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Super Mario Bros. 2

  • Video Game
  • 1988
  • K-A
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
3.7K
YOUR RATING
Super Mario Bros. 2 (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
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QuestActionAdventureFamilyFantasy

Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool and Toad enter a mysterious door to save the people of Sub-Con from the evil frog Wart and his minions.Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool and Toad enter a mysterious door to save the people of Sub-Con from the evil frog Wart and his minions.Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool and Toad enter a mysterious door to save the people of Sub-Con from the evil frog Wart and his minions.

  • Director
    • Kensuke Tanabe
  • Writer
    • Shigeru Miyamoto
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    3.7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Kensuke Tanabe
    • Writer
      • Shigeru Miyamoto
    • 34User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • 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

    Photos14

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    User reviews34

    7.53.6K
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    Featured reviews

    Marx_Bros_Fan86

    Underrated

    The American SMB 2 is without a doubt the least popular Mario game, probably because the game-play is so different. The Japanese SMB 2 was not released in America because Nintendo was afraid it wouldn't sell well due to its high difficulty level and strong similarities to SMB 1. It was finally released in America as "Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels" as a part of the Super Mario All Stars game for Super Nintendo.

    I'm in the minority but I like this Mario 2 better than the lost levels. I will admit it's disappointing not to have fire power, but all in all I think it's loads of fun. In my opinion, it's quite refreshing to play a Mario game that's so different. You don't have to save Princess Toadstool from Bowser, and you can actually play as Toad or the Princess instead of Mario or Luigi. All characters have their strengths and weaknesses. Mario is the most balanced character, with decent strength and jumping ability. The Princess is the weakest physically, so it takes her the longest to lift objects. However, she has the ability to fly for a few seconds at a time, which can really come in handy. Toad is the strongest, but he can't jump very high. Luigi is the best jumper, but he's not as strong as Mario or Toad.

    This time, you have to save the people of Sub Con who have been imprisoned by the evil King Wart. Other bosses include Mouser (a rat who throws bombs), a three-headed snake, a crab that throws rocks, and fryguy, a ball of flame that spits fire. I would really like to see another Mario Bros. game with these characters in the future, but it seems unlikely because Bowser and the usual bad guys are so much more popular. The only bad guys from this game that crossed over into other Mario games are Shy Guys and the bo-bombs.

    Is this the best Mario Bros. game? No. But it's certainly worth playing.
    rossrobinson

    fantastic

    This was mario's 3rd game. This was called Super Mario Bros 2. There is another game that is called Super Mario Bros 2 as that one is called Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels. I give super mario bros 2 10 out of 10.
    ksmn

    Not Mario in the strictest sense

    The reason why this gameplay is so different from all the other Mario games is that it never was meant to be a Mario game. They didn't ship the Japanese version of SMB2 into the United States because people complained that it was too hard. Eventually they decided release a sequel in the United States but did it in a very cheap fashion. They took a totally different game that never was released in the US and altered the appearances of the characters and some of the objects so they could release it as a Super Mario game.

    The game that was turned into SMB2 in the US was actually about a family who stepped into the world of a strange book to find the two missing younger children.
    Op_Prime

    Strange

    I first played this game nearly nine years ago at a friend's house. I was familiar with it because of the original, Super Mario Bros. I didn't like as much because instead of stomping on the enemy, you have to throw stuff at them, and because it didn't have Bowser or other favorites. What was good about this game was you got to choose who you got to be. You didn't have to be Mario, you could be Luigi, Toad or the Princess. What really shocks me is the fact this isn't the actual sequel to the first game. The actual Super Mario Bros 2 never left Japan. So Mario and friends were put in an unknown game. Overall, it wasn't that great but still fun to play.
    10superbozo

    SUPER MARIO BROS 2

    OH HO HO SUPER MARIO BROS 2 BABY!!! GAME OF THE YEAR!

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    Related interests

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    Quest
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    Fantasy

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The game is derived from an original, completely different Japan-only game called Yume Koujou: Doki Doki Panic (1987) ('Dream Factory: Doki Doki Panic'), an Arabian-themed game inspired by a Japanese TV show, with no relation to the Super Mario universe (despite containing many similar elements). The original Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2 (Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (1986)) had only been released in Japan; Nintendo of America had rejected it for being too similar to Super Mario Bros. (1985) as well as too difficult, and not wanting to jeopardize the popularity of the Super Mario franchise in the USA, they had requested a different game. In the meanwhile, director Kensuke Tanabe had experimented with an early prototype game consisting of vertical scrolling, but found it insufficiently engaging and too complex to run on the hardware of the time. He and the Super Mario Bros. team later successfully combined the shelved prototype with horizontal scrolling, and created Doki Doki Panic, describing it as "a full-fledged new Mario". When the request for a different Mario sequel came in, Tanabe decided that he only needed to alter his own Doki Doki Panic game by inserting Mario, Luigi, Toad and Princess as playable characters. This explains why the second game, released in 1988, is so vastly different in design, theme and gameplay from the first. Such was the success of this international Super Mario Bros. 2 that it was also released in Japan in 1992 under the title "Super Mario USA". The original Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2 was finally released in America in 1991, as a part of Super Mario All-Stars (1993) under the title "The Lost Levels".
    • Goofs
      During the character credits, Ostro and Birdo's name's are switched, leaving Ostro's picture labeled "Birdo" and Birdo's picture labeled "Ostro." The game's instruction manual also contains this error.
    • Quotes

      Opening narration: When Mario opened a door after climbing a long stair in his dream, another world spread before him and he heard a voice call for help to be freed from a spell. After awakening, Mario went to a cave nearby and to his surprise he saw exactly what he saw in his dream...

    • Alternate versions
      Re-released in Super Mario All Stars (1993), the Japanese version titled the game "Super Mario USA". A few new features were added into the SNES All Stars version, including a wavy effect when you use a warp zone, and the SNES version has unlimited continues.
    • Connections
      Featured in 20/20: Nuts for Nintendo (1988)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 9, 1988 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Official site
      • Nintendo .com creators of the game (United States)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Sûpâ Mario USA
    • 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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