If there was ever a movie I wished that I loved, it’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. So many elements that would’ve made a great Mario movie are here. The voice acting, music, and animation are all great. There are great action scenes that feel like you’re sitting in the middle of action straight from the game. But the movie’s pacing is all over the place, and the plot is incoherent. It’s also lacking proper resolutions to the different storylines, and the movie’s emotional thread falls apart repeatedly.
On the other hand, it was fun going to see it in theaters, and it’s still worth seeing as a communal movie experience.
My favorite element of this film was the voice acting. Each role was impeccably cast. You have the returning actors such as Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, and Keegan-Michael Key. But then you have some real standouts with new actors such as Glen Powell as Fox McCloud, Brie Larson as Rosalina, and my favorite, Luis Guzman as Wart. Now, I say that the voice acting is fantastic, but the problem is that the three characters I listed barely have any screen time. They feel like they have about five minutes, which is disappointing. None of these characters have proper resolutions.
The score by Brian Tyler is also fantastic, and chances are you’ll hear your favorite music from the franchise at some point. Mario music always had a cinematic feel to it, so it translates very well to the big screen. The sound effects in the movie are great and feel like fleshed-out translations from the game to film.
I really enjoy Illumination’s animation style with its bright and colorful graphics. For what they are, I’ve always thought that the Despicable Me and Secret Life of Pets movies work because they look great. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie continues Illumination’s tradition of excellence. It looks like a brighter and more high-definition version of the games. There’s a lot on screen, but nothing feels like it’s just thrown in there. One thing that did bother me about the first film was that there were way too many visual easter eggs scattered across the screen, and that feels a little more toned down here.
What’s not working in the film, however, brings it down so much. The main problem here is that due to the breakneck pacing and different elements from different games thrown in the film, nothing ever gets resolved. Important plot points with Princess Peach and Rosalina and Bowser and Bowser Jr. are just hand-waved away to speed to the conclusion. This led me to just not caring about anyone, and that’s especially bad in a movie based on a series that I grew up playing. Even though the visual background cameos have been toned down, the film’s plot is drenched in fan service, turning it into a mess.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie borrows plot points from several different games and crams it all together to make something that’s supposed to appeal to each generation of Mario fans. A good amount of the plot is based on Super Mario Galaxy, but there are also elements from Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario World, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, and a little bit of Super Mario Sunshine. I get that when you’re making something based on Mario, a franchise that has so much cross-generational recognition, that you want to appeal to everyone. But when you drop a little bit of plot here and a little bit of plot here, it comes off as if every scene is an easter egg.
Despite the movie having major story problems, I feel like it’s still worth going to see if you love Mario. I had enough fun when Mario and Luigi got their power-ups and had these great action scenes. There are also a few scenes with Yoshi that are great. The scene where Mario and Fox meet is really funny because it subverts genre tropes. It was also fun seeing it in a packed theater with kids and grown-ups all there because we all grew up on Mario.
I wish I could love this movie. If the pacing had been better and the movie had focused on one game, it would’ve worked. It’s miles better than the 1993 live-action film, but it’s nowhere near as good as the 2023 film. I still think fans of the series should go check it out while it’s in theaters, though. Super Mario Galaxy is a fun Mario adventure with a lot of moments that can make fans happy.
If there was ever a movie I wished that I loved, it’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. So many elements that would’ve made a great Mario movie are here, but the movie’s pacing is all over the place, and the plot is incoherent. It’s also lacking proper resolutions to the different storylines, and the movie’s emotional thread falls apart repeatedly.
If there was ever a movie I wished that I loved, it’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. So many elements that would’ve made a great Mario movie are here. The voice acting, music, and animation are all great. There are great action scenes that feel like you’re sitting in the middle of action straight from the game. But the movie’s pacing is all over the place, and the plot is incoherent. It’s also lacking proper resolutions to the different storylines, and the movie’s emotional thread falls apart repeatedly.
On the other hand, it was fun going to see it in theaters, and it’s still worth seeing as a communal movie experience.
My favorite element of this film was the voice acting. Each role was impeccably cast. You have the returning actors such as Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, and Keegan-Michael Key. But then you have some real standouts with new actors such as Glen Powell as Fox McCloud, Brie Larson as Rosalina, and my favorite, Luis Guzman as Wart. Now, I say that the voice acting is fantastic, but the problem is that the three characters I listed barely have any screen time. They feel like they have about five minutes, which is disappointing. None of these characters have proper resolutions.
The score by Brian Tyler is also fantastic, and chances are you’ll hear your favorite music from the franchise at some point. Mario music always had a cinematic feel to it, so it translates very well to the big screen. The sound effects in the movie are great and feel like fleshed-out translations from the game to film.
I really enjoy Illumination’s animation style with its bright and colorful graphics. For what they are, I’ve always thought that the Despicable Me and Secret Life of Pets movies work because they look great. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie continues Illumination’s tradition of excellence. It looks like a brighter and more high-definition version of the games. There’s a lot on screen, but nothing feels like it’s just thrown in there. One thing that did bother me about the first film was that there were way too many visual easter eggs scattered across the screen, and that feels a little more toned down here.
What’s not working in the film, however, brings it down so much. The main problem here is that due to the breakneck pacing and different elements from different games thrown in the film, nothing ever gets resolved. Important plot points with Princess Peach and Rosalina and Bowser and Bowser Jr. are just hand-waved away to speed to the conclusion. This led me to just not caring about anyone, and that’s especially bad in a movie based on a series that I grew up playing. Even though the visual background cameos have been toned down, the film’s plot is drenched in fan service, turning it into a mess.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie borrows plot points from several different games and crams it all together to make something that’s supposed to appeal to each generation of Mario fans. A good amount of the plot is based on Super Mario Galaxy, but there are also elements from Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario World, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, and a little bit of Super Mario Sunshine. I get that when you’re making something based on Mario, a franchise that has so much cross-generational recognition, that you want to appeal to everyone. But when you drop a little bit of plot here and a little bit of plot here, it comes off as if every scene is an easter egg.
Despite the movie having major story problems, I feel like it’s still worth going to see if you love Mario. I had enough fun when Mario and Luigi got their power-ups and had these great action scenes. There are also a few scenes with Yoshi that are great. The scene where Mario and Fox meet is really funny because it subverts genre tropes. It was also fun seeing it in a packed theater with kids and grown-ups all there because we all grew up on Mario.
I wish I could love this movie. If the pacing had been better and the movie had focused on one game, it would’ve worked. It’s miles better than the 1993 live-action film, but it’s nowhere near as good as the 2023 film. I still think fans of the series should go check it out while it’s in theaters, though. Super Mario Galaxy is a fun Mario adventure with a lot of moments that can make fans happy.
by Kayla Merritt
