The Mario Brothers, Peach, Toad, Bowser, and Yoshi head into space to rescue Princess Rosalina from Bowser Jr in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, the sequel to 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, is a much better movie than its predecessor. It does what any good sequel should do: jetissons what did work, and embiggens what did for a more fulfilling feature. I’m admittedly meh on the first film, although I did like it more on a recent watch [review/update]. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, directed by returning Aaron Horvath & Michael Jelenic (with Pierre Leduc & Fabien Polack as co-directors), is a fun, colorful, big adventure. It’s much more confident in itself as a film, though not without its own warts (Super Mario Bros. 2, game, pun intended) that keep it from becoming truly special. But as it is, it’s an enjoyable diversion; shallow and slipshod, but fun.
Simply, to press start, Galaxy (to shorten the lengthy title) is a rollicking good time, colorful and fun, well worth the entertainment value alone. Written again by Mike Fogel, it’s such a fun adventure (as evidenced by my 5-year-old, who kept saying “this is such a fun movie!” with a big smile on his face. To the target audience, it’s a bullseye). The adventure this time? As the title suggests, our leads head into space! Brie Larson’s Princess Rosalina is kidnapped by Bowser, Jr, a great villain as performed by Bennie Safdie, who is more of a threat than his dad. It’s kiddie-ized, but he does attempt at various points to straight-up murder what gets in his way. Well details to details, the teams head off to rescue. Peach, voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy, and Toad are sent first, and Mario, Luigi, Bowser, and Yoshi follow after a series of fun, smaller adventures in the Mushroom Kingdom. It’s a much smoother story progression than last time.
One of the first film’s big issues was jumping into various sequences simply because the “adapt Mario” required it: Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart, and Donkey Kong all had big moments, but were shoved together and stitched minimally to quilt a story. Galaxy is far more competent and confident in keeping the story moving and flowing better as a film than a collection of references. Yes, they head to a slew of locations and meet a ton of new characters, including a great sequence and fight featuring characters from Super Mario Bros. 2 in a gravity-switching casino, but they generally move it forward. A few side-quests add nothing but a diversion and a few handfuls of ‘memberberries, and could be cut without losing a thing, but far fewer this time. If it helps, one of those sequences was the kid’s favorite part, so there’s that.) Maybe they’re all one-and-dones like the sequences I complained about last time, but are less forced for a “hey, remember this!”.
There’s more restraint in how the elements are used. Yoshi, voiced by Donald Glover in the same way Alan Tudyk plays HeiHei in Moana, joins as a new chaos gremlin to the dynamic, thankfully endearing, and earns laughs instead of annoying sighs. Fox “Starfox” McCloud is a fantastic addition, with Glen Powell trading in the jet from Top Gun: Maverick for an R-Wing starfighter. But he’s used just enough to make an impression, including a flashback with a specific art style that makes me want a spin-off (might be why he’s here, to be cynical), but not shoved in just because. In a nice turn, they avoid the toxic macho route for Fox and Mario, which I was sure was about to happen. Kudos on steering clear of toxic masculinity. Similarly, the overload of ‘memberberries of the first film is severely toned down. Yes, it has references galore, but hardly hits over the head and is more naturally incorporated, thanks to the various galaxy locations allowing a collection of characters and items to cross-pollinate. (For those who read my last review, I lost the coin bet on a certain set of characters appearing).
For as much fun as I had, there are some issues outside of what’s mentioned above. There are plenty, but not enough to force a Game Over screen. The characters are pretty much the same as last time, save a few moments; perhaps even flattened and interchangeable in most situations. Charlie Day’s Luigi mentions his scaredy-cat tendencies, but they’re abandoned. Toad, Keegan-Michael Key, is mostly just there. Interestingly, Bowser gets the biggest arc; he’s trying hard to push down his villainous tendencies to be good and fights his past and nature, with progress threatened by the villainy of his son, and wanting to connect with Bowser, Jr (the other Koopalings are nowhere to be seen, sorry SMB3 and World fans). Jack Black is still having the best time; he’s such a great King of the Koopas. Additionally, Princess Rosalina vanishes after the opening, a plot device over character (he’re to Mario 3 to use her better). The streamlined nature keeps it all pretty surface-level, like a 98-minute version of a new Super Mario Brothers Super Show. Characters have powers, items, and knowledge because the plot needs them. It asks you to just go with it. Does Mario need a specific item right now? Yes, and luckily, there’s a Question Block or Toad has it in a bag. Problem solved. But do we need depth if we have fun? I enjoyed the hell out of They Will Kill You as well, and that’ sjust as surface level. If it works, it works for what’s needed. It all comes to a close with a climax that only feels halfway finished, like the “time’s running out” music started and had to speed-run the rest of the level. 
On the technical end, Galaxy is astonishing. The already fantastic animation is better, with further detail and design. The myriad of new locations are incredibly well used and use the medium to the best of their ability. The action sequences are thrilling, expertly designed, and rendered. The use of the elements of gravity, space, and character moves is balanced and just a damned fine blast. They are much bigger and more varied. It’s a big movie, with a wider scope in presentation. The myriad of worlds allows a few different art styles, in addition to stylistic Spider-verse touches from Bowser, Jr’s magical paintbrush; like Fox McCloud is not overused, keeping clever. And some great video-game touches (different than last time) add a layer of winking fun. This is all pulled together by Brian Tyler’s score, a highlight of standing on its own while building from the familiar themes. Far fewer groan-worthy needle drops this time. A few persist, along with the eye-rollingly basic jokes some producers force into every kids’ movie.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie earns a 1-up for the franchise, a total power-up to the first film. Yes, it has many issues. I’ll admit that freely, but also note it was ultimately a blast; a very fun adventure with several stand-out sequences. I had a good time, as did my kid. Let’s-a-go!