My quick rating – 6.4/10. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie pleasantly surprised me again. After enjoying The Super Mario Bros. Movie way more than I expected, I was keen to watch this sequel. And my horror-filled brain needed a break from Cheerleader Camp, Protanopia, and people making stupid decisions. Usually in the dark. Sometimes colorful mushrooms and screaming Italian plumbers are exactly the getaway I need.
The film begins with a beautiful, sweeping view of the fantasy world landscape, before introducing Princess Rosalina (voiced by Brie Larson), reading bedtime stories to her radiant star children. As expected, peace doesn’t last even five seconds before a huge mechanical beast comes and kidnaps Princess Rosalina, giving us our new enemy – Bowser Jr (Benny Safdie). From there, the movie wastes no time throwing Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) into another adventure.
Watching the Mario Bros. cruise motorcycles through the desert somehow feels both ridiculous and completely fitting. The film continues blending classic 8-bit sound effects into the modern animation style, and that nostalgia factor still works like magic. Every little coin sound instantly transported me back to my old-school Nintendo days.
The character Yoshi (Donald Glover) receives his very own introduction through his own montage. Princess Peach discovers that Rosalina has been kidnapped, and she wastes no time setting out for a rescue alongside Toad. At the same time, Bowser Jr. tries invading the Mushroom Kingdom to save his father. Of course, Bowser, voiced once again by Jack Black, being “rehabilitated” lasts about as long as you would expect.
The animation during the action scenes looks fantastic. The directing team once again brings this colorful Nintendo world to life perfectly, and there are plenty of fun easter eggs for us gamer fans. The cameo from R.O.B. genuinely cracked me up because I completely forgot that weird little Nintendo accessory even existed. Then somehow, writer Matthew Fogel gets even nerdier by bringing in Fox McCloud (Glen Powell) from Star Fox. There is also a really fun sequence involving Bowser Jr. using classic Super Mario game traps against Mario and Peach inside the animated world itself.
While I still had a great time with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, it does fall into the common sequel trap of going bigger and louder instead of simply tighter. The first movie had a little more charm and humor woven naturally into the story. This one occasionally feels more focused on nonstop spectacle. Still, it remains a fun family adventure packed with Nintendo nostalgia, gorgeous animation, and enough humor to keep things entertaining. And yes, stick around after the credits for the inevitable tease of what is coming next.
