A strong female lead and nostalgia: 5 reasons why every parent should watch The Super Mario Bros. Movie with their kids.

My kids love it when I watch movies with them. 

I should love it too. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love… the idea of it. But like a lot of parents, I have a hard time sitting still and choosing to spend quality time watching movies together, when my brain is buzzing with a list of other things I think I “should” be doing instead.  

But then, I face another problem. 

That being, when I do commit 90 minutes of stillness and ‘chilling’, I get so chill, I fall asleep. 

So, if you’re like me and haven’t managed to stay awake through a movie since sleepovers in primary school, read on to find out why The Super Mario Bros. Movie (coming to cinemas April 5) is an easy must-see for parents and their babes these holidays. 

I have a pretty good feeling that I won't be falling asleep through this one...

Watch the official trailer for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, in cinemas April 5. Post continues below.

You and your kids will feel like you’re basically in a video game.

So, while you may have grown up alongside Mario and his whole Mushroom Kingdom crew when you played it on your first gaming console (I’m getting pings of nostalgia), we’ve never actually been treated to a trip inside Mario’s world in such close quarters before. 

When I told my 6-year-old son that we were going to watch The Super Mario Bros. Movie he loudly declared, “WE ARE GOING TO BE IN THE GAME. Like, IN! IT!”

Image: Universal Pictures.

His reaction was entirely justified. He nailed it: we’re going to be in the game. Something that cool deserves to be shouted about.

It’s actually got some important messages for kids.

So, what’s it about? 

Parents are short on time and if you’ve read this far, no doubt you’ll soon be interrupted by one of your dependents – so for those short on time wanting the gist (promise me you’ll go and see it though?): 

1. Brothers Mario and Luigi, are doing their plumber thang, which involves working under the ground to fix… something that plumbers fix. Look, I’m no expert. But:

2. Next minute, they’re transported down some cool, weird pipe thing and, at the end, they get plopped out into a magical new world. Which is actually quite cool – until…

3. Ahhh! Tragedy! Mario and Luigi, are separated. Of course, Mario will not have a bar of this.

4. They embark on an epic quest to find each other and, through this journey (with Princess Peach’s stellar guidance), he ends up finding his own inner power as well. Which leads me onto my next point…

Princess Peach is no damsel in distress.

Image: Universal Pictures.

Meet Princess Peach like you’ve never met her before. 

Sure, her name might be the same; her dress may still be pink and flossy – but don’t let any of these markers influence her abilities to command the room. 

Princess Peach has officially relaunched.

In this film, you won’t find this gal waiting to depend on her male counterparts. Make no mistake, she’s not a damsel in distress needing to be saved. Instead, she is the ruler of Mushroom Kingdom – the skilled, strong-willed, assertive, decisive kind of leader of the people. 

She wants what’s best for her Kingdom, because that’s what good leaders want. Of course, all good leaders lead by example, and that’s why you’ll also see Peach swap out her frock for a pant suit when she fronts up to lead the good fight. Oh, and she rides a motorbike. Love her. 

So, if you fancy the idea of chatting over with your kids what they took away from this film, and empowering them to break free of any expectations society places on people based on their gender (and hey, reliving some childhood memories of your own), The Super Mario Bros. Movie will deliver all of that, and then some.

Mario and Luigi are excellent role models.

Just have another look at these two, yeah? Extraordinary men, the both of them. 

Now, are they sporting the physical traits that historically has been associated with masculinity? No. 

Do they openly express their brotherly love and the importance of their relationship? Yes!

Can they fix toilets, follow Princess Peaches kick-a** training and get the things done under her guidance without needing to lead instead? 

You bet they can. 

Aforementioned son is currently plastering his walls with posters of Princess Peach, Mario and Luigi. And look, I may be getting ahead of myself, but I feel like this is a pretty positive sign for the future. 

It's made by big names.

So this teeny tiny little project, created by the iconic global entertainment brands, Illumination and Nintendo, is one of the most anticipated and talked about movies in years. 

So, what do you do when the whole world is watching and waiting for you to deliver pop culture history? You bring in the big names.  

The all-comedic cast boasts involvement from Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black and Seth Rogan – to name a few. 

The screenplay was written by Mathew Fogal, who also penned recent hits The Lego Movie 2 and Minions: The Rise of Gru. If you’ve caught even just snippets of these two flicks, you’ll know the guy is brilliant at landing jokes (for the parents, too) and crafting excellent stories for kids and all-age viewers alike. 

Watch the thrilling new universe, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, in cinemas April 5.

Feature Image: Universal Pictures.