The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026)
Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic
[Rated PG] 1hr 38min
★
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is an animated family adventure film based on the Super Mario video game series and is the sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023). After Princess Rosalina gets captured by Bowser Jr, Princess Peach must go on a quest to rescue her before Bowser Jr destroys the universe with Rosalina’s powers. Meanwhile, Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi get pulled into Peach’s journey as well when Bowser Jr abducts them to free his father from imprisonment.
With all of the problems and shortcomings this film has, the one thing it does really well is accurately adapt the style of storytelling that traditional Super Mario games have had for decades. In other words, there is no story. Not a single plot element has any meaning that contributes to an overarching narrative, and there isn’t any major theme development whatsoever. This can work in a video game because there’s also the entire gameplay aspect, but that doesn’t exist in a movie, so it needs to have something more in order to create an engaging experience. The closest anything in the film ever gets to an actual theme is the occasional reference to the father-son dynamic between Bowser and Bowser Jr, but it’s so basic and underdeveloped that in virtually any other movie, it would just be another minor element meant to enhance an already established thematic through line. As a result, the film doesn’t have anything of substance that would make watching it worthwhile. Even the flashy, colorful visuals aren’t enough to keep the film interesting because there’s no story for them to support. The subpar voice acting also doesn’t enhance the experience either. Although Benny Safdie (the director of The Smashing Machine) and Glen Powell (Twisters, The Running Man, How to Make a Killing) give solid performances as Bowser Jr and Fox McCloud, respectively, the other voice actors just aren’t very good in this movie, especially Chris Pratt as Mario, who sounds like he’s just reading directly from the script most of the time. Even Jack Black, who stole the show as Bowser in the previous film, doesn’t do much at all with his role this time. Overall, this movie simply falls flat on every level and doesn’t have any redeeming qualities to make up for it.
I only recommend The Super Mario Galaxy Movie to massive fans of the Super Mario franchise who are able to recognize a variety of references and Easter eggs from many of the games, as this film heavily relies on them to keep audiences engaged. As a result, anyone without extensive knowledge of the franchise will likely find this film to be fairly dull due to its lack of a narrative and thematic impact.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is now playing in theaters. Click here to watch the Final Trailer.
– Review by Will Hopper