The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (Movie) – Review

2023 saw the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the long-awaited film adaptation of the Super Mario Bros. games that stayed more true to its source material, featured plenty of nods and references to the Mario franchise and Nintendo, and overall was just a visually appealing and fun experience for all ages.

The first film was an excellent example of a game-to-movie adaptation done right, and now, in 2026, the legendary Mario Bros. are celebrating their 40th Anniversary and are back for the sequel. Featuring the voices of Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Benny Safdie, and Brie Larson, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is now warping into the cinemas across the galaxy.

Having thwarted Bowser’s previous plot to marry Princess Peach, Mario and Luigi now face a new threat: Bowser Jr., determined to liberate his father from captivity and restore the family legacy. Alongside companions new and old, the brothers travel across the stars to stop the young heir’s crusade.

Most of the cast reprise their roles from the original movie, including Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad and Jack Black as Bowser. Joining the main cast are Benny Safdie as Bowser Jr., Donald Glover as Yoshi and Brie Larson as Rosalina. Normally, I would go into more detail about the cast’s voice performances, but voice-wise, they don’t get nearly as many memorable moments this time.

The main cast in the original movie, despite the questionable casting, got plenty of entertaining and memorable moments where their voice talents felt more utilised to express the characters’ personalities, brotherly bond, quotable voice lines, heartfelt moments and Bowser’s viral love song, ‘Peaches’, in an attempt to serenade Princess Peach.

The way the sequel is presented, it seems to rely more on the action, Easter Eggs and visual flair, making the voice work feel less relevant and only there for necessity, so it’s hard to really comment on their performances. The voice cast isn’t necessarily bad, it’s more that the movie didn’t allow them to perform at their full potential.

The post-credit scene in the original film teased Yoshi’s inclusion in the sequel, and when he and Rosalina were officially announced for the next film, it got fans excited to see them on the big screen. Unfortunately, Rosalina doesn’t get much screen time, and her only big moments were at the beginning and end, though she still plays an important role in the story. Yoshi is in the film a lot more and gets some entertaining and adorable moments, but we would’ve expected more of him than what we got of him. Having big names like Donald Glover and Brie Larson joining the cast should’ve been a big deal, but with Yoshi not speaking any words other than his own name and Rosalina’s limited screen time, their inclusions feel pointless and underwhelming.

There are some standout moments, however. Jack Black sounds as funny as ever, even more so when Bowser is tiny with a high-pitched voice, and Benny Safdie makes for a menacing Bowser Jr. and feels like a serious threat despite his smaller size. As good as they were, fans will still be left wanting more by the end of the film.

Another thing that will upset fans is that the most famous voice of Mario, Charles Martinet, isn’t in the film at all, not even a cameo. Chris Pratt and Charlie Day being cast as Mario and Luigi was already controversial, but Charles still got to be part of the film as their relatives, and he feels like he was passing on the torch. Sadly, those characters were omitted from the sequel, and with how underwhelming the voice cast was this time, we miss Charles Martinet even more.

The original film didn’t just stay within the Mario world; it also featured characters from other Nintendo franchises. What should’ve been a big moment was the inclusion of Fox McCloud, but it was officially revealed leading up to the movie’s release and spoiled the surprise. Despite the big moment being watered down, Glen Powell does do a good job of voicing the main protagonist of the Star Fox series, though his cocky personality doesn’t seem fitting for the character and feels like it was for the sake of the movie being a comedy.

He plays a small role, as expected, but his moments show what a Star Fox movie could look like, which fans would surely be excited about, or at least a proper new game if Nintendo would just listen to the fans demanding it.

Various other characters from the Mario games also appear, including the Mushroom People and Lumas, as well as common enemies such as the Goombas, Koopa Troopas, Hammer Bros., Pokey, and more. A few boss characters from the games are also featured and get some fun moments too. Like the original film, the characters, tons of references, and Easter Eggs from other Nintendo franchises also appear, and fans will have fun trying to spot them all. Hardware and classic games also appear.

The soundtrack, composed by Brian Tyler, features many familiar tunes from past Mario games, and some can be heard in fun and creative ways. No licensed music is included this time, making the second film feel more like a Mario movie than the first film. The first movie felt like a love letter to the Mario games and Nintendo’s rich history, and the sequel is no different.

While the original film put more emphasis on action, comedy, Easter Eggs, and visual flair, it still managed to tell a good enough story with heartfelt moments, but the pacing felt rushed, making it feel like style over substance, as is the case with most Illumination films. The sequel leans even more into the style and lacks more substance than before. The pacing is even more rushed this time, not giving audiences enough time to take in the moments and process them before moving on to the next scene, and this makes the few emotional and heartfelt moments feel less impactful than they could’ve been.

The way the story is executed sets up an interesting premise, but by the end, it makes you wonder, “How did we get here?” The story feels all over the place, and the film tries to cram in too many characters and plot points into its 98-minute runtime; an extra 30 minutes could’ve done it more justice. The Mario games aren’t known for having deep lore, but there is some, and the movies have an opportunity to explore more of that.

The first film did a great job of that for the most part while staying true to the source material, but the sequel takes a few liberties, mainly with the relationship between Peach and Rosalina, which will upset the fanbase.

As the title suggests, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is mostly based on the Super Mario Galaxy games, but mixes in elements from other games. The galaxy theme helps make the sequel stand out from its predecessor, with plenty of planet-hopping and gravity-defying moments. The action scenes are so much fun to watch, and the galaxy setting adds a lot to its visual appeal and solid animation.

As good as the action, comedy, Easter Eggs and visual flair are, they’re also affected by the rushed pacing and aren’t going to make up for the lack of strong storytelling. Despite all the faults, the movie is still fun to watch and entertaining for kids and families.

There is a post-credit scene that teases another fan favourite character for a potential third film, which hasn’t been confirmed yet, but if it were to happen, we hope it improves on everything that came up short in this sequel. A live-action adaptation of The Legend of Zelda has been confirmed for a 2027 release, which will be interesting to see. We hope to see more Nintendo franchises receive film adaptations, especially after what we saw of Fox McCloud in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie from 2023 proved that staying true to the source material can make a great film that’s fun for all ages and pleases the fanbase enough. The sequel falls short in many ways, with the voice cast feeling less important, a rushed pacing compared to before, cramming too much into a 98-minute film, and leaning heavily into style over substance. That said, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is still a fun movie to watch, with a story not to be taken seriously.