The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is a colorful, fun-filled adventure through the Nintendo universe. Picking up from its predecessor, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Bowser Jr. and his army of Koopas capture the cosmic princess known as Rosalina. After one of her Lumas travels to the Mushroom Kingdom and asks Princess Peach for help, Peach, Toad, and the Mario brothers venture across the galaxy on a mission to rescue Rosalina.
Many characters are brought back from the last movie. Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy) returns as the voice of Mario. Fan favorite Jack Black, who was recently the guest on Saturday Night Live, is the voice of Bowser. Brie Larson (Captain Marvel) is new to the cast, voicing Rosalina, and Donald Glover (Atlanta and Community) gives a comically accurate performance as the voice of Yoshi.
There is an astonishing number of easter eggs to be found in this movie. Most of them are direct references to the video game Super Mario Galaxy, which was originally released in 2007 on the Nintendo Wii. What’s really interesting is that there are a few character appearances from Nintendo franchises outside the world of Mario, which I’m sure many Nintendo fans will appreciate.
What’s lacking from this movie is a well-developed storyline. It’s well-paced and easy to follow. But most of the time, the plot felt dry and lacked motivation, and it just wasn’t engaging enough to care about. An example of this is Peach and Toad’s visit to the Gateway Galaxy in search of Rosalina. This section of the movie was filled with details that felt unimportant to the plot, which made it seem like they were added just for the sake of having a story
Despite this, the movie’s stunning visuals, excellent sound design, and stacks upon stacks of Nintendo references make up for this flaw. One of the most jaw-dropping scenes was during Peach’s birthday celebration when a bright mass of Star Bits flew over the Mushroom Kingdom. Paired with the movie’s soundtrack, which included pieces of music from the Super Mario Galaxy video game, this magically awe-inspiring scene gave me chills the first time I saw it.
Overall, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is a nice treat to watch. I give it a 7.5/10. It’s a great movie for kids, Nintendo fans, or those who simply want to watch some eye candy. Just don’t go into it expecting Christopher Nolan-level storytelling.
