Seth Rogen Thinks ‘Super Mario Bros.’ ’93 Is “One Of The Worst Films Ever Made’ While John Leguizamo Says “Hell No!” To Watching New Film

With “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” now out in theaters, it’s time to see if Universal‘s animated feature performs better than the 1993 live-action film. That should be pretty easy, as the earlier film with Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo was a critical and commercial bust, not even making back its budget at the box office. And Seth Rogen certainly hasn’t forgotten his disappointment over the 1993 film, which he commented on at the world premiere of the new animated movie.

READ MORE: ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Review: An Unconvincing Nintendo Billboard, Unfortunately

Variety reports that Rogen, who voices Donkey Kong in the new “Mario Bros.” film, still hasn’t forgotten how much he hated seeing “Mario Bros.’ ’93 at age 11. “When I was 11, I saw the original “Mario Bros.” movie, and I was so excited, ” Rogen said at the world premiere of “Mario Bros.” ’23. “But it’s one of the worst films ever made. I was so disappointed. I think it made me realize that movies, like, could be bad. That never occurred to me until that moment. It really bummed me out. It’s nice to vindicate that moment. It’s nice to know that 11-year-olds out there that they won’t be disappointed in the same way that I was.”

Well, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, Mr. Rogen. Critical reception for the new film has been mixed so far (read The Playlist’s review here), and there’s no guarantee it will go over with Nintendo fans better than the ’93 film. And the ’93 film has its defenders, too. Alongside Hoskins and Leguizamo, that movie stars Dennis Hopper as King Koopa (aka Bowser), with Samantha Mathis as Princess Peach, and Fisher Stevens and Richard Evans as some Koopa henchmen. Does that beat the star power of Rogen, Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, and Charlie Day? Maybe not, but different movies, different times.

And how do cast members of the ’93 film feel about the new one? Variety (via TMZ) reports that Leguizamo had a curt response when asked if he’ll watch the animated movie: “Hell No!” The actor says casting is the main reason he’ll avoid the new film. ““No I will not [be watching],” Leguizamo told TMZ. “They could’ve included a Latin character. Like I was groundbreaking, and then they stopped the groundbreaking. They messed up the inclusion. They dis-included. Just cast some Latin folk! We’re 20% of the population. The largest people of color group and we are underrepresented.”

Leguizamo’s comments follow up ones he made to IndieWire about his distaste for the new “Mario Bros.’ film. ““I’m O.G. A lot of people love the original,” Leguizamo told IndieWire. “I did Comic-Con in New York and in Baltimore, and everyone’s like, ‘No, no, we love the old one, the original.’ They’re not feeling the new one.’ I’m not bitter. It’s unfortunate. The directors Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton fought really hard for me to be the lead because I was a Latin man, and they [the studio] didn’t want me to be the lead,” continued the actor. “They fought really hard, and it was such a breakthrough. For them to go backwards and not cast another [actor of color] kind of sucks.”

Leguizamo may have a point: what studio head thought casting Chris Pratt as an Italian plumber would be a good idea in the first place? It’s a head-scratching choice, but it’s doing okay for Universal, Nintendo, and Illumination so far: “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” made $66 million on its opening day, two-thirds of its budget. So, maybe it’s safe to say the new “Mario Bros.” film surpasses the old one by eventually making back its budget. But will it be a hit with audiences or become a minor cult classic like the 1993 film? That remains to be seen.