**This article contains spoilers for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie**
This year is shaping up to be one of the most fun years for blockbusters in a long time. Two of the most surprising hits, Project Hail Mary and Pixar’s Hoppers, both released last month, received overwhelmingly positive reactions from critics and audiences.
However, one blockbuster that was guaranteed to explode in cosmic proportions is Nintendo and Illumination’s newest film, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Since its predecessor, The Super Mario Brothers Movie (2023), fans have been waiting for its follow-up with anticipation.
Just last year, in a live direct video hosted by Nintendo, it was revealed that the sequel would adapt the beloved video game Super Mario Galaxy (2007).
The film has now been out for nearly two weeks, but does it live up to the hype? If you’ve been on social media lately, the reactions have been widely split between fans. There was never a doubt that the film would succeed financially, but it’s generally said that any good adaptation should strive to honor its source material.
Illumination and Nintendo had the difficult task of adapting a massively popular video game while still expanding upon it in a way that suits the movie format. I got the chance to watch the sequel a few days after its release, so here are my thoughts on how it holds up.
The Story and Characters
The movie follows Mario and Luigi as they navigate their new lives in the Mushroom Kingdom alongside Toad and Princess Peach. However, things take a turn when a creature called a Luma arrives during Peach’s celebration to ask for help in rescuing its mother, Princess Rosalina.
The group splits, leaving the Mario brothers with a new dinosaur friend, Yoshi, as they travel through the galaxy in search of the kidnapped princess.
Naturally, Bowser returns from his imprisonment in the last film, now in pocket size. We soon learn that Rosalina was captured by Bowser’s son, Bowser Jr., who goes on a search to reunite with his dad.
The film bounces quite a bit, shifting between three different perspectives. The focus would move from the Mario Bros. to Bowser, and then to Princess Peach as she makes her way to find Rosalina.
It can be a lot at once, especially when action scenes are involved. However, I personally enjoyed the different plotlines, even when it felt like we were jumping through the different worlds at a fast pace.
Adapting Galaxy and World Building
Now I’ll admit, I’m more of a casual Mario fan than anything else. I grew up with some of the games, such as Mario Party and Mario Kart, to name a few. However, I’m not as familiar with the main storyline-based games, which include the original Super Mario Galaxy. Still, from some of the prior research I did, the game seems to be very different from its film counterpart.
This mainly pertains to the narrative itself more than anything else. Many of Galaxy’s characters and bosses are featured in the movie, like the Lumas and the Honey Queen, respectively. When it comes to the story, however, it’s not quite a 1-to-1 recreation.
In the 2007 Galaxy game, Mario must set off on a rescue of Princess Peach, who has been kidnapped by Bowser once again. The main difference is that he meets Princess Rosalina for the first time, who helps him navigate the different galaxies and ultimately save Peach.
The movie has Mario and Peach go on a mission to rescue Rosalina instead, who’s imprisoned for powering up Bowser Jr.’s ship. This change can cause fans to have some whiplash, possibly portraying Rosalina as a plot device instead of a proper protagonist.
In my opinion, it does seem that her role was slightly diminished, but her presence was felt throughout the narrative. She still served a crucial role within the story overall.
What the movie lacks in storytelling, it makes up for with its world-building. There are several lands shown throughout that were carefully crafted to reflect their presence within the video games.
Some of these lands include the Desert Lands (the Sand Kingdom), the Mushroom Kingdom, the Gateway Galaxy, and Rosalina’s Comet Observatory. There are only a few locations featured, and they’re truly a sight to see for Mario fans.
Not only are the lands beautifully animated, but the attention to detail is on another level. From the characters that reside there to the transportation and quirky mechanics of each world, you feel totally immersed in the film as a viewer.
Surprises and Fan Reactions
Every adaptation has some surprises up its sleeve, and this one is no exception. One of the protagonists of Nintendo’s Star Fox franchise, Fox McCloud, was revealed to be in the film just days before its release. His screentime was surprisingly longer than a typical cameo, which was fun to see, as I initially expected him to be a minor character.
The biggest surprise to most fans, me included, was the plot twist revealing Peach and Rosalina to be sisters. I’ve always secretly hoped there would be some relation between them, but no one expected anything to be confirmed. It’s hard to say if this will be a story change made in the games moving forward or reserved for the film franchise (I would say it’s probably the latter).
Of course, there were more cameos by other Super Mario characters that are best experienced if you go in blind. I’ll mention, though, that you’ll want to stay for the end credits. There’s a special surprise that will be sure to please and excite fans for the next adventure in the movie series.
Undoubtedly, this sequel has already succeeded as a blockbuster, as it has made its way to the top of the box office. While it has received mixed and negative reviews from critics, many loyal Mario fans noted that they had a great time in the movie theater. I, for one, am very curious to see what comes next for this animation juggernaut.
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