The Super Mario Galaxy Movie review: Cute sequel is better than the first, thanks to this new character

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Unlike many video game movies that feel empty, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a welcome surprise because it understands its own playful nature.

The new movie, starring Chris Pratt and Charlie Day, leans even more into video game jokes and features plenty of scenes with its adorable characters. The story isn’t much different from the first film, but it’s good enough to make audiences eager for more sequels.

The animation and music are still the best parts of this Illumination film. Brian Taylor expertly uses familiar musical themes from the Mario games without overdoing it, and the movie looks visually stunning.

Interestingly, the sequel keeps the Super Mario brothers together for much of the story. The first movie, despite its title, didn’t actually show Mario and Luigi together very often.

It’s obvious that the Mario movies from Illumination and Nintendo prioritize fun over complex storytelling. While The Super Mario Galaxy Movie isn’t strong on plot, it shines thanks to its cast, especially Glen Powell’s excellent performance as Fox McCloud.

What’s the Super Mario Galaxy Movie about?

Following the adventures of the previous movie, The Super Mario Galaxy finds Mario and Luigi continuing their heroic efforts, helping people and tackling whatever challenges come their way.

The heroes are sent to investigate a strange creature living in the underground tunnels of the desert Sand Kingdom. There, they meet Yoshi (played by Donald Glover), a lovable dinosaur who quickly becomes Mario and Luigi’s friend and ally.

The team must rescue Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Toad (Keegan-Michael Key), who are working to save Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson), the mother figure and leader of the Lumas.

Meanwhile, Bowser (Jack Black) is tiny and in jail after the previous movie. He’s trying to convince Mario and Luigi he’s reformed, but his son, Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie), is attempting to attack the Mushroom Kingdom.

The animation once again delivers

Similar to the previous film, Super Mario Galaxy boasts impressive animation. Bringing the Super Mario Galaxy games to life allows for a bright and imaginative experience.

Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic did a fantastic job capturing the spirit of the video games. They clearly understand the source material and cleverly incorporate familiar elements and imagery into their movie, showing a lot of respect for the original games.

The game is visually stunning, with a remarkable level of detail. You can practically feel the textures of Mario and Luigi’s clothes and see every strand of their mustaches. The environments are also incredibly detailed and expansive, especially when Princess Peach explores a glamorous, underground casino. Another standout world is a vibrant landscape overflowing with beautiful flowers, which Mario and Luigi also visit.

The movie also includes nods to the classic games. Like the previous film, it features familiar power-ups used by Mario and Luigi. But the most impressive part is how it brings the look and feel of the original side-scrolling Mario games to life.

Is the story well-told?

Most Mario games aren’t known for having a straightforward story. While the goal is usually to rescue Princess Peach or complete a task, you progress by playing through a variety of levels, each with its own challenges and settings.

This presents a challenge when making a movie adaptation – it’s both freeing and restrictive. There’s a lot of creative leeway, but not much established story to work with, as the 1993 film famously demonstrated.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie works well even though its story isn’t very detailed. The previous Mario film also had a simple plot, but it didn’t quite work because the animation wasn’t enough to make up for it, and it suffered from Mario and Luigi being separated for much of the movie.

The movie featured two brothers and was advertised as a Super Mario Bros. adventure. It was disappointing not to see them paired together, and the storyline might have been more effective if it had come later in a series.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie doesn’t have this issue. Mario and Luigi stay closely connected throughout the film, and their team grows with the addition of Yoshi.

Adding Bowser Jr. to the cast is a curious choice. While Benny Safdie does a good job mimicking the character’s voice from Super Mario Sunshine, giving Bowser and his son more human qualities doesn’t quite work.

Everyone familiar with Mario knows Bowser is his biggest rival, and he’ll probably stay that way as long as Illumination continues to make Mario movies. The attempt to give Bowser more depth isn’t as interesting as the writer, Matthew Fogel, seems to think it is.

It’s a shame Jack Black doesn’t have a bigger role in the new movie. Despite the success of his song “Peaches” in the first film, he doesn’t get a chance to fully showcase his talents this time around.

The surprising standout

Glen Powell shines as the new Fox McCloud. His voice is cleverly disguised at first, making it hard to recognize him unless you already knew he was cast.

Fox McCloud feels like a charming rogue, similar to Han Solo. It’s clear Powell is having a lot of fun voicing the character, and it’s a particularly distinctive performance for him.

The movie introduces a lot of new characters, but many of them don’t have significant parts. Even Brie Larson, playing Rosalina, has a relatively small role in this installment, though her character seems poised to be important in future films.

Sometimes, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie relies too heavily on appealing to dedicated fans. Like some Marvel movies, it expects applause for even small nods to the game or appearances from familiar characters. While this can be enjoyable for those in the know, it can also distract from weaknesses in the movie itself, especially for viewers unfamiliar with the source material.

As someone who occasionally played the original games twenty years ago, it’s clear this movie isn’t trying to be profound. And that’s perfectly fine, especially considering it’s based on Super Mario Galaxy. The film doesn’t try to be anything it isn’t, and that’s actually a good thing.

Should you watch The Super Mario Galaxy Movie?

The Super Mario Bros. Movie succeeds because it fully embraces its fun, lighthearted nature. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable 98-minute ride, although the story sometimes feels a little rushed.

Similar to many Mario games, the Super Mario Bros. Movie feels more like a series of separate adventures than one continuous story. While this structure would be a weakness for a film like a Tomb Raider movie, it actually works well for a Mario adaptation.

Chris Pratt and Day continue to share a believable brotherly connection in the new movie. While their acting isn’t award-winning, they fully embrace their characters and maintain consistent New York accents.

It’s also great to think there could be more movies with Jack Quaid and possibly Powell in the future. While the Mario films aren’t groundbreaking, they’re genuinely enjoyable.

Grade: B-

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie will be released on Apr. 1.

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2026-03-31 23:12