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Super Mario Bros. 3

  • Video Game
  • 1988
  • E
IMDb RATING
9.2/10
6.3K
YOUR RATING
Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)
May 28, 2018, marks the 25th anniversary of 'Super Mario Bros.' The very first live-action adaptation of a video game, ever, was based on the hugely successful series that helped pull the gaming industry out of the 1983 crash. But when it came to its big screen potential, only one man had the vision, producer Roland Joffé.
Play clip3:24
Watch 'Super Mario Bros.' 25 Years Later: Why the Movie Is Nothing Like the Game
1 Video
7 Photos
QuestActionAdventureFamilyFantasy

King Koopa has kidnapped Princess Toadstool, taken over all seven kingdoms in the Mushroom World, and put his seven kids in charge of all of them. It's the Mario Brothers to the rescue.King Koopa has kidnapped Princess Toadstool, taken over all seven kingdoms in the Mushroom World, and put his seven kids in charge of all of them. It's the Mario Brothers to the rescue.King Koopa has kidnapped Princess Toadstool, taken over all seven kingdoms in the Mushroom World, and put his seven kids in charge of all of them. It's the Mario Brothers to the rescue.

  • Directors
    • Shigeru Miyamoto
    • Takashi Tezuka
  • Writer
    • Shigeru Miyamoto
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    9.2/10
    6.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Shigeru Miyamoto
      • Takashi Tezuka
    • Writer
      • Shigeru Miyamoto
    • 26User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination total

    Videos1

    'Super Mario Bros.' 25 Years Later: Why the Movie Is Nothing Like the Game
    Clip 3:24
    'Super Mario Bros.' 25 Years Later: Why the Movie Is Nothing Like the Game

    Photos6

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    User reviews26

    9.26.2K
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    Featured reviews

    Op_Prime

    The best game on the NES system

    This has to be the best of the first three Super Mario games. There are many exciting new levels and enemies. There are also all kinds of secrets in the eight levels of the game. Also, the Mario Brothers get dozens of new power ups in addition to the classic fire flower and star. It's always a challenge to play this game. It's been over a decade since this game came out and it's still one of the best games ever. Track down a copy of this classic!
    9Platypuschow

    Super Mario Bros. 3: 2nd best Mario game IMO

    I grew up with Nintendo so though it's no longer something I play I will always have a soft spot for it. Super Mario Bros (1985) was a classic platformer and very enjoyable, Super Mario Bros 2 (1988) almost put me off the franchise altogether and I simply didn't enjoy it, Super Mario Bros 3 was a masterpiece I'll never forget.

    For a start the game is considerably larger than most that were around at this time, it's a title you need to put plenty of hours into and even then you'll likely not see everything.

    With a lot of new mechanics not seen before in a Mario game it added to the dynamic instead of overly convoluting a classic formula like its predecessor did. Mario has multiple suits that assist him in his adventure, the game adds a wealth of fantastic enemies and memorable boss encounters.

    Arguably SMB3 is one of the greatest platform games ever made and is a near perfect title that was only followed successfully by them once in this guys opinion. Then it went 3D and it all went downhill from there.

    Super Mario Bros.3 is one of those few games that lives with me and I'll never forget yet will happily pick it up any chance I get. Near flawless.

    The Good:

    Huge advancements from the previous titles

    Lots of content

    Everything is so very likeable

    The Bad:

    Whistles are an unnecessary cheatmode
    10jerekra

    Mario At The Best!!!

    Super Mario 3 is not only one of the greatest Mario Video Games, it is one of the greatest Video Games ever.

    The plot is pretty simple. Basically you are traveling through eight different worlds in an attempt to rescue Princess Toadstool, nothing new.

    Each world is interesting in its own right. There is the desert world, ice world, sky world, and big world.(big world is cool in that all the enemies are much bigger than Mario) The levels are colorful and exciting and there are plenty of times where you must try to solve puzzling situations. Great fun levels.

    A great thing about this game is the power ups. You have the mushroom that makes you bigger, and the fire flower that makes you able to shoot out fire balls. There are a lot of new power ups as well, and I stress A LOT. Here is a list of them.

    Leaf Gives you a racoon tail and ears and allows you to hover and fly short distances. Frog Suit Allows you to swim great in the water. Tanoki Suit It is an entire full body Racoon Suit that has the same abilities as the leaf plus you can turn into a statue. Hammer Brother Suit Wearing a hammer brother suit you are able to throw hammers at enemies. P Wing Allows you to fly through an entire level.

    Another great feature is that you are able to obtain a lot of different items and store them. You can then use them when you are on the menu of whatever world you are in prior to starting a level. Being able to store items and use them when you wish is a great feature.

    There are lots of fun games in each world. You get to battle hammer brothers for items and also you get to play a matching N Card game for items and another slot machine game for items.

    Gameplay is pretty good but it takes practice. Once you get the hang though it is great fun.

    A great CLASSIC video game that is a must play. AWESOME!!!!!
    8johannultimate

    Mario's Biggest Leap Yet - A Creative, Challenging Classic

    Super Mario Bros. 3 isn't just a sequel-it's a total reinvention of what a Mario game could be. Bigger, bolder, and packed with ideas, it expanded the series in almost every direction. New power-ups, themed worlds, hidden secrets-it was ambitious for 1990, and in many ways, still holds up incredibly well today.

    Chapter 1: A World of Imagination

    From the moment the curtain rises on the opening screen, SMB3 plays like a stage show of Mario's greatest adventures. Each world has its own theme-deserts, giant lands, icy peaks-and each level within them offers new mechanics or enemies. The variety here is honestly staggering. You can tell Nintendo was bursting with ideas.

    The introduction of the overworld map was a game-changer. For the first time, you had choice in how to move through levels, find secrets, or skip ahead using warp whistles. It gave a real sense of progression and strategy without bogging things down.

    Chapter 2: Power-Ups and Personality

    The new suits-Raccoon, Frog, Tanooki, and Hammer Bros.-add real variety to the gameplay. Flying across levels, swimming with precision, or even turning into a statue to avoid enemies? It was imaginative and opened the door to experimentation. It made every item block feel like a potential game-changer.

    And yet, the game doesn't rely on power-ups alone. The level design itself is sharp and often surprising. There's a real rhythm to how the game teaches you, tests you, and then twists what you thought you knew.

    Chapter 3: Not Quite Perfect

    While it's undeniably one of the best NES games ever made, it's not flawless. The difficulty spikes hard in the later worlds, and some stages can feel unfair, especially when you're low on power-ups. The save system (or lack thereof, originally) could make longer sessions a bit frustrating. And with so many one-hit-death moments, the game occasionally feels more punishing than rewarding.

    Final Thoughts

    Still, those nitpicks are small compared to how innovative, colorful, and replayable Super Mario Bros. 3 is. It set the standard for 2D platformers and remains a nostalgic masterpiece for a reason.

    8/10 - A brilliant, endlessly creative game that pushed the NES to its limits. A true classic, even if it occasionally bites back.
    10The_Light_Triton

    SMB3 is the best NES game of all time

    There is no dictionary book to describe how hyped, how good, and how big an impact this game is on the industry. dating all the way back to 1989, a movie, called the wizard was made pretty much to hype the release of the game. the company McDonalds sold happy meal toys related to the game. now according to the Trivia section for the game, those toys are collectors items.

    As for the game, it keeps Mario at it's roots, and gives it many extra features that are so awesome, some of it doesn't make sense, but it's fun. like the tanooki suit, based upon an old legendary god who could shape-shift into statues or something, which is what Mario can do if he wears the suit. there's 8 worlds with varying levels or action panels as they're known to this old Nintendo hint book i read.

    unlike before, when you were fighting bowser after every world, you're now fighting his children (which ironically, we don't know where they came from) and defeating them on flying juggernauts, which changed spots in the world, sometimes hiding in spots, requiring you to either wait at the castle to pass a turn or beat a level in order to get to the boss.

    This game is filled with little bits and pieces, and it would take me hours upon days to explain them all. i've beaten the game, but i haven't seen it all. but even if it didn't have all the things i didn't see, it would still be awesome.

    Thank you, shigeru myamoto for making such an awesome game.

    10/10

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    Related interests

    Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, and Bert Lahr in The Wizard of Oz (1939)
    Quest
    Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
    Action
    Still frame
    Adventure
    Drew Barrymore and Pat Welsh in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
    Family
    Elijah Wood in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
    Fantasy

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The enemy known as "Chained Chomp" was inspired by an experience co-director Shigeru Miyamoto had as a child. He was walking home from school one day when a dog tried to attack him, but it reached the end of its chain, just out of reach of Shigeru. In the game, the Chomps are tethered as well, but after waiting for 175 seconds, they will break free and chase the player.
    • Goofs
      During the card matching game, Toad's quote should have read "Flip over any two cards and see if they match. Miss twice and you're out!", not "your out"; therefore, it is using an incorrect homophone.
    • Quotes

      Princess Toadstool: Thank you, but our Princess is in another castle... just kidding. Ha ha ha! Bye bye.

    • Alternate versions
      Originally, at the end of the Japanese version of World 5-1, you would go through the pipe. You would emerge on the other side of the wall, and would find the goal area after about 20 more blocks of vacant terrain. This ending was shortened in the U.S. version, as the "darkness" was moved ahead to where the pipe and wall used to be. The wall was removed to fix an odd, harmless glitch that would happen if you were to fly over the wall after going through the pipe.
    • Connections
      Edited into Super Mario Maker (2015)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 15, 1989 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Official site
      • Nintendo .com creators of the game (United States)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Super Mario 3
    • Production companies
      • Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development (EAD)
      • Nintendo
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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