Spoiler Warning
“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is the second Super Mario animated film released, following the billion-dollar success of the first film three years ago. The film is a visual spectacle of eye candy that will delight fans of the first film, young and old alike.
The film has a relatively simple premise, similar to the games that inspired it. Princess Rosalina is kidnapped by Bowser Jr., who wishes to free his father from imprisonment in the Mushroom Kingdom by Mario and Luigi. The brothers embark on a journey to rescue the princess and meet new friends along the way while defeating enemies. The film, similar to the first entry, flies by its roughly 90-minute runtime at breakneck speed. However, this time around, the film does let some scenes breathe ever-so-slightly more. Some references come on screen for a flash of the eye; repeat viewers will be rewarded.
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” was littered with needle drop after needle drop of some of the most overplayed 80s songs, which is not repeated this time. A short montage sequence shows Yoshi on the streets of New York City, while an instrumental version of “Hypnotize” by Notorious B.I.G. plays. The sequence and the whole film harkens back to an earlier time in the history of cinema of physical and slapstick comedy, evoking memories of silent films such as Sam Taylor and Fred C. Newmeyer’s “Safety Last.”
Composer Brian Tyler’s score was a monumental improvement over the first film. Now, he can finally adapt some of the best music in video game history created by Nintendo and Koji Kondo. The film incorporates music from 40 years of the series’ history with elegance and is worthy of the big screen.
Brie Larson’s performance as Princess Rosalina is an absolute standout. Larson gave it her all, even in Rosalina’s limited screen time. Larson, a Super Mario superfan, has stated many times her love for the series, and it is refreshing to see someone this passionate. This is in contrast to Chris Pratt, who in a Nintendo Direct claimed he would spend hours “stomping Koopas” in Mario Bros. Arcade; something which is impossible. Donald Glover and Benny Safdie also gave great performances as Yoshi and Bowser Jr. respectively. Yoshi spoke in a cute manner and he provided comedic relief alongside Mario and Luigi.
Fox McCloud, voiced by Glen Powell, was one of the standout characters of the film. What fans initially thought would be a throwaway cameo turned out to be a significant amount of screentime for a supporting character revealed a week before release. Powell pitched the idea of voicing Fox McCloud to the producers with it being his “dream role.” Powell as Fox McCloud was a perfect idea as he is doing it for more than a paycheck and was already in “Top Gun: Maverick.” Fox McCloud spends his limited screen time aura farming in ways that “Zootopia’s” Nick Wilde could only dream of. Nintendo gave mega fans of the Star Fox franchise and the furry fandom exactly what they wanted with this level of fanservice.
“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” gives the fans of the first film what they want with an expanded scope, endless references and dozens of clips-worthy moments that will have viewers pointing at the screen like Leonardo DiCaprio in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” For those who did not enjoy the first film, it is probably best to sit this one out and go watch “Super Mario Bros.” from 1993 instead — a trainwreck of a film directed by control-freak husband and wife tag-team Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel.
