Nintendo definitely knows what they’re doing with the Mario Cinematic Universe (not to be confused with a different MCU) and it shows. The first Super Mario Bros. Movie made an explosive wave in theaters with a classic adventure rooted in the retro-stylized world that everyone was familiar with. Even though its story wasn’t anything big, it brought Nintendo back to the playing field of theatrical experiences with action-packed moments, surprising references and a Jack Black song that hilariously broke audiences. With its first success, Nintendo and Illumination definitely knew they had to capitalize on it by going bigger with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
Given the stakes of the original Super Mario Galaxy game, it’s clear that this theatrical sequel would go further beyond. Although this film follows the familiar setup of the original movie, the stakes make things different. Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) have been living their lives in the Mushroom Kingdom alongside Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy), helping where they can. However, when Bowser’s (Jack Black) son, Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie), captures cosmic guardian Rosalina (Brie Larson), Mario and his friends go on a space-faring adventure to save the lost princess. Helping Mario and Luigi is another popular franchise character, Yoshi (Donald Glover), who’s here for the ride.
Perhaps the best thing about The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is that it always keeps the action going, never letting the pacing slow down. In nearly every act of this film, there are always two or more set pieces that truly allow the colorful visuals to pop and let those blows feel impactful. Whether that be Rosalina fighting Galaxy’s Megaleg or a paint-infused Bowser Jr. causing havoc for Mario and Luigi, the action always hits right. One of the more inventive set pieces involves Peach and Mario trying to invade Bowser Jr.’s castle that goes back and forth between the cinematic 3D world and a Super Mario World-inspired screen. No matter how big or small an action scene is, Illumination’s animation captures that intensity perfectly.
Although the film is based on Super Mario Galaxy, some parts of this film are very much inspired by 2018’s Super Mario Odyssey. One of the most prominent parts of the film involves a Cascade Kingdom-inspired set piece that was seen in the trailers as well as the Sand Kingdom, which sees Yoshi’s first appearance. However, there’s another Odyssey enemy that appears later on when a Bowser’s Fury-empowered Bowser Jr. tries to take down Mario and Luigi.
Much like the first film, it seems like directors Michael Jelenic and Aaron Horvath really want to pull from other Mario games as a tribute to the franchise as a whole. Although it does feel good to do that, the film lessens the influence from the game that it wants to pull inspiration from, resulting in those elements just being referential. This mostly shows as the galaxies from that game being represented as small planetoids or floating objects Mario and his friends pass by.
Fortunately, Brian Tyler’s orchestral music, inspired by Mahito Yokota and Koji Kondo’s original soundtrack, uplift the spirit of this film. Due to the fact that there’s no licensed music, unlike the first film, every one of Tyler’s revamped tracks are allowed to shine in every scene. Whether that be a musically vibrant take on Gusty Garden Galaxy to the iconic Star Fox theme, every track in this sequel really makes each scene feel distinct on their own.
In addition to the explosive set pieces, the sequel really goes all in with the on-brand comedy, which works again thanks to Jack Black’s iconic performance as Bowser. Much of Bowser’s humor comes from him trying to “make amends” with Mario (even though audiences know that that will never happen), leading to some off-the-walls physical bits. Plus, Bowser’s heartthrobbing for Peach is also still fun to watch, although there’s no iconic song to go along with the film this time. Plus, Glover’s Yoshi also gets a few laughs in when he swallows up a few bad guys as well as Day’s Luigi, whose optimism and act as Mario’s wingman leads to charming jokes.
As for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’s story, it tries to fit in an incredible amount of lore, but doesn’t have that natural build-up. Given Bowser Jr.’s need to follow in his father’s footsteps and prove his worth, Jelenic and Horvath want to present those ideas surrounding family matters. There’s one backstory scene where Bowser’s giving a puppet show to Bowser Jr. about universal conquest that’s pretty cute to watch. However, most of these scenes between Bowser and his son are kept brief in order to keep its family audiences continually hooked.
This also goes to show in Rosalina’s development, which not only takes pieces from Super Mario Galaxy’s storybook, but also takes a bite from a long-held community theory. It was perhaps one of the most surprising, if somewhat validating, moments of the film that finally canonizes something that fans have been wondering about. However, the narrative pacing doesn’t really allow for much character development as the focus is placed on the action.
Of course, talking about a Mario movie wouldn’t go without talking about the multitude of references, which are plenty. However, one thing that the movie actually subverts is the role of Star Fox’s Fox McCloud (Glen Powell). Surprisingly, Fox has an incredible amount of involvement in the second and final acts and the way he’s integrated into this story almost works. If anything, Powell’s performance as Fox is undoubtedly perfect and I do hope that the success of this film leads to Powell’s Fox getting an animated series (or even a full-length film!) Still though, the film seems to always go all in with the reference drops.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie upgrades many things from Nintendo and Illumination’s first film, from those sparkling, radiant visuals to the bombastic music to the exciting action sequences. With all of these things, it definitely feels like both studios are poised to continue to go further beyond with a third film.
Rating: ★★★⯪☆
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie releases in theaters on April 1.
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Christopher Gallardo is a freelance entertainment writer and critic. While not running The Reel Roller, Chris can be found writing reviews and breakdowns on all things films and TV. Outside of entertainment writing, he’s currently taking classes for a Bachelor’s of Science with a minor in Digital Media & Journalism. Plus, he loves Percy Jackson, animated films and shows, and Fallout! Follow Christopher on Instagram & X.