Mamma mia! The Super Mario Brothers are back on the big screen in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, a sequel to the 2023 film that has them traveling across the galaxy on a rescue mission.
When Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson) is taken prisoner by Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie) in an effort to free his father and create the ultimate weapon, it falls upon the Mario Brothers – (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) – to travel the galaxy and save her.
Joining the famous plumber brothers on this zany space adventure are Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) and their new dinosaur friend, Yoshi (Donald Glover).
While the Mario brothers are kept hopping, Bowser (Jack Black), who was once the most dangerous enemy of the Super Mario Brothers, is dealing with some life-changing ideas that might not go along well with his son’s plans.
Directed once again by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is a visually bright, colorful sequel that has bigger, more action-packed scenes but lacks heart and an interesting script. It’s a loud, colorful, chaotic mess of jumbled action scenes that would work much better in a video game. In fact, the video game that inspired the film is more creative and entertaining.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has a hugely talented voice cast bringing the video game characters to life. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be much enthusiasm behind the voices. Chris Pratt and Anya Taylor-Joy are almost phoning it in with their practically unemotional delivery of lines. The same can be said of Brie Larson, who voices the new character, Princess Rosalina.
Only Jack Black and Benny Safdie shine as the voices of Bowser and Bowser Jr. Black gives Bowser a real emotional range, wanting to be a “good dad” but not sure if conquering everyone in the galaxy is the right thing to do anymore. Safdie delivers the best vocal performance as Bowser Jr., who idolizes his dad and is determined to rule the galaxy with him. The father and son duo are by far the most entertaining characters in the film.
Glen Powell delivers a spot-on vocal performance as the new character Fox McCloud, the cocky space pilot helping Mario, Luigi, and Peach travel across the galaxy on their quest. Powell would rank up there with Black and Safdie’s performances, but sadly doesn’t get enough screen time to make a real impact.
Visually bright but soulless, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is sure to entertain children and diehard fans of the video games while the adults and the rest of the audience count the minutes until the credits roll.
GRADE: C-
Release Date: April 1, 2026
Runtime: 1 hour 38 minutes
Rating: PG for rude humor, mild violence, and action
Production Companies: Universal Pictures, Nintendo, Illumination Entertainment
The post The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Review: A Visually Bright, Soulless Sequel appeared first on ShowbizJunkies.
0 Comments