What would people think about this movie if it weren't called 'Super Mario Bros'

[kebsis]

I don't think it would be considered 'good', because there are just too many problems with it for that.  But, I feel like it something as awfully strange as this movie would at least be appreciated for it's uniqueness, whereas now it is more confusing because of attempt to tie it in to Mario Bros. somehow.  Particularly if it weren't saddled with having to shoehorn in video game references throughout.

[Trekker4747]

No, the movie would still be pure OTT crap even if it wasn't Super Mario Bros.  But I do thinking being called SMB and have virtually no connection to the games does crank the crapfest-o-meter up to 11.

[doggans]

It's hard to say. Without the loose brand connection, the movie would be just as bizarre and poorly-written, but without the element of disappointment and cognitive dissonance from people who wanted to see a Mario movie. So it might have become a cult classic of cinematic weirdness, or it might have become completely forgotten, since the poorly-integrated brand name recognition might be the film's most remarkable feature.

[kebsis]

That's true.  Also, without the Super Mario branding, the movie would have been free to make some different decisions about certain things, like going with a more appropriate soundtrack for example.  But I suppose at that point we're starting to talk about an entirely different movie.

[Darth Geek]

I wonder if it was a script for something completely different originally. And then they shoehorned it into a Super Mario Brothers movie. And then all the production problems happened on top of that.

[TriffRax]

I think it was a film written by people who's only experience of Mario was having individual parts of the games described to them.

[Trekker4747]

No, DarthGerek is right. The story started off as something completely different, got morphed into the Super Mario Bros. property to hopefully draw in a better audience then there were all sort of problems when it came to the rewrites and elements of production.

[RoninFox]

Darth Gerek?  Cardassian Lord of the Sith?  That could actually be a kick ass crossover.