'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' Turns Princess Peach Into a Girlboss
Editor's note: The following contains spoilers for The Super Mario Bros. Movie.The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a bona fide hit, having won over longtime Mario fans and smashing its way to a new box office record. Considering the tumultuous history of video game adaptions, including a previous attempt at adapting Mario for a live-action format, that's a relief. A large part of The Super Mario Bros. Movie's success is due to how it manages to incorporate all the elements of the Super Mario video games into the film in a way that longtime fans and folks who've never picked up a Mario game will enjoy.
However, there are a few creative decisions that left me scratching my head. One of those decisions is the characterization of Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy). To their credit, directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, alongside screenwriter Matthew Fogel, attempt to give Peach the agency she was lacking in the video games. But in the process, they end up delivering a characterization for Peach that never quite gels together.
Peach Is a Very Active Protagonist in 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie'
Over the course of the film, Peach aims to protect the Mushroom Kingdom and her subjects from being conquered by Bowser (Jack Black). How does she plan to do this? By enlisting the help of the Kong Kingdom and their army of apes. However, things get complicated when Mario (Chris Pratt) barges in seeking her help in rescuing his brother Luigi (Charlie Day). The fact that Luigi also happens to be one of Bowser's prisoners helps convince Peach to let Mario and Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) accompany her on the way to the Kong Kingdom.
Anyone with even a passing knowledge of the Mario games knows that many of them feature Mario racing through the Mushroom Kingdom to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser's clutches. In making Peach the experienced warrior and Mario the newcomer, The Super Mario Bros. Movie attempts to offer a fresh perspective on Peach as a character. But this isn't the first time Peach has had a major leading role in the world of Super Mario.
Princess Peach Once Had Her Own Video Game
2006 saw the release of Super Princess Peach for the Nintendo DS, which reversed Peach and Mario's roles. Bowser, in an attempt to harness the powers of the mysterious Vibe Island, resorts to kidnapping Mario and Luigi. This leads Peach to travel to Vibe Island to rescue the brothers, utilizing her own unique attacks and skills against Bowser's forces. Most of those attacks include her trademark pink parasol, nicknamed "Perry"; she uses him to glide short distances and deliver punishing blows to opponents. Peach also utilizes different "vibes" based on her emotions. For example, the Calm vibe slowly heals her while the Rage vibe makes her temporary invincible.
Super Princess Peach is one of the best-selling games produced for the Nintendo DS, and for good reason. It manages to put a new spin on the Super Mario franchise while also giving Peach the well-deserved spotlight. Horvath, Jelenic, and Fogel could have definitely used it for inspiration, especially as their take on Peach raises a good question: does she even need Mario in this movie?
Peach Out-Marios Mario in His Own Movie
Throughout The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Peach is shown to be highly competent. She's able to utilize the power-ups scattered throughout the Mushroom Kingdom to great effect, whether it's clearing an obstacle course or fighting against the Koopa Kingdom. She even manages to outfox Bowser at the end of the film! When the dragon threatens to burn down the Mushroom Kingdom unless Peach marries him, she agrees...and then manages to free his prisoners while attacking him at the same time.
In contrast, Mario often struggles to survive in this strange new world. A simple obstacle course presents a challenge for him, and his fight against Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen) is won mostly through luck. This is even lampshaded in a scene toward the film's second act; when one of the Mushroom Kingdom's inhabitants asks who Mario is, Peach replies "He's not important!" On the surface this is meant to be funny, but it also underlines a major problem with the film. If Peach is this skilled, she shouldn't really need Mario. In fact, it could have been retitled The Princess Peach Movie because she's the most interesting character in the film!
'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' Shows the Pros and Cons of the Girlboss Factor
Peach seems to have fallen victim to the "girlboss factor." This refers to the attempts to create more well-rounded female characters, and forgetting to give them the elements that make them well-rounded characters with definitive personalities aside from girlbossing. A prime example would be Camila Cabello in Cinderella; as the titular princess, she aims to start her own dress shop, but viewers don't see much in the way of her personality. Ironically, Taylor-Joy would provide an example of a truly well-rounded female character in The Menu as Margot. She's caustic and rude, but she has a sharp mind and is able to outwit Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) at his own game. And she's allowed to fail; take the scene where she attempts to call the Coast Guard. If a screenwriter wishes for all of their characters to be well-rounded, then they have to give all of the characters flaws and foibles. Princess Peach, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have much in the way of flaws, let alone any personality traits aside from being a badass.
To its credit, The Super Mario Bros. Movie does attempt to give Peach some depth. She's shown to care deeply for the residents of the Mushroom Kingdom, even surrendering herself to Bowser in order to prevent them from dying. The movie even manages to expand upon her origins — or at the very least provide some for her. At one point in the film, she discusses her life with Mario and reveals that someone sent her to the Mushroom Kingdom as a child. Who exactly is responsible for sending her there remains mystery, but with the film breaking box office records it wouldn't be a surprise if that plot point is touched upon in a sequel.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is now playing in theaters.
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