“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” Tries to Continue the Magic

Nintendo and Illumination

The 2023 release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie tapped into a nostalgia that a lot of millennials didn’t realize they wanted. Many of us grew up playing videos games throughout countless versions of the Super Mario universe, but I was pleasantly surprised by how many callbacks and Easter eggs the filmmakers were able to include while still creating a fun and entertaining movie experience. The series’ next installment ventures into the world of Super Mario Galaxy, a series whose first game released for the Nintendo Wii in 2007.

This time around, we follow Mario (Chris Pratt), Luigi (Charlie Day), and Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) as they travel to new planets across the galaxy in the hopes of saving another princess, Rosalina (Brie Larson), from imprisonment. We also learn more about Peach’s backstory, filling in the gaps of her memory about how she arrived in Mushroom Kingdom as a child. There are a handful of side characters along for the journey as well. including Toad (Keegan-Michael Key), Yoshi (Donald Glover), and Bowser (Jack Black).

Nintendo and Illumination

Like the first movie, Super Mario Galaxy looks stunning. The animation is vibrant and intricate, putting you right into the extravagant world. This was one of the biggest achievements of the previous film, and it is just as successful here. Showcasing the animation style in a sci-fi environment was a fun evolution as well—the characters traverse numerous unique planets, my favorite being the casino planet. Truthfully, I just wish we would have explored them a little more. It felt like the characters were on each planet for a very brief amount of time, and there were very weak story threads to get us from one planet to the next.

Nintendo and Illumination

Which leads me to my biggest issue with the film: The story was not strong enough to keep me engaged. I had a really hard time getting invested in what was happening because it felt like we were jumping from one visually interesting scene to the next with very little in the way of stakes or tension. I think what makes the most-loved animated films stand out from the rest is their ability to make the audience emotional connect with the characters and want them to succeed. For me, this film did not achieve that—it felt like the characters and story took a back seat to the visuals. I also feel like the comedic abilities of both Charlie Day and Keegan-Michael Key are drastically underused. I honestly didn’t laugh much throughout this movie.

Nintendo and Illumination

The other biggest let-down for me was a lack of the nostalgia that made The Super Mario Bros. Movie so memorable. There are a few callouts from older games that I enjoyed, but I didn’t have a strong connection to most of the references. I admit this might partly be due to the fact that I was more familiar with the video games that influenced the first film, like Super Mario 64, Donkey Kong, and Mario Kart. I never played the Super Mario Galaxy games, and I imagine there might be references that someone who did might get appreciate more.

Nintendo and Illumination

Overall, I was very underwhelmed by The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. I think it works fine as a movie for kids, but the adult appeal from the first film is just not here. But if you have a true affinity for the video games, it’s still worth a watch for the visuals alone.