In 2023, I posited that The Super Mario Bros. Movie was “fast-paced, energetic, and full of clever Nintendo references,” and then asked the question: “So why does it feel so hollow?” The same can be said about its sequel, the fast-paced, energetic, and Nintendo-stuffed The Super Mario Galaxy Movie that does, sadly, still feel hollow.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has plenty for kids: it’s a nonstop adventure of color and ridiculousness that sends Mario and Luigi across the galaxy to rescue a Princess Peach lookalike from Bowser Jr., who is intent on rescuing his dastardly father and destroying all that have opposed him. The movie introduces popular characters such as Yoshi (voiced by Donald Glover) and Fox McCloud (Glen Powell), and presumably plenty of other Nintendo characters, cameos, and elements that completely went over my head.
In short, there are plenty of things to like.
But two movies in, directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic and screenwriter Matthew Fogel have yet to find the comedic rhythm and tone that could help elevate the material beyond elementary-school depth–and strangely, they abandoned one of the best parts of the first movie (more on that in a moment).
Of course, two movies in and billions of dollars later, the filmmakers are laughing their way to the bank–but The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is sorely lacking that “special something.” All of the characters bleed together, indistinguishable from the next. Mario, Luigi, Toad, Yoshi, Fox McCloud and the rest–all cut from the same cloth. It took me a good chunk of time to realize that Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson) wasn’t Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy). Sure, Bowser has some anger issues, but even he’s watered down this time around. Horvath, Jelenic, and Fogel don’t seem to care that all of their characters sound and act the same, but some variety would go a long way.
Even the new main villain Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie), though amusing at times, stands apart more for his “powers” than anything he actually says or does.
But back to Bowser. One of the highlights and funny surprises of the first movie was that the Big Baddie, voiced by Jack Black, was so in love with Princess Peach that he would break out in song in ways only Jack Black can. His musical numbers were a refreshing and hilarious reprieve from the predictable and tension-free video game antics put to screen.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie drops the musical numbers entirely. Bowser has anger issues, but Jack Black isn’t allowed to let loose this time. The filmmakers essentially do away with their biggest asset, causing a regression in entertainment value.
From my review of the original, I said that “it’s when The Super Mario Bros. Movie gleefully goes in unexpected directions that the movie shines.” Unfortunately, with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, while it looks the same and has many of the same antics, it plays things even safer. That’s a real shame.
Review by Erik Samdahl. Erik is a marketing and technology executive by day, avid movie lover by night. He is a member of the Seattle Film Critics Society.