Those days are long gone, as the latest The Super Mario Bros. Movie trailer just reminded us. The movie is a virtual who’s who of movie star talent circa the early 2020s: Jack Black as Bowser, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi… and Chris Pratt as Mario. With the exception of Black, none of the hired actors are doing much to disguise their recognizable cadences in the new trailer, but only one has earned the ire of the internet: and it’s once again Chris Pratt. Despite starring in some of the biggest movies of the last decade, including Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Infinity War, and the Jurassic World movies, Pratt remains a contentious figure to some on social media. And the fact he’s done little in the way of replicating the iconic work of voice actor Charles Martinett, who has voiced Mario and Luigi in nearly every Nintendo game since Super Mario 64 in 1996, or to sound like anything other than the guy who “tames raptors” in billion-dollar blockbusters has left Twitter aghast. Below are some of the most pained reactions. One Twitter user for instance, lamented in a viral post that “EVERYONE ELSE” (capitalization theirs) in the voice will be forced to carry the movie for Pratt… Some even humorously relate to the character of Donkey Kong, who is featured in the trailer of going bananas on Pratt’s Mario. Then there are those who have gone so far to question Pratt’s seeming enthusiasm for the role… However, perhaps the most telling aspect is how some fans have zeroed in on hating the few utterances we heard from Pratt’s Mario in the trailer, such as when it ends with Mario saying “wahoo!” with a rather muted inflection. Others have gone so far as to seek out foreign language versions of the trailer to compare Pratt unfavorably to other voice actors doing the same exact part.
Super Mario Bros. Memes
Of course it wouldn’t be the internet without some memes making the same points in a snarkier, more visual fashion. You can enjoy some of which below…
