THE SUPER MARIO GALAXY MOVIE

Rating 3.5 out of 5

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie levels up to a cosmic adventure full of laughter and action, that when paired with the wonderful new additions to the cast of Donald Glover, Brie Larson and Glen Powell, and countless Easter Eggs, results in a sequel that is a love letter to the video games even if it feels less narratively driven.

Mario and Luigi have been delighting the world with countless adventures for forty years now, and it feels fitting for them to return to the screen to close out their big anniversary with a sequel to their hit 2023 film: The Super Mario Bros Movie. With a powerful 1up, Mario and Luigi venture beyond the confines of the Mushroom Kingdom and take to the stars with the sequel, which brings to life the cosmic adventures of the Super Mario Galaxy video games while bringing fan favourite characters such as Yoshi, Rosalina and Bowser Jr. to the film series. Even with a film that never stops hurtling forward that fails to capture the narrative cohesiveness of its predecessor, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is a beautifully animated, high energy sequel that wonderfully emulates the video game experience that acts as a love letter to both Mario and Nintendo, delivering another exciting adventure that is certain to delight long time fans of the characters.

At times it feels like the story that The Super Mario Galaxy Movie wants to tell is too wide reaching for the confines of cinematic storytelling, especially in the first half with our heroes separated across the galaxy. During this first half, the pacing feels rushed as the story quickly moves between various plot points and different worlds without the time to develop them, instead racing towards reuniting Mario, Peach and the rest of the gang to prepare for the final boss battle against Bowser and Bowser Jr. And while some may complain about this, they clearly aren’t understanding the intention behind the film. It’s not nearly as tightly plotted as the first film, but what it lacks in narrative cohesiveness, the writing makes up for with its pure sense of fun, joy and wonder that this cosmic adventure generates. 

Even as the story quickly moves through various planets and new characters, what writer Matthew Fogel has created is a love letter to the Super Mario video games and Nintendo’s overall legacy, which is certain to thrill its fans. Each scene has an Easter Egg within it, going beyond the Super Mario Galaxy games and tying in elements of Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Odyssey and Super Mario Sunshine, and even other Nintendo properties such as the inclusion of Fox McCloud. Including Yoshi is not only guaranteed to help sell millions of toys of the beloved character, but his comedic use generates a cuteness overload that while have audiences gushing simultaneously helps to deliver some of the film’s biggest laughs; while Fox McCloud bursts into the film with an undeniable swagger and swashbuckling energy that will have fans instantly calling for his solo spinoff film. The story, while simple, takes advantage of the possibilities of the cosmos, creating what feels more like an open world video game experience rather than a narrative driven film. It’s an approach that is not going to win over viewers unfamiliar with the video games, but for children and those who grew up playing the Super Mario games, it's an all encompassing experience that feels like a video game come to life.

Creating the cosmic wonder of the film is stunning animation from Illumination Studios. Every frame of the film is gorgeous to get lost in, blending vibrant colours, rich details and expertly orchestrated shots that capture countless glorious moments to behold. The action sequences are stylized to simulate the feeling of playing the video games, generating a sense of excitement that captures the essence of video gaming, while the 8-bit animation sequences are a wonderful nod to the history of Mario in the video games that will have fans grinning. Supplementing this is Brian Tyler’s musical score, like in the first film a highlight of the sequel, as he weaves together his original themes with many iconic Nintendo themes. The cinematic musical journey that Tyler creates is a present unto itself for the fans of the games, giving beautiful symphonic arrangements to these beloved Nintendo themes with a full studio orchestra, energizing the entire film and helping to develop its sense of limitless wonder.

The returning cast from The Super Mario Bros. Movie continue their great voice performances, with Charlie Day, Anya Taylor-Joy, Keegan-Michael Key and Jack Black easily slipping back into the shoes of their iconic characters. Even Chris Pratt has leveled up his voice performance, sounding less like himself and moving closer to the sound of the Italian Mario which was a pleasant surprise. Though, it is the additions to the voice cast with the sequel’s new characters that steal the show, and largely due to the fact that the actors themselves are so passionate about these characters and capture their video game likeness with ease. Brie Larson is eloquent as Princess Rosalina, bringing a grace and magical wisdom to the character that creates this powerful heroine, which plays perfectly off the spirited youthful energy that Benny Safdie brings to the villainous Bowser Jr. Absolutely unrecognizable as Yoshi as he nails Yoshi’s high pitched voice, Donald Glover is nothing short of fantastic and completely loses himself in the joyful exuberance of the character, while Glen Powell superstardom is a perfect match for Fox McCloud and creates a Han Solo-esque hero that brings an effortless coolness and charisma to the role that the character deserves.

Delivering an adventure of cosmic proportions with boundless wonder and enjoyment, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie knows exactly what fans want and delivers it in spades. While you can nitpick the narrative weaknesses of the film, the sense of childhood wonder that directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic infuse every scene of the film with creates the equivalent of a cinematic video gaming experience, bringing pure unadulterated joy to video game fans in this colourful, Easter Egg filled, out of this world adventure. With scene stealing voice performances from Donald Glover as Yoshi and Glen Powell as Fox McCloud, gorgeous animation that displays the best the genre has to offer, and another stellar musical score from Brian Tyler, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie creates a cinematic love letter to Mario and Nintendo that is a joyful experience for video game lovers of all ages to enjoy.