Written by Ronnie Gorham
It’s been a few weeks since The Super Mario Galaxy Movie hit theaters, and it’s still surreal seeing a Mario universe exist on the big screen outside the games. In this latest entry, Bowser (Jack Black) steps aside as the big bad to let his son, Bowser Jr. (voiced by Bennie Safdie) take a crack at reigning terror and destruction on Mario (Chris Pratt), Luigi (Charlie Day), Yoshi (Donald Glover), Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) and everything they hold dear. Bowser Jr. has kidnapped a powerful Princess named Rosalina (Brie Larson) with the intent to use her powers to power up his weapon, the Boomsday Machine. With her galactic powers, it’s a race against time for the Mario brothers to stop him with the fate of the Galaxy hanging in the balance. But is this super charged sequel worth warping to the theater for, or should you save your extra lives for something else?
While the Super Mario films are made for all ages, if you grew up in the ’80s or ’90s, you remember the ritual: blowing into cartridges, pulling on controller cords as if that’s what made Mario jump, and banging on the console because that’s what made it “work.” Watching Illumination continue to bring this world to life feels like a reward for surviving the era of janky hardware and pure imagination. Sure, the movie has a few plot holes and blink and you’ll miss them cameos, but overall, it works.
What makes Super Mario Galaxy pop right from the start is how much bigger and bolder it feels than the first. The stakes are higher, Luigi finally gets screen time, and the movie wastes no time establishing Bowser Jr. as a genuine threat, kidnapping Princess Rosalina and setting his sights on wiping out the universe alongside his father. Bowser Jr., who first appeared in the 2002 video game Super Mario Sunshine for the Nintendo GameCube, is a menacing equivalent to his father. Aside from that, the pace is fast, the danger is clear, and the film lets you know right away that this isn’t just another trip around the Mushroom Kingdom.
The newcomers shine too—especially fan favorite, Yoshi. His introduction set to Biggie’s “Hypnotize” as he struts through Brooklyn is hilarious and weirdly perfect. Yoshi steals scenes throughout the movie, especially a funny moment in the final battle, delivering exactly the kind of tongue lashing chaos fans want. He’s cute, green and adorable. What’s not to love?
What could have used a bit of tweaking is the variety of characters who show up throughout the film, including smaller villains like Wart, Birdo and Mouser, who maybe could have used a small parentheses caption with their name to help the uninitiated audience members keep up with some of these great characters. Fox McCloud (Glen Powell) is the exception, who is given a great introduction and a good moment or two in the film and who we can hopefully look forward to a spinoff in the near future.
The cast remains stellar. Chris Pratt and Charlie Day have settled comfortably into their plumber bro dynamic, and the story gives Princess Peach and Princess Rosalina more emotional weight and backstory. Jack Black once again crushes it as Bowser, though sadly, we don’t get another musical number this time around. Donald Glover adds a Groot like charm to Yoshi but in his own cool, comedic swagger.
Overall, if you haven’t seen Super Mario Galaxy yet, ignore social media, grab yourself a bag of popcorn and strap in for a totally good time. If you love the Mario games, you’ll love seeing scenes like the rotating fire obstacles brought to life. It’s not perfect, but it’s pure Mario magic, the kind that reminds you why you ever picked up a controller in the first place.
