Rating 5/10
Sometimes, I see a movie simply because it’s such a part of the cultural zeitgeist that it can’t be ignored. Meaning it may not connect with me, but it does with many others. I approach the effort like a cultural anthropologist, trying to understand the cinematic passions of a vast segment of the population. The Twilight and Harry Potter series are examples. Reviews like this are not meant for the diehard fans. It’s for the outsider trying to make sense of an impenetrable phenomenon.
My relationship with Mario dates back to when he was a pixelated little guy hopping barrels in the arcade game Donkey Kong. He was a humble side character that spun off into Mario Bros. and then exploded with Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Back then, the premise was simple: jump, run, save the princess, repeat. Somewhere around 2007, when Super Mario Galaxy launched on the Nintendo Wii, I had already put down my controller. This once-straightforward platformer has evolved into a sprawling, cosmic mythology involving star-children, space observatories, and lore that was both whimsical and impenetrable to anyone who didn’t grow up inside it. I don’t dismiss the growth of this franchise. It’s impressive. But coming back to it now feels like revisiting a humble childhood friend who went off to get a PhD in astrophysics.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is a sequel to 2023’s wildly successful The Super Mario Bros. Movie. After defeating the villainous Bowser (Jack Black), plumber brothers Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) enjoy hero status in the Mushroom Kingdom. The bright fantasy realm is ruled by Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy). Mario is a bit sweet on her but keeps his feelings to himself. Their peace is disrupted when a small, incandescent star creature known as a Luma arrives, revealing that Rosalina (Brie Larson), the guardian of the cosmos, has been kidnapped by Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie). He plans to harness her power as a destructive weapon. Peach sets out to find Rosalina. Meanwhile, Mario and Luigi must defend the kingdom. Yoshi (Donald Glover) is a friendly dinosaur companion who assists them. Ultimately, they must venture into space themselves to stop Bowser Jr.’s plan, reunite their scattered allies, and save both Rosalina and the universe from destruction.
The sequel arrives with the same creative team intact. Directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic are the duo behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie and longtime collaborators on Teen Titans Go!. Returning screenwriter Matthew Fogel penned the first picture as well as Minions: The Rise of Gru. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie isn’t radically different from the first. It’s just that it doubles down on the things I was already lukewarm about. More characters! More action! More references! The flaws are even harder to ignore. That doesn’t mean it won’t delight followers, particularly those ages 12 and under. The colors and music most assuredly dazzled me, and I suspect the fans even more so. However, the film moves so quickly from one set piece to the next that individual moments, from a joke to an emotional development, or even a major character introduction, barely have any time to register before the story barrels on.
And speaking of story, there isn’t much of one. What transpires on screen feels like a sequence of tasks, as if the plot is moving briskly from one narrative obligation to the next without ever shaping them into something cohesive or dramatically satisfying. What The Super Mario Galaxy Movie understands is that simply putting icons like Rosalina, her glowing Lumas, and even the out-of-nowhere arrival of Fox McCloud (Glen Powell) on-screen is enough to send a certain portion of the audience into a state of euphoria. These are more than personalities; they’re touchstones, decades of accumulated goodwill walking (and floating) into the frame.
I don’t begrudge that at all. There’s something genuinely sweet about how this picture rewards that familiarity. They’re little bursts of recognition, like spotting old friends at a crowded party. But for someone like me, whose Mario knowledge more or less caps at the platform game Super Mario Bros., the constant stream of introductions is overstimulating. I’ve arrived very late to a well-established conversation. It’s disorienting. The film is overly generous to its acolytes in a way that’s undeniably effective. That generosity isn’t aimed at me. It’s for newer generations to navigate effortlessly, while the rest of us smile, nod, and try to keep up.
04-02-26