‘The Super Mario Brothers Galaxy Movie’ is Good, Not Super

By: Philip Sayblack

​The Mario Brothers are officially back on the big screen in a new adventure in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, the second movie in Universal Pictures and Illumination Studios’ Mario Brothers franchise.  This latest entry in the series is an entertaining but not necessarily memorable movie.  That is due in large part to its story which continues the fan service while also tries to balance that with its true story about family.  The story’s pacing is of its own importance to the movie’s presentation, especially considering the movie’s 98-minute run time.  The movie’s general look rounds out its most important elements as the Mario Brothers universe expands.  This will be addressed later, too.  Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the movie’s presentation.  All things considered they make The Super Mario Brothers Galaxy Movie a fun watch for the most hardcore Mario Brothers fans, but more of a now and then watch for everyone else.
The Super Mario Brothers Galaxy Movie, the latest entry in Universal Pictures and Illumination Studios’ Mario Brothers cinematic universe, is an entertaining new presentation.  Regardless of audiences’ familiarity with the vast multitude of Mario Brothers games that Nintendo has created in the franchise’s four decade history, it has something that will appeal to everyone.  This is proven in large part through its story.  Crafted by Matthew Fogel (The Super Mario Brothers Movie, Minions: The Rise of Gru, The Lego Movie 2), the story centers on the central theme of family.  In this case, the focus on family comes in part through Princess Peach’s discovery that she has a sister, who happens to be integral to the plans of Bowser, Jr. (Benny Safdie – Oppenheimer, Uncut Gems, Good Time) who himself is searching for his father (who is being held prisoner by Princess Peach in her castle in the Mushroom Kingdom).  Bowser is once again voiced by Jack Black (School of Rock, Nacho Libre, High Fidelity).  As it turns out, Peach’s sister is none other than Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson – Captain Marvel, Avengers Endgame, The Marvels).  Princess Rosalina is also the woman who told the story that took place in the first of the Super Mario Brothers movies.  It is not until almost halfway through Fogel’s story that Peach discovers her tie to Rosalina, and the pair’s connection plays directly into the story’s outcome.  At the same time, it leads to one of a handful of plot holes that is obvious in the story.  The plot hole in question is this:  Considering what Peach learns about her connection to Rosalina, why did Bowser, Jr. kidnap Rosalina, when he could have just as easily gone after Princess Peach?  The only argument that could be made is that maybe Bowser, Jr. did not know of Peach’s connection to Rosalina, either, thus leading him to go after only Rosalina.  That is the only argument that makes any sense.
That aside, the pair’s connection is something that is sure to make female audiences smile, along with the strong, independent persona that Peach exhibits in her search for Rosalina.  Of course, that persona is clearly a way to help push Nintendo’s latest Mario Brothers video game, Princess Peach: Showtime.
Peach and Rosalina’s connection is just one of the ways in which the theme of family is presented in this story.  As noted, Bowser, Jr. is searching for his father in this story.  He does manage to locate and rescue him, but also in this case, there is a massive plot issue of its own, which will be discussed momentarily.  Audiences learn through Fogel’s story, that Bowser and Bowser Jr. have been separated for some years.  Fogel never fully explains what caused this separation to happen, leading to more curiosity.  This is just one of the problems.  Yes, Bowser, Jr. and his father are happy to be reunited, but at first Bowser seems to have actually had a change of heart about Mario and Luigi, yet once he and his son get to Planet Bowser, Bowser allows his son’s anger and delusional mindset to turn him evil again.  One would have thought that Bowser’s change would have been a bit more long term and even impacting on his son.  So, to see that his son was responsible for him turning evil again is a bit of a head scratcher and in turn another plot concern even within that matter of family and its importance.
The Mario Brothers’ own family expands somewhat in this movie as they meet and welcome Yoshi to the group.  This is its own problematic add because as Toad (voiced again by Keegan-Michael Key – Wonka, Let’s Be Cops, Keanu) points notes in his introduction to Yoshi, that he is just part of the group/family so randomly.  Yes, there is a slight back story offered by Yoshi in the script, but considering all of the hype and buildup that happened regarding Yoshi being included in this movie, one would have thought that he would have played a bigger role in things.  The reality is the exact opposite.  Instead Yoshi (who is voiced by Donald Glover – Solo: A Star Wars Story, Atlanta, Community) is relegated to a supporting character role.  He is more or less a comic relief type figure.  It really is disappointing that considering all of the excitement that was built around his inclusion, that this is how Fogel handled his introduction to the Mario Brothers cinematic universe.
Keeping in mind the positives and negatives of the story noted here, the story in whole is imperfect but still engaging and entertaining because of the noted theme of family.  This even with the confusing family moment regarding Bowser and his son.  Staying on the matter of the story, its run time is 98 minutes.  That is 1 hour, 38 minutes.  In that time, Fogle manages to tie together everything going on with a bow, so to speak.  From Peach’s own taking the lead to find Rosalina and rescue her, to Mario and Luigi trying to deal with things in the Mushroom Kingdom after she takes off, to the group’s collective efforts to stop Bowser and his son in the final act, everything moves forward at a solid pace.  Even with so much going on throughout the story, viewers never feel left behind or lost at any point.  Keeping this in mind, the story’s pacing is a clear positive to this presentation.
Knowing that the pacing of the movie’s story helps ensure viewers’ engagement and entertainment, there is one more positive to note, so to speak.  That positive is the movie’s general look.  The look is the same as that from the movie’s predecessor.  Being that it expands from that movie, the rich colors of the different worlds are fully immersive as are the designs of each land.  At the same time, there is no denying it is very close to the design of Nintendo’s Mario Brothers games that have been released – at least on the Switch – in recent years.  So to that end, it is like watching those games on the big screen.  For devotees of the Mario Brothers video game franchise, that is sure to ensure a positive mindset.  For others, that might not be so much the case.  Keeping that in mind, this is still its own point of interest.  When this item is considered alongside everything else examined, the whole therein make The Super Mario Galaxy Movie a presentation that will appeal to a wide range of audiences, but likely more to the most devoted Mario Brothers fans than more casual audiences.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, the latest entry in Universal Pictures and Illumination Studios’ Mario Brothers cinematic universe, is a mostly positive new presentation from the studios.  That is due in part to its story, which takes so many Mario Brothers games, and blends them with a story about family that will both engage and entertain audiences.  Even with its plot holes and other concerns, the story still mostly holds up.  The story’s pacing adds to its interest, flowing solidly from beginning to end as it combines each of its various elements.  The movie’s look rounds out its most important elements, ensuring its own appeal.  Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of the movie’s presentation.  All things considered they make The Super Mario Galaxy Movie a presentation that while maybe not as good as its predecessor, is still worth watching at least once.
The Super Mario Galaxy is playing in theaters now.  More information on this and other titles from Universal Pictures is available at:
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