‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ Review – A Fun, Exciting Romp Across a Magical Galaxy

Nintendo fans have long been anticipating “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.” Ever since Nintendo revealed that the sequel to 2023’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” would be based on the beloved Super Mario Galaxy games, fans have been speculating what the filmmakers will do with such rich potential. Well, the Nintendo fans who loved the first movie shouldn’t be disappointed.

Action-Packed Fun in “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie”

“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” picks up where “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” left off. Mario (voiced by Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) are now living in the Mushroom Kingdom, and they’ve adjusted quite well to life with moving platforms and weird power-ups – though Mario is struggling with how he might have feelings for Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy). On a mission to fix a pipe in a desert town (which cleverly references Super Mario Odyssey), they stumble upon a cute green dinosaur named Yoshi (Donald Glover), which should be a delight to all Mario fans. Yoshi is every bit as adorable here as he is in the games, and he steals every scene he’s in.

Meanwhile, Bowser (Jack Black) is making the best of his situation, having been shrunk at the end of the previous movie. He’s learning art and cooking, and trying to keep his temper under control in hopes that Mario and Luigi will restore him to his proper size. However, soon Peach’s castle falls under attack by Bowser’s son, Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie), who has captured the space princess, Rosalina (Brie Larson), and plans to use her magic to power his ultimate weapon. Now Bowser faces a choice between his son and redemption.

The animation is gorgeous. Utilizing bright colors and fluid camera movement, the animation feels like jumping into the world of the Super Mario Galaxy games and realizing that they’re even more beautiful and exciting than you remember them. Seeing the iconic Cosmic Observatory flying through space should give fans that warm feeling of a nostalgia wave. In addition, a scene in a galactic casino utilizes the familiar gravity effects from the games, making for a heart-pumping fight scene.

Unfortunately, fan favorite Rosalina ends up getting sidelined. Despite getting to use her magic in a fun fight scene at the beginning, she spends most of the movie captured, and as such she gets to do very little. Since Rosalina is one of my favorite Mario characters, I had been hoping that she would do more in the movie. However, there is a reveal involving her and another major character that should make a lot of fans smile. 

A Treasure Trove of Easter Eggs

Just like the first movie, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is packed with Easter eggs and cameos that should stimulate plenty of repeated viewings just to find everything. There’s an appearance of ROB the Robot, the old NES accessory that never worked right. The movie even makes fun of how slow and unresponsive he was. It’s good to see that Nintendo can look at their past missteps and have fun with them. 

Another fun Easter egg is an appearance of Wart the frog (Luis Guzman), the final boss in the American version of Super Mario Bros. 2. Since Wart hasn’t appeared in many games since Super Mario Bros. 2, it’s fun to see Nintendo digging into obscure characters for this movie. It shows that Nintendo cares about Mario’s entire history, not just the well-known parts. There are plenty of blink-and-you-miss-them Easter eggs, but I’m not going to spoil them, since it’s the most fun to look for them yourself. 

Of course, probably the most exciting cameo is Fox McCloud (Glen Powel) from the Star Fox games. Not only is he a fun, daring pilot who gives off Han Solo vibes, but the fact that he is from a different game series opens up possibilities for a future Nintendo cinematic universe.

Fox mentions that he ended up in Mario’s universe through an inter-dimensional portal, so that could mean possibilities for the future. Will there be a Star Fox movie down the line? Will Nintendo worlds collide in a Super Smash Bros. movie? At the very least, this should get people interested in Star Fox again, so Nintendo might be more likely to make a new Star Fox game for the Nintendo Switch 2.

Go See “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie”!

Is “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” better than “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”? It’s hard to say. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” had a simpler story with a more straightforward plot. “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is very busy, but it’s busy in a good way. In any case, both movies are incredibly charming, funny, and made with a lot of love for the Mario world.

Even people who have never played a Mario game can get enjoyment out of these movies simply because they’re so much fun to watch. Any fan of the first movie should go see “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” especially if they’re also dedicated fans of Nintendo. Also, make sure you stay for the credits so you can see another beloved Mario character.