I expected a movie that had something resembling the same atmosphere as the video game. Instead of the Toadstool Kingdom we got a weird mix between mad max and Gotham City. Dinosaurs and primates evolved into the same things. They took it from fluff fantasy to a weird steampunk sci-fi "trying to be realistic but so isn't" abomination. People were ready to just automatically suspend disbelief and believe that this world of Toadstool existed and you go into some horrible elaborate explanation as to why dinosaurs still exist in that dimension as if we are suppose to believe it more now.
I have seen it a few times probably for the same reason people actually watch "The Room" for more than 5 minutes with a handful of plastic spoons. In the "It is so bad it fascinates me." (NOT is good.) If someone enjoys watching it, feel free. But don't try to justify it, the movie itself failed miserably in that. Recreating the main protagonists from a video game and butchering the atmosphere and other main characters including the main antagonist while sprinkling in a couple references to the original source material and a sound effect from the game in a couple places does not make something an acceptable video game movie in my book. You would be hard pressed to find 10 valid things the movie actually adapted from the game, not altered. Possibly less than 5. After Mario, Luigi, and a bob-omb, you are really running out of similarities.
