Nintendo and Nefarious

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Friday, April 14th. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day. Good morning. I’m Nick Eicher.

PAUL BUTLER, HOST: And I’m Paul Butler. Coming next on The World and Everything in It: pop culture on the big screen.

Last week, the highly anticipated Super Mario Bros. movie arrived, bringing crowds of families to the theater. Also today, a new faith-based spiritual thriller inspired by a classic book. It makes its debut in theaters across the country.

Here’s WORLD’s Media-and-Culture Editor, Collin Garbarino.

MUSIC: [Super Mario Bros. theme song]

COLLIN GARBARINO: Super Mario Bros. is one of the world’s most beloved video game franchises, but no one was prepared for how many people would turn out last week to watch the new movie from Nintendo and Universal Pictures. The movie debuted to over $200 million, making it the biggest film of 2023 so far. But is the movie actually any good? Well, that depends on what you’re looking for.

Mario and his brother Luigi are trying to make their way as plumbers in New York City, when they get sucked into a magic sewer pipe that deposits them in a fantasy world. The two brothers get separated, and Mario must rescue Luigi from the evil Koopa King Bowser.

TOAD: Excuse me, everybody, coming through. This guy’s brother is going to die imminently. Out of the way please. Just trying to clear a path. That’s all I’m doing. He’s going to be fine.

Mario enlists the help of Princess Peach who’s trying to rally her kingdom to resist Bowser’s imminent invasion.

PEACH: If you can finish this, you’re coming with me. Watch and learn.

Along the way, we also get Donkey Kong and some Super Smash Bros. style battles, along with an exciting go-cart race.

The best part of the movie is it’s a franchise that both parents and their kids can enjoy with a shared attachment. The story is family friendly. It really leans into nostalgia and contains easter eggs galore. The animation is beautifully done, and the action is fun to watch.

But the movie has its definite downsides. The script is paper thin, and sometimes one scene jumps to the next without much sense of connection. The cast contains stars like Chris Pratt as Mario and Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach, but their voice work is flat and uninspiring. The only exception is Jack Black’s Bowser, which steals the show.

BOWSER: [singing] Mario, Luigi, and Donkey Kong too, a thousand troops of Koopas couldn’t keep me from you.

While this movie is a “yes” for Nintendo fans—of which I am one—it’s probably a “pass” for everyone else.

MUSIC: [NEFARIOUS OPENING MUSIC]

For viewers interested in a very different kind of movie, Nefarious opens in theaters this weekend. Nefarious is a Christian horror movie, and that’s not a genre we see everyday.

RADIO ANNOUNCER: Meanwhile, in the state of Oklahoma, today is the scheduled day of execution for Edward Wayne Brady.

Almost the entire movie takes place in one long day at a prison where a serial killer awaits execution. James Martin is a psychologist who’s tasked with discerning whether the prisoner is mentally competent. If Edward’s crazy, he avoids execution. But this killer has a reputation for manipulation.

WARDEN: You listen to him, by the time he’s done with you, he’ll have your head so twisted around you’ll think you’re the killer, not him.

James attempts to do his job, but Edward doesn’t seem to be trying to get off death row. In fact, he seems to want execution. And very quickly, the already dark film takes a darker turn.

EDWARD: Death doesn’t scare me, James.

JAMES: And why’s that?

EDWARD: Because I can’t die. You see, James, I’m a demon.

Edward claims to be a demon named Nefarious and begins showing some supernatural abilities and knowledge.

The movie is rated R, for a disturbing scene and its discussion of heavy topics. But this is a faith-based movie, so there’s no bad language or inappropriate content. The filmmakers seem to be aiming for an updated version of C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters, but there’s a key difference. Lewis’ book pointed the finger at complacent Christians. This movie points the finger at secular American culture, especially the aspects that oppose human life.

JAMES: Well, that would probably be very intimidating if I weren’t an atheist.

EDWARD: You ignorant sack of meat.

Nefarious is made by the guys who wrote the scripts to the first two God’s Not Dead movies, and it’s another example of improving quality from Christian filmmakers. I could have done without the last few minutes used to plug the novel that inspired the film, but on the whole, the script, the cinematography, and the acting are all well done.

The movie offers some insightful social commentary, but you shouldn’t go into Nefarious expecting robust theology. The movie’s understanding of the relationship between spirits and humans gets a little wonky. I also found its explanation of God’s sovereignty and human freedom unhelpful.

But the biggest theological problem is that in trying to build narrative tension in this spiritual battle between good and evil, the film forgets to mention that God has already won. If you go see Nefarious this weekend, remember it’s not up to us to defeat the Devil. Jesus already declared His victory at the cross.

I’m Collin Garbarino

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