It’s a good thing The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has the word “movie” in the title, because it would otherwise be difficult to classify what kind of entertainment it is exactly. The story is barely there, the characters don’t grow all that much – unless, of course, you’re talking about mushroom power-ups – and it moves at breakneck speed with so many references and cameos that it can be hard to process exactly what you’re seeing. This is a candy-coated visual sugar rush – a confection-in-motion with not much in the way of nutritional value.
That being said, I had an absolute blast for the entirety of its 98-minute runtime.
I similarly adored Nintendo and Illumination’s first Super Mario Bros. Movie, which was a lively romp in the Mushroom Kingdom that was much more entertaining than it had any right to be. It was a beautiful and charming love letter to Shigeru Miyamoto’s video game universe, and the sequel ramps up many of the whimsical and nostalgia-dipped elements that made the first one work as well as it did for its many admirers. Yes, you can almost hear the studio notes underneath the brilliantly executed Brian Tyler score, sure, but there’s a lot to love in nearly every frame if you, like me, grew up with Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi and the rest of the crew. And considering the reactions this film got from the under-10 set in my packed theater, this film is landing well with its target audience, demonstrating the cross-generational appeal of these plucky plumbers-turned-adventurers.
Mario (Chris Pratt), Luigi (Charlie Day), Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy), Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) and Bowser (Jack Black) return as our stars, joined by adorable dinosaur Yoshi (Donald Glover), the cunning Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie), the mysteriously powerful Rosalina (Brie Larson) and the cocky Fox McCloud (Glen Powell), who was perhaps my favorite addition to the cast even though Star Fox exists pretty far outside of the Mario franchise with the exception of Super Smash Bros. The cast seems to be having fun, and although the humor is primarily aimed at kids in true Despicable Me/Minions fashion, I admittedly laughed out loud a few times. There’s something irresistible about seeing Yoshi saunter through Brooklyn to the tune of Notorious B.I.G.’s “Hypnotize.”
If you enjoyed The Super Mario Bros. Movie, you’ll probably enjoy Galaxy quite a bit for what it is and what it sets out to do. If not, well, you’ll have as much fun as a Goomba under a Thomp (translation: not much).
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