In 2023, The Super Mario Bros. Movie not only set the box office on fire to the tune of more than $1.3 billion worldwide, but also aptly demonstrated the potential of a larger Super Mario Bros. cinematic continuity. The first film wasn’t perfect, but it told a fun, heartfelt, and appropriately nostalgic story featuring the biggest stars of the Mario franchise, demonstrating that respect for the source material can go a long way towards making a strong video game adaptation. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie carries forward the momentum of the first entry, wasting no time in getting to the action, jokes, and onslaught of game references and character appearances, but in the process, sacrifices some narrative cohesion.
Warning: While I try to remain as spoiler-free as possible, certain elements of the narrative and characters are mentioned throughout this article. One cameo, which was spoiled by official marketing, is discussed in this review.
While The Super Mario Bros. Movie focused a large chunk of its plot on the origin of Mario as an unsuccessful plumber in Brooklyn and how he winds up in the Mushroom Kingdom, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has no such setup to worry about. After a brief scene that introduces Rosalina and sets the stage for the story to come, the rest of the movie is almost all gas and no brakes. This results in a somewhat breakneck pace that is at once exhilarating and, at times, exhausting and difficult to keep up with.
After reacclimating the audience with the main characters Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, and Bowser, as well as introducing a few new faces, including Bowser Jr. and Yoshi, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie launches fans into a spectacular tour through much of Mario’s history. This whirlwind voyage includes references to Super Mario World, Super Mario 64, Super Mario Odyssey, and, oddly enough, a sequence heavily devoted to Super Mario Bros. 2 (Super Mario USA). As a fan of the Mario franchise for more than three and a half decades, I relished in these, at times, rapid-fire references, even as some of them made little contribution to the grander narrative.
Despite those references to other Mario games, this is absolutely a Super Mario Galaxy-centered movie. From the intricately rendered Comet Observatory and recreation of the Star Festival (this time as Peach’s birthday) to the fun use of launch stars and glimpses of recognizable planets from both Galaxy and Galaxy 2, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie lives up to its namesake. The set dressing and cast may spread the love to a variety of Mario adventures, but the narrative backdrop and many of the visual and audio cues are definitively Galaxy.
While on the topic of the audio, one of the biggest complaints many had about The Super Mario Bros. Movie was in its utilization of licensed music when game music would have fit better; the most stark example of this was a scene that took place in Donkey Kong Country that used A-ha’s “Take on Me.” The Super Mario Galaxy Movie features minimal licensed music, save for one brief sequence where it feels organic. This allows the excellent score by Brian Tyler, who continued working in conjunction with legendary composer Koji Kondo, to shine; I smiled on multiple occasions when I heard small musical flourishes and sound effects from the various eras of Mario and Nintendo’s history, though I sometimes wished for just a few more notes of some songs. Honestly, the decision to rely on the original Mario music rather than licensed tracks might be the biggest improvement this sequel makes over its predecessor. And thanks to the already-cinematic quality of Galaxy’s orchestral music, it feels right at home in a grand-scale blockbuster film such as this.
Speaking of the way this movie sounds, the voice cast is largely terrific. Chris Pratt and Charlie Day come across as more confident in their roles as Mario and Luigi, respectively. Jack Black continues to be a perfectly cast force of nature as Bowser, and Anya Taylor-Joy still perfectly captures the essence of Peach. New additions Benny Safdie and Brie Larson can join Jack Black on the list of inspired casting in this franchise, while Donald Glover is unrecognizable (but good) in his limited capacity as Yoshi.
I say limited capacity because, while featured prominently in the marketing and story, Yoshi is kind of just along for the ride with little groundwork laid for why, or interesting things to do. Mario and Luigi find him early in the story, and he’s instantly part of the group (to the point that Toad even makes a snarky comment about it). This is indicative of the larger narrative thinness of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie; yes, there are plot points, motivations, and pivotal events that occur, but so much of the story feels stitched together in the loosest possible way to take the characters – and, by extension, the audience – from one destination or set piece to the next.
The same could be said of Fox McCloud, who is an enjoyable, albeit shoehorned-in addition to this film. As a Star Fox fan since 1997, I had a genuine “pinch me” moment when a high-profile Hollywood production launched into a brief explainer of who Star Fox is. However, it’s fair to say that Fox is a completely inessential addition to the cast, and by having the marketing spoil his inclusion just one week prior to release, a genuinely shocking reveal turned into a predictable game of “When will he show up?” Unfortunate marketing aside, Glen Powell delivers an excellent performance as the leader of Star Fox, and the movie’s characterization of Fox, which leans more into his arrogant flyboy side than his stoic leader side, injects additional fun into the adventure.
Though the story sometimes feels disjointed, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is a movie made or broken by its moments. And in that regard, Universal and Nintendo hit a homerun. Each scene is lovingly crafted and visually stunning, and the movie delivers more than its fair share of smiles throughout, regardless of your age or when you got into Nintendo. This is a movie that is undeniably made with children in mind – and some of the jokes certainly remind you throughout – but if you’ve ever picked up a controller and turned on a Mario game, this movie is also for you. The novelty of finally seeing a faithful adaptation of Nintendo’s mascot on the big screen may have faded, but the thrill of watching Mario and friends go on a sprawling adventure remains as compelling as ever.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is still the joyful experience of the first movie and continues to respect the source material in ways most other game adaptations fall short, but it’s the cinematic equivalent of a theme-park ride. You’ll pay for your ticket, sit in the chair, and at the end of it all, you’re likely to emerge with a smile on your face. But just like those theme park rides, the experience can feel fragmented, and the events therein can feel arbitrarily pieced together. Still, at a certain point, you have to ask yourself, “What are you really hoping to get out of an animated, family-friendly Mario movie?” The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is unlikely to receive any nominations for its storytelling, but it’s a crowd-pleasing continuation of one of the best video game movies of all time. And for me, that’s exactly what I needed it to be.
