"The Super Mario Galaxy Movie," based on the popular 2007 Nintendo game of the same name, released in theatres on April 1. Despite its explosive box office opening, the film has proven rather controversial in terms of critical reception.
While the film critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes is currently a lackluster 42%, the audience’s score is a much more respectable 89%. Some critics seem to consider the movie bubbly yet shallow alongside the rest of Illumination’s catalogue, but the general viewer seems more willing to enjoy a movie that falls under the category of “simple fun.”
The movie follows the adventures of the same cast as the first movie, with Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad and Anya Taylor Joy as Princess Peach.
Picking up immediately after the events of the first film, "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" follows the Mario Brothers and Princess Peach, who are joined by the energetic and optimistic dinosaur Yoshi, played by Donald Glover, on their galatic quest to save the princess Rosalina.
On the way, they travel across the galaxy and visit many worlds resembling locations from across the Super Mario series. In the end, the Mario Brothers are forced to confront Bowser yet again, joined by his son, Bowser Jr.
"The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" has a plot as breakneck as the first, with pacing that often borders on lightspeed. The film’s runtime lands at 98 minutes, falling within the range of other Illumination films, including "Despicable Me" and "The Secret Life of Pets." Despite this fast pace, the film’s scope is much larger than the rest of the studio's filmography, spanning across many planets and kingdoms. This acts in the movie’s favor as well as its detriment, as it causes the film to feel properly epic while also feeling as if its breadth of topics are rather shallow individually.
Any fan of the Super Mario franchise will have no trouble enjoying this film, as it contains even more allusions to the game series than the first, even references to the game that gives the movie its title. From the original Mario Bros. arcade game to "Super Mario Odyssey," each scene and shot feel like a love letter to the beloved series and the fans who continue to enjoy it to this day.
"The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" excels in the same places as the first Mario movie, with stellar animation and an ever-impressive orchestral soundtrack that adds to the epic scope and encompasses the wondrous and awe-inspiring gameplay of the original series. Even for viewers who do not know about the games, the film still works rather well as an entertaining trip through this beautiful galaxy, with the proper expectations.
3.5/5 – Despite a lack of depth, the movie is as vast and colorful as the expansive universe featured in it.
Overall, "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" is far from a perfect film. It doesn’t have deep themes, concepts that will change your outlook on life or characters who blend the line between hero and villain. What it is, however, is simple fun. It is a beautiful movie that had me smiling from ear to ear throughout, and sometimes that is all you need.
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Foster Mayhall, a freshman currently undeclared in engineering, is from Dothan, Alabama. He has been with The Auburn Plainsman since the spring of 2026.
