Photo via IMDb
By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
Everyone’s favorite plumbers are back on the big screen for the sequel to their 2023 smashing success. “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is based on Nintendo’s hottest selling video game franchise with vibrantly colorful animation from the folks at Illumination. Despite being an even bigger visual spectacle, the story is woefully neglected and constructed more as an afterthought.
When Rosalina (Brie Larson) is captured by Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie), Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy), Mario (Chris Pratt), Luigi (Charlie Day), and Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) fly into action to rescue the powerful princess. Leaving the comfortable confines of the Mushroom Kingdom, they race across the galaxy, encountering new friends like Yoshi (Donald Glover) and Fox McCloud (Glen Powell) as well as old enemies like Bowser (Jack Black). Time is not on their side as Bowser Jr. siphons the magical energy from Rosalina to power his Death Star-like weapon.
The director team of Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, and Pierre Leduc return to captain this sequel, which certainly helps to retain the continuity from the first film. The look, feel, and characters all strike that familiar chord from the 2023 film, however, the story is much weaker. This narrative is paper thin and is purely constructed to center around video game nostalgia. While its predecessor had a simplicity to the plot as well, with plenty of nostalgic elements, those elements were not the focus of that film. These directors choose to build the sequel around easter eggs, which fans of the video games will likely love, but those looking for more of an entertaining storyline that pushes the franchise forward will be sorely disappointed. Even the supposed stars, Mario and Luigi, are pushed to the background to make room for the new characters.
If TikTok were to make a feature length film out of its short videos, this is what it would like. The feverishly paced action scenes are thrown together haphazardly, leading to overstimulation disguised as entertainment that will drive anyone not suffering from ADHD nuts. At times, it literally feels like the directors are quick swiping through social media videos like a young teenager, making viewers dizzy in their wake. Or, in the world of video games, it’s the equivalent of facing a button masher. There is no artful stringing together of masterful combos, it’s just pressing everything all at once hoping one of them lands. Although, today’s youngsters are known as the TikTok generation, so they will likely love the frenetic scene mashing. This combined with the beautiful array of animated colors will likely hold their attention from start to finish.
Then there’s the lack of humor that was present in the first film. Again, the focus on incorporating nostalgic bits does not leave room for much else, and the most the directors achieve out of comedy are a few half-hearted chuckles. There is also zero emotional attachment to the story arc and the characters, making for an unfulfilling experience. The directors simply go for the lowest hanging fruits of frivolous thrills and fan-based cheers of deep cuts for those who would slay a Nintendo trivia competition.
The vocal cast is a star-studded expansion from the previous film that adds the talents of Brie Larson, Benny Safdie, Donald Glover, and Glen Powell to the already talented ensemble who all retained their prior roles. Unfortunately, the level of talent is muted by the rudimentary dialogue and lack of character development. In fact, Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, and Anya Taylor-Joy become quite forgettable with their characters who all digress from the first film to this one. Only Jack Black stands out in any meaningful way as Bowser, struggling to combine a reformative attitude with fatherhood that pulls him in the opposite direction.
Much like a screen saver, this animated film is pleasing to look at, but you will soon grow tired of it as you realize there is no depth to the flashy imagery. “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” succumbs to a poisoned mushroom of simplified fan service that is a major step down from the 2023 film. Still, it’s going to rack up the coins like it found a hidden room, so hopefully they use those coins to rebound and gain an extra life for the inevitable next sequel.
This movie earns:
