The Super Mario Galaxy Movie review (2026)

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie should have audiences seeing stars in the best possible manner with a sequel that shines just as bright as its predecessor.

After the runaway success of the 2023 film, a sequel was inevitable. Fortunately, with so much lore of the popular series — now celebrating its 40th anniversary — Super Mario Galaxy Movie isn’t lacking for inspiration to draw for this installment.

Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson, Fast X) is spending another peaceful night on her planet where the stars aren’t just in the sky — they’re her “children” who expect a bedtime story before nestling off to sleep.

While Rosalina would love to share the story of Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy), the stars just want another retelling of the brave plumbers Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) who stopped the dreaded Bowser (Jack Black) from kidnapping Peach.

Storytime gets interrupted by Bowser’s son, Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie), who seeks to avenge his disgraced father and restore him to his previous glory.

That’s going to prove a tall task since Bowser has been shrunken down to a dollhouse size menace.

With so many viable characters to potentially bring into Super Mario Galaxy Movie, screenwriter Matthew Fogel (returning for a second stint with the franchise), wisely keeps the new additions to a manageable level and not at the expense of the core characters.

Mario and Luigi go on a brief adventure and quickly befriend Yoshi (Donald Glover), an immensely popular addition to the series. It’s clear Fogel is a fan of the franchise and finds creative ways to work in nods to specific character beats in the various games.

One of Rosalina’s stars arrives at the Mushroom Kingdom to seek help in rescuing her. Peach and Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) quickly follow while Mario, Luigi, Yoshi and Bowser take a fun detour to join them.

Super Mario Galaxy Movie is loaded with brightly colored and densely populated new worlds/levels for the characters to explore. Directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic and co-directors Pierre Leduc and Fabien Polack do a wonderful job of capturing that sense of excitement and thrills that come with exploring a new level in a Super Mario Bros’ game.

In one of Super Mario Galaxy Movie’s standout sequences, Peach and Todd navigate through a casino populated by some of the more prominent villains in the Super Mario series.

Eventually, they meet up with the star of another popular Nintendo franchise Fox McCloud (Glen Powell, Hit Man). Super Mario Galaxy Movie certainly makes a case for Fox to get his own spin-off as he’s a fun character that easily could get audiences invested in a Star Fox movie.

Bowser has an interesting arc in Super Mario Galaxy Movie. He’s trending towards a redemptive subplot but that gets challenged when Bowser Jr. dutifully arrives to genuinely honor his father albeit misguided with his approach. While that leads to some conflict, the battles are done in a competitive manner with just cartoonish malice and no real ill will.

Super Mario Galaxy Movie features some gorgeous animation with precise detailing like the spots on Bowser’s skin and the texture of Mario and Luigi’s lush mustaches. There’s certainly enough visual stimulation to keep younger viewers engaged while viewers who remember video game life before Mario will be amused at some of the Easter Eggs and lore references. That extends to some of the fun power ups the characters use this time as well.

At 98 minutes, Super Mario Galaxy Movie hits the run time sweet spot effectively crafting the drama, side quests and the final boss battle before losing its momentum.

A welcome follow-up in the Super Mario Bros’ movie franchise, Super Mario Galaxy Movie should have no trouble leveling up at the box office and beyond.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Photo Credit: Universal

After watching Super Mario Galaxy Movie, check out the movie figures at Entertainment Earth or play Super Mario Galaxy/Super Mario Galaxy 2 on the Nintendo Switch from Amazon.

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