‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ Review: An Adventure Filled With Stars And Mushrooms

There’s a version of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie that really works, one where the energy, color, and sheer enthusiasm carry everything else on their back. And to be fair, that version exists for long stretches of this movie. There are lots of ways to describe it, like loud, fast, funny, and almost constantly moving with no end. You’re rarely sitting there waiting for it to pick up. The problem is that once you start looking past the spectacle, there’s just not much holding it together.

This is a sequel that clearly understands what people liked about The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023), and it leans even harder into it. The scale is bigger and more impressive, as well as the additions of more characters, more references and much more action. This time, the story pushes Mario and Luigi out of the Mushroom Kingdom and into space, bringing in Rosalina (Voiced by Brie Larson), the Lumas, and a full-on galaxy-hopping adventure. It opens with Rosalina telling a bedtime story to her Lumas before Bowser Jr. crashes in and kidnaps her, kicking everything into motion. It’s a pretty strong start, and a great way to hook the audience.

The film quickly shifts into a series of set pieces. Mario (Voiced by Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Voiced by Charlie Day) stumble into Yoshi (Voiced by Donald Glover), there’s a detour in a desert that feels pulled straight out of Mad Max or Dune, and before long, everyone’s scattered across different corners of the galaxy chasing the same goal. It’s structured in a way that keeps things moving, but it also makes the story feel thin. You can see every turn coming from a mile away, as there’s never a moment where the movie surprises you or digs deeper into anything it sets up.

That’s especially mildly annoying when it comes to Mario and Luigi themselves. They’re the center of the movie, but they barely feel like actual characters. Mario is flat island one-dimentional, and Luigi, once again, gets pushed to the side for most of the runtime and is given almost nothing to do. There are hints of something more especially in how easily Luigi trusts Bowser (Voiced by Jack Black) as he tries to escape captivity but the movie doesn’t stick with those ideas long enough to make them stick in any meaningful way.

The one storyline that does stand out is the dynamic between Bowser and Bowser Jr (Voiced by Benny Safdie). It’s still simple, but there’s at least a clear emotional throughline there. Bowser Jr.’s quest to take over the universe is his way of trying to restore his father’s legacy and prove something to him. That adds a bit of personality to the conflict, even if the movie doesn’t explore it as much as it could. There’s also a brief stretch where Bowser himself tries to play nice and a good person overall as he befriends Mario and Luigi, and you can feel the movie almost stumbling into something more interesting before quickly resetting back to the usual good vs. evil setup.

What keeps the movie afloat is everything around the story. The animation is genuinely great. It’s bright, very detailed, and constantly creative in how it brings these worlds to life. The galaxy setting gives the filmmakers an excuse to go bigger with the visuals, and they take full advantage of it. There’s always something happening in the background, and the action sequences are staged so incredibly well that it makes it so fun to watch instead.

Now let’s get to the voice cast, which is easily the strongest part of the film. Jack Black is still having a blast as Bowser, but the standout here is Benny Safdie as Bowser Jr. He brings this kind of chaotic energy that the movie really benefits from, and every time he’s on screen, things get a little more interesting. Donald Glover’s Yoshi and Brie Larson’s Rosalina also leave strong impressions, even with very limited material. Anya Taylor-Joy continues to be a solid anchor as Peach.

Chris Pratt, on the other hand, is fine. Not terrible, not great, he is just kind of there. His performance can be distracting at times, especially when you’re surrounded by actors who feel much more locked into the tone of the movie.

The humor mostly works. It’s silly, a little self-aware, and doesn’t take itself too seriously, which helps smooth over some of the weaker writing. The movie knows exactly what it is, and it leans into which makes it easy to enjoy everything in the moment.

That’s really what this comes down to. As a spectacle, it works. As a story, it doesn’t.

The stakes never feel as big as the movie wants them to, even with the whole “save the galaxy” premise. Everything is so light and predictable that there’s never any real tension. You’re just along for the ride, watching things unfold exactly how you expect them to.

But like, it’s hard to say you can’t have fun. This is very clearly made for fans of the Mario universe, and on that level, it delivers. The references, the characters, the worlds is all here, and it’s handled with enough care to make it feel like a crowd-pleaser.

It’s just not much more than that. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is easy to recommend if you’re looking for something entertaining and visually engaging. It’s a good time. Just don’t expect it to stick with you once it’s over.