Bowser is still in his tiny form from the end of the first movie.
Nintendo, Universal
After the massive popularity of the first Super Mario Bros. movie, it was inevitable that we’d get a sequel, but I didn’t think it would be even better than the first.
Following the events at the end of the first film, Bowser is kept in his mini form in the Mushroom Kingdom while he is being rehabilitated. However, his son, Bowser Jr., wants his Dad back, and he is more than a match for Mario and Luigi.
Bowser Jr. has also built a giant superweapon to impress his Dad, but he needs an enormous power source to make it work. This is where Rosalina comes in and is captured to act as the engine of this giant cannon.
Naturally, the now orphaned Lumas seek help from Princess Peach, and that in turn has Mario and Luigi follow after her.
Along the way, Yoshi joins in with Mario and Luigi, and Peach figures out more about her past and how Rosalina could be a part of that.
Rosalina is far closer to her “space deity” status from the games.
Nintendo, Universal
You also have an amazing cameo from Fox McCloud, which makes total sense with all the galaxy-hopping antics, although I won’t spoil the details of that here.
This film is even more of a manic roller coaster ride compared to the first movie, with so many gaming references packed into every scene, it’s hard to keep up.
There are also a lot more power-ups used this time around, and that results in some fun and interesting combat for Mario and Luigi.
All the various Super Mario Galaxy references are obviously great, and it’s wonderful to see elements from the games used so thoughtfully.
The galactic scope opens up a lot of fun ideas on how Mario and Luigi work together, and Yoshi is entirely great in this movie, too.
The movie has a lot of fun playing with gravity.
Nintendo, Universal
While I found Peach’s acrobatics in the first movie a little out of place, with the inclusion of Fox McCloud in this movie, I realized the premise behind Peach’s more active role was that “everyone gets to have a go”.
After all, back when we were kids playing various Nintendo games, we would often share the controller with friends, so in that sense, all the characters are part of the action now, which I think works well here.
Rosalina’s almost god-like levels of power also fit in with that, as she is effectively a space deity in the original games.
Bowser also gets a more rounded portrayal this time, and the themes of family are definitely at the core of this movie.
There’s also a fun post-credits reveal, which makes me think we will be heading more towards the Game Boy games at some point, and that means a shift in villains, as I feel Bowser and Bowser Jr. have had their day in the sun.
It goes without saying that the entire voice cast nailed their roles. It’s really clear that they are all massive fans of the games, and it definitely shines through in their respective performances. I also feel that the casting of Glen Powell as Fox McCloud was entirely spot on, and I’d love to see a full Star Fox movie at some point with him heading up the cast.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is released in theaters on April 1.
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