By Gabriel Payne
The sequel to 2023’s “The Super Mario Bros Movie” has been long anticipated by fans all over the world, young and old alike. The newest installment into a promising collection of films inspired by the treasured “Super Mario Brothers” video games promised new characters to love, new locations to explore and fun for the whole family.
From the opening scene, the intention of the filmmakers for this beloved project is clear. This was created to rake in as much money as possible: through nostalgia baiting, fan service and all the bells and whistles of modern animated filmmaking that young audiences love. However, the project does not sacrifice its quality to achieve this goal, offering an entertaining experience for all audiences.
“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” expands the universe of the Mario brothers (Chris Pratt and Charlie Day) as they travel across the galaxy on a quest to rescue the kidnapped Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson) from the clutches of the vengeful, wicked Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie). Along their journey, the brothers make several new friends such as Yoshi (Donald Glover), Fox McCloud (Glen Powell) and the Lumas (Virginia Dare Jelencic).
The nature of a journey story allows the creators to display all sorts of settings, terrains and ideas without these places influencing the plot at all. The “galaxy” concept is utilized to the maximum level, as several types of planets are explored and interacted with throughout the journey such as a dinosaur world, an underwater planet and a lava realm. There was nothing held back from the creative side of things.
By placing the characters in many different settings, not only does the visual appeal of the film increase, but there is also an opportunity to demonstrate unique environment interactions. Because each location feels so different from the last, the brother’s journey becomes highly entertaining as you begin to anticipate what the next galaxy has to offer. Not only does this keep younger audiences engaged, but it also keeps older viewers mildly interested.
The film also has a high appeal because of its fan service. There are several character cameos, deep cut references and location inclusions that contribute little to the story. However, in the theatre experience, they elicit gasps of joy or pointing fingers of recognition among the audience as they excitedly feel like they are “in the know” with the filmmakers.
Following the trend of the rest of multiverse crazy Hollywood, the film intends not to further the plot with these references, but to entertain and excite. The promise of interactions between the characters of your favorite franchises offers an irresistible allure that points to a Marvel Cinematic Universe-like epic crossover film in the near future.
Although the goal of making money is clearly discernible in this project, and many of the creative decisions are nothing more than hollow cash grabs— the entire experience is enjoyable. The filmmakers keep you entertained from start to finish and to expect anything more than that is unrealistic.
While diehard Mario fans are raging about the film’s inconsistencies with the source material and obvious lack of heart, its performance at the box office is a clear indicator of its success. The film is dominating with the largest box office opening of 2026, $372 million worldwide.
This is the fifth biggest global for an animated film in history, sending a clear message straight to Hollywood. Modern audiences don’t need artistic flair or masterful storytelling or well developed, meaningful themes. They just want to be entertained.
Overall, this film is a simple and enjoyable watch for the family. There are no major complaints to be made except for what the film didn’t include, a heart. I would recommend checking it out in theatres and rate it a 6/10.
“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is currently playing in theatres
Gabriel Payne is a junior Mechanical Engineering major whose greatest passion in life is glorifying the Lord, followed closely by some good soul food.
Pictures courtesy of Universal Pictures, Nintendo, and Illumination Entertainment
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