captured, old friends get new powers, and our favorite little plumber gets a chance to do a stunt right out of a "Fast and Furious" movie! Here are the coolest moments from the final "Super Mario Bros. Movie" trailer.
Lumalee's dark sense of humor
The final trailer for "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" opens with a glimpse at Luigi's predicament as the latest captive to populate a swinging cage in Bowser's Castle. Several other individuals found themselves suspended above a pit of lava prior to the displaced plumber's arrival, including the penguin king whose ice kingdom fell in the first look at the "Mario" animated film. Fans of "Super Mario Galaxy" will likely recognize one of the other unfortunates as Lumalee, a blue Hungry Luma who has aided Mario in the past.
While many gamers already knew Lumalee would appear in "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" thanks to promotional Happy Meal toys released by McDonald's, they probably weren't expecting the dark sense of humor he possesses in the trailer. The little Luma welcomes Luigi with a chilling laugh and the quip, "Ooh, fresh meat for the grinder" — a comment at odds with his distinctly child-like voice. He follows this up with the pronouncement "There's no escape. The only hope is the sweet relief of death."
While a rather macabre choice for the typically family-friendly Nintendo, the characterization offers an interesting (if haunting) subversion of one of the more cutesy "Mario" allies. Just what happened to poor Lumalee?
Donkey Kong Flower Power
Donkey Kong showed off some new moves halfway through the third "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" trailer, copying some tricks from Mario himself. At one point, Mario kicks a power-up box at the iconic gorilla, who proceeds to knock it open and suddenly become engulfed in flames, representing the activation of his very own Fire Flower ability.
Upon realizing his new ability, Donkey Kong cheers with joy, holding the fire in his hand and proceeding to platform confidently alongside Mario — with some pyrotechnic enhancements. There's something just feels right about seeing Donkey Kong happily launching fireballs at enemies.
Donkey Kong may have done some terrible things in the past, including playing with fire, but this particular ability is still quite exciting to see in action. After all, in the original games, Mario and Luigi tend to hog the Fire Flowers for themselves. This moment not only gives DK a new skill, but it brings us a moment straight of a "Super Smash Bros." game.
Kart hopping and warfare
Every avid "Mario Kart" player knows that there's a certain thrill that comes along with racing on Rainbow Road. Not only is the track notoriously difficult to navigate, but it also contains exploits that knowledgeable players can use to get ahead of the pack — literally. "Mario Kart 64" has one of the wildest shortcuts, where the racer must take a leap of faith to bypass most of the track.
The final "Super Mario Bros." movie trailer gave a nod to some of those tricks by showing Mario falling from one level of Rainbow Road onto another. While the jump doesn't seem intentional – after all, he falls after an enemy wrecks his kart with a missile – longtime "Mario Kart" fans will understand the easter egg. In fact, the entire Rainbow Road sequence seems to strive for fidelity to the original games.
After the final trailer premiered, directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic took a minute to tell fans how they managed to bring this fan-favorite track to life. "We wanted to recreate that same sense of danger in epic scale on the big screen," Horvath explained. Jelenic added that the team worked with artists who specialize in vehicle design to get the karts and motorcycles just right — in addition to creating some new vehicles fans haven't seen before.