Everyone’s favorite Italian plumbers have warped back into theaters in “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” released on Apr. 1. The franchise has continued to build off of the successful release of the 2023 “Super Mario Bros” movie, aiming to immerse fans in another one of Nintendo’s esteemed games, “Super Mario Galaxy,” and launch audiences to new heights within the Mario Cinematic Universe.
The film revolves around the classic dilemma played out in most Mario games: a princess is captured, Rosalina (Brie Larson) in this movie specifically, and Mario and friends must go on an odyssey to get her back. The film begins with Rosalina in the Comet Observatory reading stories of the previous film to her Lumas, star creatures that consider her as their mother. A revenge-filled Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie) then takes Rosalina hostage in hopes of using her cosmic stardust to power a planet made for him and his now captive father, Bowser (Jack Black). This leads to an action-packed movie that picks up other beloved characters from the Nintendo franchise, such as Yoshi (Donald Glover) and Fox McCloud (Glen Powell).
The voice actors of the main cast were able to bring each character to life and make it feel as if the audience was trekking across the galaxy alongside their favorite franchise characters. Brie Larson as Rosalina, for example, was a stand out performance, as she was able to display Rosalina’s maternal and calm, yet powerful and brave character through her graceful voice-acting. Donald Glover was similarly and surprisingly spot-on in his impression of Yoshi and was able to be comedic without having to say much more than Yoshi’s signature catchphrase: “Yoshi!”
This sequel was overwhelmingly packed with references and easter eggs written in the stars for fans throughout the movie. Many characters, such as Wart (Luis Guzmán) from Super Mario Bros. 2, got their own moment to shine in a main shot or a couple seconds of dialogue, while others were hidden in the background strategically for fans to spot, making the film feel almost like playing another Nintendo classic. Even the soundtrack of the movie flowed with tunes that once played out during competitively fun Mario games on the Wii and DS. Most notably, one of Nintendo’s most recognizable songs “Jump Up Super Star!” from Super Mario Odyssey played throughout the scene when Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) were exploring a casino. Together, these elements made the film feel much more powered-up for seasoned fans of the Mario franchise.
With just a one hour and 38 minute run time, however, some of the nods to previous Nintendo titles feels a bit gimmicky or forced. At points, the film moves like a round of Mario-Kart–really fast and a bit hard to keep up with. For example, when Yoshi was first introduced, he got maybe two minutes tops of backstory explanation before being let into the main crew without question, let alone any friendship development. This made the movie feel incredibly rushed and minimized moments that could’ve been more memorable otherwise. Fox McCloud is also introduced too quickly and there is a whole segment explaining his backstory to justify him being included in the main mission. Additionally, because of all the references from multiple different games, it made the movie actually less of a “Mario Galaxy” adaption; they could’ve just painted “Mario World” on every advertisement and audiences would’ve gotten the same effect.
Fortunately, all throughout, it was clear that familial themes were the core of the film. The father-son relationship between Bowser and Bowser Jr. was a prominent plot point that was extremely heartfelt and added a bit of sensitivity to an otherwise comedic and high-energy movie. Fans got to see Bowser’s demeanor completely transform due to his immense love for his son, and were able to relate to Bowser Jr. ‘s longing for approval from his father who he deeply respects. The heartwarming interactions seen within their shared scenes were the best parts of the movie, and, without fail, always resulted in audible “aws” echoing throughout the theater. To avoid spoilers, another familial bond, which has long been theorized in Super Mario fandom, was a surprising plot twist as well, and featured a powerful reunion which perfectly encapsulated the type of love and care that can only be shared in that specific relationship. All in all, these moments were a breath of fresh air amongst the chaos of most of the movie, and kept me wanting to watch more.
While “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” felt a little frantic at times, it was completely entertaining, and a good fit for a family movie night. It successfully continues the film series, leveled up with two post-credit scenes that hint at more possible movies in the future. If you’re looking for laughs, entertainment, and maybe even a bit of nostalgia, double jump on over to theaters and give this a watch.
