The first Super Mario Bros. Movie from 2023 may have been hated by critics, but fans of the long-running Nintendo video game series loved it. Looking at other online reviewers, that seems to be the case with the second installment, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, as well. Let’s take a look at this new sequel to see if the critics or the fans are correct.

Spoilers for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie are below.

The Good

Illumination excelled at creating the visuals of this movie. The animation is absolutely phenomenal to look at. It’s 3D animated, but it doesn’t stop the characters from moving and bending like classic 2D animation. The details are incredible, as everything from the hairs in Mario’s mustache to the stitches in his denim overalls look lifelike without taking away from the cartoony aesthetic. The backgrounds and environments look so good it’s impossible to not feel immersed into the Mushroom Kingdom and the galaxy beyond.

This sequel resolves some of the issues with the first film. In the first movie, Princess Peach mentions not knowing where she came from, but then any conversation regarding her backstory is dropped. Galaxy answers that. A common complaint with the first movie was that there were too many pop songs distracting from the video game music, but here, it’s almost entirely the tremendous score one would expect from Mario. Mario and Luigi were unfortunately separated throughout the first movie, but they spend almost the entirety of the sequel’s runtime together, feeling like the dynamic duo they should be. It’s nice to see the filmmakers make a point of improving where needed and delivering on plot points that were previously set up.

Speaking of that video game score, the music here is fantastic throughout. It perfectly recreates familiar melodies from Nintendo’s games but scaled them up with a talented orchestra to create something nostalgic, grand-in-scale, and just plain beautiful and fun to listen to. 

The movie may be short and quick-paced, but they still managed to get in some good character moments throughout. Bowser has an interesting inner conflict in which he’s forced to choose between helping the Mario Bros. who he sees as good-hearted guys and helping his son who he loves and wishes to spend more time with. This leads to a particularly emotional arc for the villain. Mario even grows to see Bowser as more than a monster and saves Bowser Jr. so they could be together. Peach goes on a journey to discover more about her identity. It’s not done a whole lot, but it’s still welcome to see these classic characters have emotional arcs.

Something that both this movie and its predecessor excel at is that the rules of the fantasy world are just accepted. There’s no need to bog things down with explaining how every power-up works or how blocks float or why there are mushroom people. It simply presents these concepts in this magical world and the audience is able to understand and run with it. Everything works the way it does in the video games, and any important explanation is done so visually. It’s a great way to immerse fans.

This is also a rather funny movie. There are some solid one-liners and some moments of fantastic slapstick comedy. A handful of visual gags add to the laughs. There are a couple of moments in particular, especially one at the Gateway Galaxy, that lead to uproarious laughter from the audience. The humor definitely makes this a good time at the movie theater.

Every action sequence is a ton of fun to watch. They’re well-animated and choreographed, as well as incredibly exciting. They truly feel like video game style action.

There are tons of references to the Super Mario video games as well as other Nintendo games, even more so than the first film. There are even some cameos from characters from other Nintendo IPs, which are all a blast to see. It’s a lot of fun for eagle-eyed fans to spot references both in the background and dead center. Best of all, none of these Easter eggs distract from the movie. They feel like they fit perfectly into the story and the world without ever feeling jarring.

The Bad

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is insanely fast-paced. That’s not always a bad thing, but it’s definitely a little too fast here. It barely slows down or allows for time to breathe to focus on anything important. It may keep things feeling entertaining, but it does feel like whiplash at times and that things don’t really matter at others. Some critics have said there is barely a plot, and that’s not the case. It’s fast, but there is a plot. If anything, this is based on a video game series where the “plot” is usually a plumber stopping a bad guy and saving a princess, which is exactly what happens here, with even more added to the story. There’s a great story; it’s just one that moves too fast.

Rosalina is one of the core characters in the Super Mario Galaxy video game, yet she’s barely in the movie. She’s only seen in the very beginning and at the very end, and her absence is felt. She’s more of the MacGuffin of the movie, but she could have still been in it more. At the very least, she could have at least had a cool moment of saving the day during the final battle, but she doesn’t even get that. Instead, they have an Oscar-winning actress for just a few minutes of screen time.

Similarly, there are other popular characters who are present, but don’t get to do anything. Birdo, who is playable in several Mario Party, Mario Kart, Mario Tennis, and other Mario sports games, is present, but she’s only in one short scene and doesn’t do a whole lot outside of getting beat up by Peach. Toad, who is a core member of the main group, is along for the ride with Peach and Mario, but doesn’t do anything or add anything. His backpack gets stolen and that’s it. He even stays on the ship during the final act while the others do everything without him. Perhaps if the movie was better paced, there could have been more time for these characters.

Conclusion

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie does a phenomenal job at recreating the video games for the big screen. It’s fun and funny, with exciting action and outstanding visuals. It captures the same level of entertainment the games do. 

It’s extremely fast-paced, and while that does make for a riveting time, it never gets a chance to breathe. It’s worked for them well-enough so far in these movies, but if any sequels continue to move at these break-neck speeds, it will affect my score for them much more. Until then, it’s the biggest issue with the film, and other issues stem from it, but it does make the movie feel like a thrill ride.

These movies aren’t exactly going to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, but they’re not trying to. They’re fast food. They’re far from the most thought-provoking pieces of media out there, but they’re fun. They’re meant to be something simple that puts a smile on people’s faces, and this sequel excels at that.

Rating: 9/10

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