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The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Trailer: Universal Pictuers / Illumination

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Directed by Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic and Pierre Leduc
Rated PG
1-Upped 1 April 2026
#SuperMarioMovie

It’s a slow-power-up kind of movie, but Galaxy’s overall creativity earns it some bonus points.

Power Hungry

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie poster featuring Fox McCloud

Who knew a pink umbrella could be part of a major payoff? It happens here in the magical world of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and it’s not a pop culture reference to Mary Poppins. It’s part of a climactic clash between good and evil, or at least as “evil” as things get in the colorful, eye-popping realms of Nintendo’s Mario Bros. universe.

In this case, there are the globally famous plumbing brothers, princesses, mushroom people, Lumas and all manner of enchanted beings confronting fire-breathing turtles, Koopas, Magikoopas and Ninjis. And Lumalee (Juliet Jelenic) is back, too.

Don’t worry. There isn’t a test on all this. Just let it all explode in its vibrant glory on the screen.

The action revolves around Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie) seeking to rescue his father (uh, Bowser Sr.) from the vile clutches of Mario (Chris Pratt), Luigi (Charlie Day) and Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy). As The Super Mario Bros. Movie concluded, Bowser (Jack Black) was minified after a blue mushroom was forced down his giant throat (such a peachy action for a headstrong princess). Now Bowser’s held captive in a miniature castle, a tiny place – practically a decorative piece – where he can while away his existence nurturing his artistic side as he paints miniature portraits. (His musical aspirations were explored in the first movie.)

Bowser Jr.’s quite an ambitious little turtle. Following his father’s lead in seeking intergalactic domination, he’s created a floating space station – Planet Bowser – housing a “boomsday weapon” with enough fire power to destroy an entire… well… big stuff.

Family Matters

It’s to be expected a family-oriented movie like Galaxy would feature some sort of family-friendly messages. That’s where Galaxy feels a little off kilter at first. It’s a low-energy start, which is all the more puzzling given early scenes in the movie feature Mario and Luigi coming to the aid of Tostarenans in the Sand Kingdom, fixing a plumbing issue in an inverted pyramid. It’s here the brothers meet Yoshi (Donald Glover). And yet the energy remains low and the direction of the story remains opaque.

Maybe it’s an unspoken message, then. A message of patience.

Galaxy slowly reveals itself as a sequel that’s every bit as inventive as the first movie. And, as with all smart sequels, it broadens its universe with more fanciful locations and quirky characters.

Acting as a counterbalance to Bowser Jr., there’s Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson), who’s enlisted to rescue Princess Peach from the claws of the Bowser duo. And so there it is. The family element writ large and small and everything in between. There’s Bowser Sr., who attempts to get in touch with emotions while lamenting his having been such a terrible father to Junior. There’s also the yearning of Princess Peach, who (as also mentioned in the first movie) has no knowledge of her own family story. She has no idea who her parents are. Maybe – just maybe – Princess Rosalina can shed some light on it all.

Jump Man

There are moments that seem to be riffs off almost every Star Wars movie ever made (and, in particular, Coruscant in Attack of the Clones), but then there are other scenes that come out of left field and really elevate the entertainment value.

For one, there’s a terrific scene in a casino. It’s an extravagant, cube-shaped gaming parlor – with all the action going on inside the cube. On the interior walls, up on the ceiling, down on the floor (it’s all relative to one’s own perspective). That’s cool. What’s really cool is how the (granted, comical) menace comes to the fore as otherwise cutesy Nintendo game characters exhibit some sinister traits. Who knew the shuffling of a card deck could take on such shady intonations? The cuts are quick. The vibe is noir – yet in glorious full color.

And there are a couple great cameos. Fox McCloud (Glen Powell) – the star of the Star Fox games – makes a fine big-screen debut and it’d be great to see more of him. But possibly gunning for the title of “scene stealer” is ROB (Robotic Operating Buddy) – a Nintendo Entertainment System accessory from way back in 1985 – in a very funny role as a info desk clerk.

The trick to keep in mind about this Mario movie and its predecessor is it’s based on a gaming world that emphasizes fun and play more than anything else. Nintendo’s world is – generally – a very happy place (and, sure, perhaps that’s throwing a bit of shade at Disney).

What would be nice is if the team at Illumination (the masterminds behind the Minions, who also make a whimsical cameo as robotic characters in Galaxy) upped their narrative game and pushed the storylines and character arcs into the realm of Pixar’s best. Perhaps the biggest weakness in both Mario movies is – while they certainly hit the bull’s eye with the target audience – they could go so much further with some of the smarts that made Pixar’s classics cross-generational masterpieces.

There’s a wealth of material to work with here. Maybe the next installment will power-up and hit that next level. And surely there will be another Mario movie. Following in the pixelated footsteps of other cinematic universes, there’s a post-end title cards tease plus a post-credits tease. That last scene is preceded by a curious final credit announcing it is forbidden to use the movie in AI training.

• Originally published at MovieHabit.com.