PLOT: When Princess Peach’s (Anya Taylor-Joy) fellow Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson) is kidnapped by Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie), it’s Mario (Chris Pratt), Luigi (Charlie Day), and their new pal Yoshi (Donald Glover) to the rescue!
REVIEW: The Super Mario Bros. Movie still ranks as the most financially successful video game adaptation of all time. Actually, it’s not even close, with the runner-up, A Minecraft Movie, still about $400 million shy of the over $1.3 billion it grossed at the international box office. The only thing surprising about its success was that it took so long for Nintendo to opt for an animated adaptation, with their colourful, cartoon-looking games ideal for the medium.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie will likely make (at least) another billion bucks, and judging from the video game influencer screening I attended, it pleases its hardcore audience—and then some. Once again, it’s beautifully animated, energetic, and has so many Easter eggs you’ll lose count in about five minutes. But, like the last film, it’s hyperactive and doesn’t have much of a story. It’s utterly action-driven, being the animated equivalent of a Marvel movie or action tentpole.
I had a good enough time with it, even if I’m not the target audience. Kids will eat it up, as will Nintendo devotees. It’s a fun time, with Mario and Luigi being left in charge of the Mushroom Kingdom while Peach, who Mario has a monster crush on, is off across the galaxy trying to save Rosalina, with Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) in tow. But, wouldn’t you know it, within moments Mario and Luigi, along with a shrunken Bowser (a returning Jack Black), are zapped across the galaxy too, with everyone being hunted by the new bad guy, Bowser Jr., who wants to harness Rosalina’s power to create a galaxy-destroying weapon.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie isn’t much more than a bunch of action scenes strung together, with lots of comedy added in. In fact, this might be the most action-heavy animated movie I’ve seen in a while, with it almost kung-fu movie-coded in how, in the big fight scenes, Mario, Luigi, and their new best bud, Yoshi, take turns tagging in, like you’d see in a good melee.
One thing about Galaxy that feels like a misstep is that Mario and Peach, despite their burgeoning romance, spend too much time apart. There’s a sweetness to their story that grounds the movie a bit, but instead they’re sent on their separate ways, with Anya Taylor-Joy feeling like she’s been given a little less to do this time out.
However, the movie’s big asset is Yoshi, who’s really well-voiced by Donald Glover, doing a nice impersonation of the Yoshi sounds we hear in the video game. I like how he’s introduced and immediately becomes Mario and Luigi’s new best friend – no questions asked, joining them on their galaxy-hopping adventures (and seemingly moving in with them within seconds of meeting – but hey who wouldn’t want Yoshi in their house?). Another neat addition is Starfox himself, Fox McCloud, who’s perfectly cast with Glen Powell doing the voice. If you can’t get Tom Cruise, he’s the guy, and the cocky Fox seems like he’s being set up to get his own spinoff movie based more closely on the Starfox series—with him brought into the Mario universe really just as a way of introducing him to the big screen. Disappointingly, Seth Rogen’s Donkey Kong sits this one out, but there are so many new characters thrown in you might not miss him.
Writing a really critical Super Mario Galaxy review is probably a fool’s errand, as I doubt anyone reading this who had it in their minds to go see this movie would be swayed either way. For what it is, it’s a fun, brightly coloured animated adventure. Does it push the form like the best Pixar movies or even the stuff Sony’s cranking out? No—but it’s entertaining and gets the job done. Plus—your kids will love it.