– 98 minutes
– Rated PG for action, mild violence, rude humor
– Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic
– Written by Mathew Fogel
– Starring — Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Benny Safdie, Donald Glover and Brie Larson
– Produced by Illumination and Nintendo
– Opening theatrically from Universal on April 1
The guiding principle behind The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, as with its $1.3 billion-grossing 2023 predecessor, is “first do no harm.” That was my big disappointment with The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Whether due to Universal or Illumination getting skittish or Nintendo being unwilling to risk creating a cinema-specific incarnation of these multigenerational brand mascots that might supplant the in-game incarnations within the pop culture lexicon (think Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man), the results are the same. The previous animated video game adaptation, and now this one, are little more than a (far bigger and more creatively animated) revival of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show.