‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ Review: Let's-a stop!
When The Super Mario Galaxy Movie was announced as the sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, I had only hoped Illumination would learn from the first film’s flaws and give the plot the same care they give the animation. With Nintendo charging more for games and cashing in on Mario’s 40th anniversary, I thought this sequel, which features Rosalina, Bowser Jr., Yoshi, and a crap ton of Nintendo characters, would at least be a good Mario movie. In typical Illumination fashion, it’s a hyperactive, candy-coated, colorful cash grab with frenetic action and a less coherent story. It’s a children’s Fast & Furious. Even though kids will enjoy it, this sloppy adaptation of a great Mario game is one of the worst family-friendly video game adaptations in recent history. Yoshi's Egg on my face for hoping more from a studio intent on only giving less.
Image copyright (©) Courtesy of Universal Pictures
MPA Rating: R (for strong/bloody violence and language.)
Runtime: 1 Hour and 38 Minutes
Language: English
Production Companies: Illumination, Nintendo
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Director: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic
Screenwriters: Matthew Fogel
Cast: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Benny Safdie, Donald Glover, Issa Rae, Luis Guzmán, Kevin Michael Richardson, Brie Larson
U.S Release Date: April 1, 2026
When Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie) captures the mother of the cosmos, Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson), a Luma seeks help from Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy). Though unfamiliar with Rosalina, Peach answers the call and sets out across the galaxy with Toad (Keegan-Michael Key).
Meanwhile, Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) encounter a newly hatched Yoshi (Donald Glover) during a plumbing job. With Peach away, they’re left to watch over the Mushroom Kingdom. After a run-in with Bowser Jr. – who arrives via spaceship to rescue his imprisoned father, Bowser (Jack Black) – Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi are pulled into an intergalactic mission to stop the Koopa prince from freeing his dad and using a superweapon to conquer the universe.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie looks and sounds great—if only that were enough.
L to R: Bowser Junior and Bowser in Nintendo and Illumination’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic. Copyright© Nintendo and Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
On a positive note, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie improves on its predecessor by ditching the terrible '80s needle drops and letting composer Brian Tyler's score control the aux. His orchestral renditions of classic Mario themes match the on-screen jovial chaos, which remains pretty enjoyable.
The voice cast is largely fine. Chris Pratt's Mario doesn't annoy me as much anymore (stock-YAHOO-lm syndrome kicking in). Still, he's near the bottom of the totem pole, especially compared to Charlie Day's pitch-perfect Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy's girlboss Peach, Donald Glover just saying "Yoshi," and Jack Black's amusing Bowser. The standout is an unrecognizable Benny Safdie as Bowser Jr. He sounds like a grown man channeling a child from a '90s Nickelodeon cartoon (think Invader Zim), and it works for his adorable character model. Glen Powell is fine as Fox McCloud, leaning into the comedic Top Gun persona they give the Star Fox leader.
Illumination's animation team excels at translating the games to the big screen with bombastic, Marvel-style spectacle, made more vibrant by the CG animation's pristine quality. I also appreciate the liveliness in different incorporated techniques; puppetry, 2D '80s-style animation, and pixel art all land for a few creative gags that genuinely made me smile.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie button-mashes through story and structure.
Caption: L to R: Yoshi (Donald Glover), Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) in Nintendo and Illumination’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic. Copyright© Nintendo and Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
It astounds me that these Mario movies are helmed by the Teen Titans Go! guys, Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, given that show gleefully clowns the very type of movie they're now making. That said, they have a keen eye for kinetic, extravagant action sequences. I still wish they'd get to pen these movies because this sequel is worse and less cohesive than the previous entry.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is an ADHD frenzy, jingling keys in your kid's face, or yours, if you're a smooth-brained adult who likes to watch movies for the sake of pointing at the screen, cheering over recognition, or recording in the theater to farm engagement on social media, until nobody cares anymore.
Much like Fast & Furious, Mario Galaxy's creative peak lies in its action set pieces, crafted to honor distinct eras of Mario's 40-year history, but the moment you ask for a functioning story, let alone a three-act structure, it beats you over the head like a coin block, squeezing money from you and your kids. Whereas Mario Bros. applied the generic “hero’s journey 101” book that’s been in rotation since George Lucas ripped off Frank Herbert, Mario Galaxy threw whichever book was necessary to do a sequel at Peach’s castle window.
Going bigger while delivering less, as Illumination sequels tend to do, the film functions like a Mario improv troupe. It operates on a continuous string of "yes, ands" with no structural discipline. It offers solid ideas: Mario's budding crush on Peach, the Mario Bros. (and Yoshi) as blue-collar heroes, Bowser seeking redemption as a father, and even the “Why did you spoil it before release?” Fox McCloud. But the moment an idea sparks, Shigeru Miyamoto and Chris Meledandri’s demand for constant action and unfunny slapstick with a concise 90-minute runtime for maximum showtime profit drowns it out.
A galaxy in name only, powered by nostalgia and nothing else.
Caption: Rosalina (Brie Larson) in Nintendo and Illumination’s THE SUPER MARIO GALAXY MOVIE, directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic.Copyright© Nintendo and Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
The "galaxy" element is title-only, and Rosalina is reduced to a MacGuffin rather than a character. It’s a waste of Brie Larson's casting. Most of its reference-frenzy set pieces incorporate more of Mario Odyssey and early-run titles – a little bit of Yoshi’s Island and Super Mario World here, Mario Bros. 2 (or Doki Doki Panic if you’re a nerd) there, even a fun spin on World 1-4 – than Galaxy.
It's clear these movies are turning Mario into an MCU-style kiddie superhero franchise. Every moment tees up a larger Nintendo cinematic universe. Not necessarily Smash Bros., but more Nintendo spin-offs or whatever piques Illumination and Miyamoto’s interests. It sounds promising, but Galaxy's laziness makes that prospect feel grim. If the studio is clearly in it for the coin blocks and doesn't give a toadstool about quality moviemaking, why should you care about the future? Because of nostalgia. Well, to quote a Teen Titans Go! episode's title that Galaxy's director once produced, “Nostalgia is Not a Substitute for an Actual Story.”
It frustrates me how lazy and bloated these Mario movies are, coasting on their brand name rather than discernible effort beyond stunning animation, made to delight your youngsters. That shouldn't fly when video game family fare is doing better. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 had real weight in its storytelling while being epic, fan-service-heavy, and genuinely funny. I didn't even like Minecraft, but the kids in my theater had a blast, and it got a few chuckles out of me. At The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, my audience (myself included) sat in stone-cold silence, waiting for something beyond committee-driven hollowness.
I'm saying this as both a Mario fan and a cinephile. I expect more, especially when competitors are putting in real effort these days. Frankly, you should expect more, too.
FINAL STATEMENT
Even more unfocused, insipid, and hollow than its predecessor, like a stomped Koopa shell, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is a frenetic, incoherent mess masked as a Mario celebration. It's made to grab your bag like Wario, leaving nothing beyond colorful visuals and a bevy of references. I don’t know what else to say other than “This is all Kevin Feige’s fault.”
