The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Review

So the long awaited Super Mario Bros sequel Super Mario Galaxy has finally been released. The premise to Super Mario Galaxy according to Letterboxd reads as following: “Having thwarted Bowser's previous plot to marry Princess Peach, Mario and Luigi now face a fresh threat in Bowser Jr., who is determined to liberate his father from captivity and restore the family legacy. Alongside companions new and old, the brothers travel across the stars to stop the young heir's crusade.”

Where do I even start with this film? Let me begin with our antagonist of the film: Bowser and Bowser Jr. After being defeated by Mario in the Super Mario Bros film Bowser is out to prove to Mario that he truly has changed. Well that's all good and everything the film doesn't know rather to give Bowser a redemption arc or to make him truly evil. Bowser Jr., is looking to prove to his father that he is just as evil as he is and in most ways he's even more evil than his father ever was.

Now of course it wouldn't be a Super Mario film without any kind of romance. It's just too bad that it was a useless subplot that didn't go anywhere. The main problem with the love story between Mario and Princess Peach is that our princess is so focused on finding out where she actually came from and who her family is that it doesn't feel like the romantic aspect of the story was needed. They either could have saved the romance for another film or just not made it one of the focal points of the story.

Brie Larson joins the cast as Rosalina and in my opinion she is the saving grace of this film. If Princess Peach can rescue Rosalina from Bowser Jr., then she will have her questions about where she came from answered. The only time there were any heartfelt moments in this film was when Rosalina was on screen. Rosalina also had some very cool action sequences but it's unfortunate that they didn't utilize her more throughout the film.

Cons with this film: the tone, the pacing, too many characters, multiple plot threads, no stakes and the lack of gaming level platforms used. Pros: Rosalina steals the show and the world building. This film had all the potential in the world, however, there are so many things going against it that made the first film great. If the producers would have focused on one essential story, cut out unnecessary characters and added more stakes then I feel this would have been a more enjoyable film.

Aside, from Rosalina there was not a single time I felt any of our other protagonist lives were in danger because there isn't any stakes involved. Not just that but there are too many plot threads and it's difficult to focus on Bowser Jr., taking revenge on Mario/Luigi when you also have Mario trying to win Princess Peach's heart and her trying to find answers to her past of where she came from. I would either suggest wait until Super Mario Galaxy becomes available to rent online or wait until it you can purchase it on physical media because you aren't missing much.

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️½