Like most video game fans, I ended up rushing into theaters to catch “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” in 2023, which was not only a cinematic dominator, but a strong pop-culture sensation.
You got the “Peach” song by Jack Black, the Chris Pratt as Mario controversy and all the good stuff that made that first movie pack such a viral punch.
Now, three years later, in the (so far) compelling year of 2026, we’ve got a follow up, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” directed by Micheal Jelenic and Aaron Horvath. Its predecessor might not have been the most impressive film ever made, but there were still shoes to fill. Unfortunately, Mario Galaxy didn’t meet the size.
There has been a theme with animated video game movies, one that was an issue in the original film, but mostly negligible—lack of depth.
To have a good movie, you need a solid, consistent plot with proper arcs and fulfillment, and the new sequel had a very little, if not microscopic, dash of that. There is quite literally no character development that leads to any sort of satisfying dilemma conclusion. Things just happen to happen, and although it was entertaining, it didn’t leave you with much once the credits came rolling.
The plot was extremely simple. Yet, it still managed to get side-tracked and become disjointed. After
the Mario Bros imprison Bowser (Jack Black), the deranged and tyrannical Koopa’s son, Bowser Jr.(Benny Safdie) sets off to the Mushroom Kingdom to rescue him. This puts the lives of Mario, Luigi, Peach and returning veteran Yoshi—also Toad (Keegan-Michael Key), he was there too—in grave peril.
During the young Koopa’s attacks, he manages to capture a powerful princess, Rosalina (Brie Larson), imprisoning her in order to harves her magical abilities, leading one of her adopted star children to seek out Princess Peach and send her on an intergalactic quest to find and rescue the princess.
If I say any more, I’d sadly be giving away the entire movie. The story was not complex in the slightest. It was irritatingly flat, with no major shocking moments. There were just a few scattered fan-service appearances to keep the franchise’s money-hungry heart pumping.
It wasn’t all bad. There was one character in particular, Fox McCloud, that was actually a good addition to this movie. I didn’t know Glen Powell was this solid of a voice actor, but his portrayal of McCloud was commendable.
The rest of the cast was impressive, too. I still hear Chris Pratt’s voice when Mario speaks, and yeah, it is distracting sometimes, but it’s not really that big of a deal. In the end he is a skilled voice actor, and he didn’t hurt the movie. Jack Black was relatively the same as he always is, which is a good thing. He brings a lot of humor to Bowser’s character, and it was disappointing we didn’t get another “Peach” rendition in this film. I was looking forward to it.
I also want to shed some light on Brie Larson for her performance as Rosalina. She’s picked up some controversy over the years for sure but, her acting skills are undeniable. I’m glad she was chosen as Rosalina, she did a great job. Complementing her skill, Anya Taylor-Joy was terrific as usual. She was perfect for Peach in the last one, and still, that acclimation stands.
I had no problems with the actors and actresses whatsoever. Even side-lined characters like Luigi
(Charlie Day) were well-done. If this film were a test, the cast passed with flying colors.
On the animation side of things, it gets even better. The visuals in this movie were an absolute spectacle. Vibrant colors sparkled over every new, detailed world that the characters traveled to, from the beautiful cosmic galaxy to the bright, pleasant views of the beautifully designed planets. I was very impressed with what the animators managed to pull off.
Music-wise, you’re getting a pretty good scoop of all your favorite Mario songs, and a side of compelling orchestral tunes to mix it up. This was a perfect fit for the fast-paced, beat-em’-up style of the film.
On that note, here is where I dip back into the cons.
As I said before, there were basically no major plot developments. Heroes did something in one palace, then did something else in another. They would meet a cool new character or enemy, and then would simply follow the already-paved path of most action-adventure movies. The generic ones, that is.
A major decision I was actually properly irritated with was the wasteful way Yoshi, played by Donald Glover, was utterly underutilized. It just felt like he was kind of hanging around for the most part, and there was nothing he had to struggle with or overcome. The cheery dinosaur was clearly thrown in there to pull in more ticket sales.
What makes it worse is that Glover was fantastic behind the wheel for this icon of a character, just to be wasted.
The first movie, even with all its flaws, at least tried to flesh out their new characters, whereas this sequel just gave up. It’s clear this installment is a segue into another film, but I just wish they had put more effort in. There was potential for a far better watch.
All in all, if you’re a Mario fan, you’re probably going to like this movie. It’s fun, fast and laugh-out loud comedic, but what I would refer to as “watchable slop.”
There isn’t a strong force behind this movie, and you’re not buying a ticket to see some life changing event.
“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is a solid film to see with your friends, or, if you’re a parent, a perfect movie for the family. Otherwise, if you’re not into Mario and are looking for an above-average time, I’d skip out on this one.
Let’s-a hope Illumination and Nintendo do a better job next time.
3 stars
avanbeve@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @JohnnyLockson, X