Spawn (1997)
43%RT Audience Score: 36%
Awards & Nominations: 2 wins & 6 nominations
Spawn is an overbearing, over-violent film that adds little to the comic book adaptation genre
Spawn” is like a bad Halloween costume that you regret buying as soon as you put it on. It’s a mess of special effects and violence that tries to be cool and edgy, but just ends up feeling dated and cheesy. The only thing that’s remotely interesting about this movie is how terrible it is. If you’re looking for a good time, skip “Spawn” and watch a real horror movie instead.
Production Company(ies)
Eye Steel Film Téléfilm Canada Rogers Group of Fund,s
Distributor
New Line Cinema, New Line Home Video [us]
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Hollywood Center Studios – 1040 N. Las Palmas Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements involving the demonic underworld, violence, intense fantasy action and crude humor
Year of Release
1997
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby Digital SDDS
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 37m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Aug 1, 1997 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 2, 2010
Genre(s)
Fantasy
Keyword(s)
starring Michael Jai White, Martin Sheen, John Alberto Leguizamo, Theresa Randle, Melinda Clarke, Miko Hughes, directed by Mark A.Z Dippe, written by Alan B McElroy, fantasy, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Jay Boyar, Angie Errigo, Owen Gleiberman, Todd McCarthy, Lisa Alspector, Rita Kempley, produced by Clint Goldman, PG-13, Hellspawn, Al Simmons, Jason Wynn, Wanda Blake, Jessica Priest, Zack, Devil’s henchman, twisted, horribly disfigured, reincarnated, evil army, force of good, wicked clown, special visual effects, digitally animated effects, comics-derived sci-fier, cheap horror film, apocalyptic, revenge fantasy, mid-budget comic book movie, dated, primitive, terribly unconvincing computer graphics, atmospheric shots, experimental special effects, soundtrack, city visuals, poor Spawn adaptation, reboot
Worldwide gross: $87,840,042
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $163,740,941
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 798
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 17,856,155
US/Canada gross: $54,870,175
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $102,282,443
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 736
US/Canada opening weekend: $19,738,749
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $36,794,624
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 349
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $40,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $74,563,234
Production budget ranking: 570
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $40,152,302
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $49,025,405
ROI to date (est.): 43%
ROI ranking: 1,186
Michael Jai White – Al Simmons, Spawn
Martin Sheen – Jason Wynn
Theresa Randle – Wanda Blake
Melinda Clarke – Jessica Priest
Miko Hughes – Zack
Director(s)
Mark A.Z. Dippe
Writer(s)
Alan B. McElroy
Producer(s)
Clint Goldman
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 6 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (46) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (8) | Rotten (38)
This barely coherent hunk of junk is like a cheap horror film with only a suggestion of the grisliness that appeals to fans of cheap horror films.
May 6, 2016
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
It’s simply a parade of toys and tricks, without a jot of playfulness, knowing humour or campery to endear itself.
July 12, 2010 | Rating: 1/5
Angie Errigo
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
The film gives you the pleasurably junky sensation of living inside an apocalyptic videogame.
July 6, 2010 | Rating: B-
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
A moodily malevolent, anything-goes revenge fantasy that relies more upon special visual and digitally animated effects for its intended appeal than any comics-derived sci-fier to date.
March 26, 2009
Todd McCarthy
Variety
TOP CRITIC
This hopelessly redundant action gross-out aspires to a form of hip vacuousness — and may achieve it.
April 26, 2007
Lisa Alspector
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
The nonsensical screenplay can barely stand-up to the hellzapoppin,’ Beelzebubbin’ effects mustered by first-time director Mark Dippe.
January 22, 2002
Rita Kempley
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Unfortunately, as a product of the ’90s, the film relies heavily on dated, primitive, terribly unconvincing computer graphics.
September 24, 2020 | Rating: 2/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
I would say I feel bad for a cast that’s clearly above this material, but at least they got paid for it; I ended up in the red.
August 8, 2020 | Rating: 1.8/5
Mark H. Harris
Black Horror Movies
Violent ’90s apocalyptic horror tale is dreadful.
October 3, 2017 | Rating: 1/5
Barbara Shulgasser
Common Sense Media
Ends up feeling like every other mid-budget comic book movie from the second half of the 1990s, and that was a uniquely dispiriting moment for such things.
December 6, 2016 | Rating: 4/10
Tim Brayton
Antagony & Ecstasy
Has aged about as well as a banana in the sweltering sun…
July 12, 2012
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed
As a movie, ‘Spawn’ can’t make up its mind what it wants to be any more than its protagonist knows who he is or what he wants to be.
July 8, 2012 | Rating: 4/10
John J. Puccio
Movie Metropolis…
Plot
An assassin named Al Simmons is double-crossed and murdered by his evil boss Jason Wynn. Al makes a deal with the devil and returns to earth as Spawn to see his wife. He is ordered by the devil’s minion, The Clown, to kill Wynn. Wynn has made a deal with the Clown too and is supposed to destroy the world with a deadly virus that will help start Armageddon and allow Hell to attack Heaven. Spawn must choose between Good and Evil.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
John Leguizamo’s performance as the wicked clown in Spawn is described as “hamming it up” by one critic.
Mark-A.Z.-Dippe.jpg
43%
Anaconda (1997)
43%RT Audience Score: 24%
Awards & Nominations: 6 wins & 11 nominations
Anaconda’s pulpy pleasures are constricted by its own absurdity, but creature feature fans may enjoy its brazen silliness
Anaconda is a classic horror movie that’s so bad it’s good. The animatronic and computer-generated effects are impressive, but the snake that screams is just ridiculous. The monster looks like a garden hose in some scenes, but it still manages to deliver the necessary thrills and chills. It’s a Jaws rip-off about a 40-foot man-eating snake on the loose in the Brazilian rainforest. The film is cheesy and campy, but it’s also a lot of fun. It’s one of those movies that you can’t help but laugh at, even though it’s supposed to be serious and scary. If you’re looking for a good time, Anaconda is definitely worth a watch.
Production Company(ies)
Mooz Films, Cedrus Invest Bank Sunnyland Film
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Amazonas, Brazil
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for intense adventure violence, and for brief language and sensuality
Year of Release
1997
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
-
Runtime:NA
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Mar 6, 2001
Genre(s)
Mystery & thriller
Keyword(s)
starring Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Jon Voight, Eric Stoltz, Jonathan Hyde, Owen Wilson, directed by Luis Llosa, written by Hans Bauer, Jim Cash, Jack Epps Jr., Mystery & thriller, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Carol Buckland, Lisa Schwarzbaum, Joe Leydon, Derek Adams, Mick LaSalle, Kenneth Turan, Barbara Shulgasser, Mike Massie, Tim Brayton, Jules Brenner, produced by Verna Harrah, Leonard Rabinowitz, Carole Little, PG-13, Amazon jungle, forgotten tribe, anthropologist, cameraman, snake, creature feature, pulpy pleasures, absurdity, brazen silliness, Jaws rip-off, Brazilian rain forest, animatronic effects, computer-generated effects, horror movie, serious, scary, bloody, imagination, humour
Worldwide gross: $136,885,767
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $255,166,138
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 573
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 27,826,187
US/Canada gross: $65,885,767
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $122,816,397
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 615
US/Canada opening weekend: $16,620,887
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $30,982,677
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 439
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $45,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $83,883,639
Production budget ranking: 500
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $45,171,339
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $126,111,160
ROI to date (est.): 98%
ROI ranking: 947
Ice Cube – Danny Rich
Jon Voight – Paul Sarone
Eric Stoltz – Dr. Steven Cale
Jonathan Hyde – Warren Westridge
Owen Wilson – Gary Dixon
Director(s)
Luis Llosa
Writer(s)
Hans Bauer, Jim Cash, Jack Epps Jr.
Producer(s)
Verna Harrah, Leonard Rabinowitz, Carole Little
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
6 wins & 11 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (52) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (20) | Rotten (32)
The monster looks like a maniacal garden hose in a couple of sequences. Still, it delivers the necessary thrills and chills.
January 5, 2018
Carol Buckland
CNN.com
TOP CRITIC
Anaconda, directed by Luis Llosa with all of the subtlety of a snake-oil salesman, is in the great tradition of cinematic cheese, as processed as Kraft Singles slices.
July 6, 2010 | Rating: B-
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
A silly and plodding Jaws rip-off about a 40-foot man-eating snake on the prowl in the Brazilian rain forest.
October 18, 2008
Joe Leydon
Variety
TOP CRITIC
One never questions the realism of the remarkable animatronic and computer-generated effects, but it’s hard to credit a snake that screams.
February 9, 2006
Derek Adams
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Anaconda is about a snake that eats everybody. That about says it all.
June 18, 2002 | Rating: 1/4
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Anaconda is such a classic combination of feckless dramaturgy and rampant excess that giving way to giggles is the only sane response.
February 14, 2001
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
Anaconda is a skillful if hokey horror movie that will seem both familiar and campy.
March 2, 2022 | Rating: 3/5
Barbara Shulgasser
Common Sense Media
One of those horror films that intends to be serious, scary, and bloody, but turns out laughably hokey.
September 9, 2020 | Rating: 3/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
One of the highlights of… the last Golden Age of so-bad-it’s-good cinema.
April 8, 2020 | Rating: 2/5
Tim Brayton
Alternate Ending
Yet somehow, Anaconda racks up a winning score (and body count) with a mix of imagination and humour.
August 15, 2018 | Rating: 3/5
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)
October 3, 2012 | Rating: C
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
An above average specimen hungering for tasty morsels.
May 20, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals…
Plot
When a documentary crew traveling through the Amazon jungle, picks up a stranded man, they are unaware of the trouble that will occur. This stranger’s hobby is to capture the giant Anaconda snake, and plans to continue targeting it on their boat, by any means necessary.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Jon Voight plays the secretive and dangerous Paul Sarone in Anaconda.
Luis-Llosa.jpg
43%
I Love Trouble (1994)
43%RT Audience Score: 33%
Awards & Nominations: NA
There appears to be no Love lost between the fatally mismatched coupling of Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte in this screwball misfire that just isn’t worth the Trouble
I Love Trouble is like a bad blind date – you go in with high hopes and come out feeling disappointed and unfulfilled. The chemistry between Roberts and Nolte is more like a science experiment gone wrong than a romantic comedy. The plot is as generic as its title and the script takes us on a wild goose chase through the world of high-tech companies instead of letting us enjoy the banter between the two leads. Save yourself the trouble and skip this one.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for some mild language, sensuality and gunplay
Year of Release
1994
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby Digital
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:NA
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2005
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Julia Roberts, Nick Nolte, Saul Rubinek, James Rebhorn, Robert Loggia, Kelly Rutherford, directed by Charles Shyer, written by Nancy Meyers, produced by Nancy Meyers, Charles Shyer, Bruce A Block, comedy, PG, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Kenneth Turan, Carrie Rickey, John Hartl, Gene Siskel, Jay Boyar, Michael Sragow, Stephen Hunter, Candice Russell, Dennis King, David Parkinson, Gary Thompson, I Love Trouble, reporters, train derailment, government conspiracy, corrupt scientists, romance, rival newspapers, competitive, tiffs, chemistry, screwball, misfire, fatal mismatched coupling, Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte, not worth the Trouble
Worldwide gross: $30,806,194
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $62,324,793
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,234
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 6,796,597
US/Canada gross: $30,806,194
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $62,324,793
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 970
US/Canada opening weekend: $7,827,002
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $15,835,006
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 761
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $45,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $91,040,642
Production budget ranking: 454
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $49,025,386
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$77,741,235
ROI to date (est.): -56%
ROI ranking: 1,720
Nick Nolte – Peter Brackett
Saul Rubinek – Sam Smotherman
James Rebhorn – Mando
Robert Loggia – Matt
Kelly Rutherford – Kim
Director(s)
Charles Shyer
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
NA
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (46) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (10) | Rotten (36)
No one expects movies like this one, set as it is in the largely mythological world of fiercely competitive daily newspapering, to be realistic. But neither should they be as flaccid and unconvincing as what we are presented with here.
June 17, 2014
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
Trouble is a sampler of the kind of roles Roberts and Nolte should play more often.
June 17, 2014 | Rating: 3/4
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
Generic as its title, I Love Trouble is like a Xerox of a copy of a facsimile.
June 17, 2014 | Rating: 2/4
John Hartl
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
Again and again, the I Love Trouble script takes us deeper and deeper into the machinations of a high-tech company when what we want to see is Nolte and Roberts outfox each other.
June 17, 2014 | Rating: 1.5/4
Gene Siskel
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Is there chemistry between Roberts and Nolte? Not really. This by-the-numbers production is more like math than chemistry.
June 17, 2014 | Rating: 1/5
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
It’s like the worst possible Newman-Redford vehicle: the script reduces the stars to twinkling mannequins, and their chemistry barely rises to the buddy-buddy level.
June 17, 2014
Michael Sragow
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
You can tell that they like each other by the way they hate each other. Shakespeare may have invented the recipe, Tracy and Hepburn may have refined it, but Nolte and Roberts certainly hold their own.
June 17, 2014 | Rating: 3/4
Stephen Hunter
Baltimore Sun
There’s a pervasive romanticism in I Love Trouble that depends on the chemistry generated by Roberts and Nolte.
June 17, 2014
Candice Russell
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
The running badinage of Roberts and Nolte lacks the tartness and bite that made those classic couplings and the old screwballs crackle with contentious wit.
June 17, 2014 | Rating: 1.5/4
Dennis King
Tulsa World
If you can get your head round the idea of Julia Roberts as a ruthlessly ambitious newspaper reporter, then there’s plenty to enjoy in this frivolous comedy thriller.
June 17, 2014 | Rating: 3/5
David Parkinson
Radio Times
The picture works, thanks in part to actual chemistry between Nolte and Roberts.
June 17, 2014 | Rating: 3/4
Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News
Straight out of the His Girl Friday school of newspaper romances, Trouble is anemically formulaic and completely uninspired.
June 17, 2014
Leah Rozen
People Magazine…
Plot
Veteran reporter Peter Brackett is enjoying new found fame after his book “White Lies” is published. When his newspaper, “The Chicago Chronicle,” asks him to report on a train crash, he notices new reporter Sabrina Peterson. Brackett’s complacency gets rudely shocked by Peterson’s report for the rival “Chicago Globe.” What follows is a mad race between the reporters who then cook up possible events that led up to the crash. After an initial spate of mad reporting, both settle down to get the facts straight, which leads them to uncover opposing information. When each gets setup to be killed at the same place, they escape, then agree to work together. While they initially do not trust each other, they eventually work together to uncover the truth behind the train crash.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No specific tidbit is given about someone in the cast.
Charles-Shyer.jpg
43%
The Flintstones (1994)
43%RT Audience Score: 33%
Awards & Nominations: 6 wins & 10 nominations
The Flintstones wastes beloved source material and imaginative production design on a tepid script that plunks Bedrock’s favorite family into a cynical story awash with lame puns
The Flintstones” is a movie that will make you feel like you’re living in prehistoric times, but not in a good way. With a script that seems to have been written by a group of cavemen, the only thing that saves this movie is the colorful and over-bright sets. The cast does their best to block your view of the background, but it’s hard to ignore the avalanche of rubbish that’s coming at you. The only thing that small children might enjoy is the zany cave-age antics, but for everyone else, it’s a profoundly dull enterprise. Stick to the original animated series and save yourself the headache.
Production Company(ies)
Independent Film Channel, Channel, Four Fourth Floor Pictures,
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Glen Canyon, Utah, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for some mild innuendos
Year of Release
1994
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:NA
-
Runtime:1h 32m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 27, 1994 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 5, 2007
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring John Goodman, Rick Moranis, Elizabeth Perkins, Rosie O’Donnell, Kyle MacLachlan, Halle Berry, directed by Brian Levant, written by Tom S Parker, Jim Jennewein, Steven E de Souza, comedy, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Jonathan Rosenbaum, Richard Schickel, Gene Siskel, Nell Minow, Caryn James, William Gallagher, PG rating, produced by Bruce Cohen, The Flintstones, Bedrock, prehistoric, factory worker, VP, embezzlement scheme, IQ test, executive search program, Cliff Vandercave, Sharon Stone, Wilma Flintstone, Betty Rubble, DTS, Argentina Video Home, Universal Pictures
Worldwide gross: $341,631,208
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $691,162,766
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 177
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 75,372,166
US/Canada gross: $130,531,208
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $264,080,999
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 234
US/Canada opening weekend: $29,688,730
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $60,064,023
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 175
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $46,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $93,063,767
Production budget ranking: 448
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $50,114,839
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $547,984,160
ROI to date (est.): 383%
ROI ranking: 352
Elizabeth Perkins – Wilma Flintstone
Rick Moranis – Barney Rubble
Rosie O’Donnell – Betty Rubble
Kyle MacLachlan – Cliff Vandercave
Halle Berry – Sharon Stone
Director(s)
Brian Levant
Writer(s)
Tom S. Parker, Jim Jennewein, Steven E. de Souza
Producer(s)
Bruce Cohen
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
6 wins & 10 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (46) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (10) | Rotten (36)
Through the miracle of movies, we all join the The Flintstones in becoming living, breathing, snorting garbage disposal units.
June 6, 2022 | Rating: 1/4
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Once again, prehistory has been good to the film’s producer, billed here as Steven Spielrock.
August 16, 2017
Richard Schickel
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Our Flick of the Week is “The Flintstones,” and unfortunately, much less thought has been put into this screenplay than into the production design and publicity campaign for this profoundly dull enterprise.
August 16, 2017 | Rating: 1.5/4
Gene Siskel
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
February 24, 2005 | Rating: 2/5
Nell Minow
Movie Mom
TOP CRITIC
While the movie may act like a madeleine for television-obsessed baby-boomers, it works even better as a colorful playland that will appeal to small children.
August 30, 2004 | Rating: 3/5
Caryn James
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
It’s just a series of nicely shot and over-bright sets with the cast blocking your view of the background.
April 17, 2001 | Rating: 1/5
William Gallagher
BBC.com
TOP CRITIC
Despite a contrived climax and some expected schmaltz, this is a solid enough diversion with some one-liners worthy of the original series.
May 2, 2022 | Rating: 3/5
Calum Baker
Radio Times
…a bright, colorful, and entirely exhausting endeavor that’ll surely fare best among small children.
October 16, 2020 | Rating: 2/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
The 32 scriptwriters’ idea of a joke is to suffix every name with rock. The opening title announces the film as a “Steven Spielrock” production. And it’s downhill from there, with an avalanche of rubbish at our heels.
December 8, 2017
Quentin Curtis
Independent on Sunday
Someone, somewhere gave the keys to the kingdom to director Brian Levant, whose leaden ways with screen comedy are amplified in this unfunny, hyperactive translation of a property that’s best served through animation.
September 27, 2014 | Rating: D
Brian Orndorf
Blu-ray.com
Zany cave-age antics leaven too-serious plot.
January 2, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
Paul Trandahl
Common Sense Media
See website for more details.
June 6, 2008 | Rating: 3/10
Rory L. Aronsky
Screen It!…
Plot
The Flintstones and the Rubbles are modern stone-age families. Fred and Barney work at Slate and Company, mining rock. Fred gives Barney some money so he and Betty can adopt a baby. When Fred and Barney take a test to determine who should become the new associate vice president, Barney returns the favor by switching his test answers for Fred’s, whose answers aren’t very good. Fred gets the executive position, but little does he know that he’s being manipulated by his boss to be the fall guy for an embezzlement scheme.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The Flintstones features an impressive cast including John Goodman, Rick Moranis, Elizabeth Perkins, Rosie O’Donnell, Kyle MacLachlan, and Halle Berry, but their performances don’t really work in a live-action setting.
Brian-Levant.jpg
43%
Super Mario Bros. (1993)
43%RT Audience Score: 29%
Awards & Nominations: 2 nominations
Super Mario Bros. has been a topic of debate among critics for decades, with some labeling it as one of the worst films ever made, while others praise its eccentricities and psychotronic qualities. However, as a highly intelligent and verbose critic, I must say that this film is a prime example of a missed opportunity. Despite the valiant efforts of Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo, the film falls short in its execution, with disjointed narrative and tonal dissonance. While it may have its moments of entertainment, it ultimately fails to capture the essence of the beloved video game franchise. In the end, Super Mario Bros. is a cautionary tale of what can happen when a film fails to take risks and instead settles for mediocrity.
Super Mario Bros. has been called one of the worst films ever made, but let’s be real, it’s a classic in its own right. Sure, the plot is all over the place and the costumes are a bit ridiculous, but that’s what makes it so entertaining. Plus, Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo make a pretty great duo as the iconic plumbers. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s definitely worth a watch for some good old-fashioned nostalgia and a few laughs. Just don’t take it too seriously.
Production Company(ies)
ARTE Ariel Films, Arsam International,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
EUE/Screen Gems Studios – 1223 N 23rd Street, Wilmington, North Carolina, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for sci-fi action, mild language and sensuality
Year of Release
1993
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby Digital
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:NA
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Jun 3, 2003
Genre(s)
Fantasy
Keyword(s)
starring Bob Hoskins, John Alberto Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, Samantha Mathis, Fisher Stevens, Richard Edson, directed by Rocky Morton, produced by Jake Eberts, Roland Joffé, written by Parker Bennett, Terry Runte, Ed Solomon, genre, fantasy, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Mark Caro, Carrie Rickey, Michael Wilmington, Jeff Shannon, Kim Newman, Eddie Harrison, Zaki Hasan, Charles Pulliam-Moore, David Hogan, Jorge Loser, MPAA rating, Super Mario Bros., Brooklyn plumbers, Princess Daisy, King Koopa, Goombas, dinosaur world, special effects, novelty, video game adaptation, origin story, psychotronic cinema
Worldwide gross: $20,915,465
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $43,446,758
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,400
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 4,737,923
US/Canada gross: $20,915,465
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $43,446,758
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,133
US/Canada opening weekend: $8,532,623
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $17,724,435
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 716
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $48,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $99,708,249
Production budget ranking: 409
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $53,692,892
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$109,954,383
ROI to date (est.): -72%
ROI ranking: 1,818
John Leguizamo – Luigi Mario
Dennis Hopper – King Koopa
Samantha Mathis – Princess Daisy
Fisher Stevens – Iggy
Richard Edson – Spike
Director(s)
Rocky Morton
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Jake Eberts, Roland Joffé
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
2 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (43) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (12) | Rotten (31)
I prefer a film that takes risks over inane projects. [Full review in Spanish]
July 14, 2019
Adrián Álvarez
Espinof
TOP CRITIC
Like their video-game counterparts, co-stars Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo somehow manage to weave their way past threatening obstacles and escape with their dignity.
April 17, 2019 | Rating: 2/4
Mark Caro
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Scenery rushes by, noise blares, characters pop up wearing new costumes that they couldn’t possibly have had time to change into as they eluded their adversaries.
May 30, 2013 | Rating: 1.5/4
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
Ultimately, it’s one more stop in the arcade, beckoning, waiting to soak up time and money.
May 30, 2013 | Rating: 2/5
Michael Wilmington
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
Unfortunately, the highlights are sporadic.
May 30, 2013 | Rating: 2.5/4
Jeff Shannon
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
Game over, man.
April 7, 2010 | Rating: 2/5
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
…Super Mario Brothers is an origin story, but adds so much detail that any joy of seeing Mario fly is negated by heavy plotting and far too much time spent watching Hopper/Koopa chew the scenery…
June 21, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Eddie Harrison
film-authority.com
Although the theatrical release is perhaps too narratively disjointed and tonally dissonant to qualify as ‘good,’ it so proudly brandishes its bonkers, go-for-broke aesthetic, one hesitates to label it entirely ‘bad’ either.
June 15, 2021
Zaki Hasan
IGN Movies
Hoskins and Leguizamo… are able to sell themselves as the plumbers in large part because of the obvious fact that they both understood the movie was only taking itself but so seriously.
September 29, 2020
Charles Pulliam-Moore
io9.com
I don’t honestly believe it deserves its reputation as one of the “worst films ever made”, but I still wouldn’t bother with this one…
May 27, 2019 | Rating: 2/5
David Hogan
hoganreviews.co.uk
Its eccentricities make it tremendously entertaining. [Full Review in Spanish]
April 17, 2019
Jorge Loser
El Mundo (Spain)
Super Mario Bros is not a good movie, but it is psychotronic cinema of the first order.
April 17, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
Jesus Palacios
Fotogramas…
Plot
Can you make a movie out of a video game? That’s the question that is answered by this film. Mario Mario and Luigi Mario, two hard working plumbers find themselves in an alternate universe where evolved dinosaurs live in medium hi-tech squalor. They find themselves the only hope to save the Earth from invasion.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo star as the iconic video game characters Mario and Luigi.
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