The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Review: A Bland, Joke-Free Sequel That Fails to Impress
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie might be the first film intentionally crafted to be chopped into bite-sized segments for TikTok, captioned with phrases like "prime mario aura farming." It certainly feels that fragmented and shallow. If the 2023 The Super Mario Bros Movie stripped the beloved Nintendo games of their charm by casting a disinterested Chris Pratt as Mario and neglecting even a hint of an Italian accent, this sequel amplifies that blandness to new, uninspiring heights.
A Plotless, Character-Free Spectacle
There is barely a coherent plot to speak of here. Not a single character leaves a lasting impression, and even Jack Black's musical talents are sidelined, with no new piano ditty for him to perform. Instead, the film unfolds as a series of large, loosely connected explosions, where Mario, his brother Luigi (voiced by Charlie Day), and love interest Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) strike superhero poses in front of them. It begs the question: why are these once-goofy video game icons being treated with the same self-serious gravitas as Marvel's Avengers?
Nostalgia Gone Homogeneous
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie starkly illustrates how homogenised our sense of nostalgia has become. A generation of children is being deprived of art that fosters curiosity and imagination, all so adults can be reassured that their childhood passions were "very cool and very important." The film contains perhaps one genuine joke, which largely rehashes a bit from Disney's Zootopia, highlighting a severe lack of originality.
Directors Miss the Mark
Directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, known for the witty and inventive Teen Titans Go! series, have opted for a different approach here. They cram in as many references to Mario and Nintendo games as possible—good news for Pikmin enthusiasts, perhaps—but then call it a day, resulting in a hollow experience. The story involves Princess Rosalina (a charming yet underused Brie Larson), mother to baby-star Lumas, who is kidnapped by Bowser Jr (Benny Safdie) to power his Boomsday Machine for revenge against Mario and crew. Yoshi (Donald Glover) makes an appearance, but to little effect.
Lack of Reinvention and Depth
The Mario franchise has historically reinvented itself, from the 2D aesthetics of Paper Mario to Olympic adventures. However, this film jets characters through universes like the Honeyhive Galaxy and Sand Kingdom without meaningful purpose, underscoring the gap between mere replication for familiarity and paying genuine tribute. It fails to explore why Mario became a cultural phenomenon in the first place.
Princess Peach's fleeting search for family, Bowser's brief attempt at heroism, and the introduction of gung-ho pilot Fox McCloud (Glen Powell) via retro animation are all superficial, lasting only a scene or two. Fox quickly devolves into a mere plot device, ferrying characters from point A to B without depth.
Limited Appeal and Final Verdict
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie offers very little to audiences, young or old, who aren't already intimately familiar with these characters and settings. For those seeking engagement, a drinking game involving tequila shots for every explosion might provide some entertainment, but that's about it. Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, and starring Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, and others, this PG-rated, 98-minute film lands in cinemas with a thud, proving that bigger isn't always better when it comes to cinematic adaptations.
