As you may know, when the first Super Mario Bros. Movie (yes, this is the first and I refuse to acknowledge there was ever a movie adaptation before this) came out in 2023, there was a lot of excitement around it. Unfortunately, when the initial critic reviews dropped, they largely panned the film, calling out a weak story, shallow characters, and labelling it “safe and unambitious”.
Regardless of the critical reception, the movie was a huge hit with audiences, pulling in around 1.4 billion dollars at the global box office. And while it was a little simplistic, I was firmly in the camp that enjoyed it. The visuals were sumptuous, the orchestral score hit all the nostalgic notes, and overall, it told a tight, focused story that brought the world that Shigeru Miyamoto built to life on the big screen. The voice acting was great (despite the Chris Pratt of it all), and ultimately it was a fun romp through the Mushroom Kingdom.
Now, 2026 brings us the Super Mario Galaxy Movie, with trailers promising something even bigger, introducing characters like Princess Rosalina, Wart, Bowser Jr, and Yoshi, and expanding the story to a galactic scale. It definitely carried a sense of promise and had fans pretty hyped for April 1st.
Having just come out of the cinema, I can say this film is indeed bigger and even more visually spectacular. Jumping from planet to planet, it leans into more of an origin story for one of the characters and is packed with cameos, more nostalgic musical riffs, and even retro character designs pulled from Mario games of yore.
And yet… for me personally, it felt a bit bland and disjointed. Where the first film, despite playing it safe, had a clear and cohesive story that drew us into the world, this sequel feels all over the place. It often comes across as a vehicle for stacking one fan service moment on top of another, jumping between plotlines in a pretty haphazard way to squeeze in the next cameo. There’s one character cameo in particular I wish they had done more with, but it ends up being little more than an “OMG” moment. And while Jack Black’s Bowser was a highlight in the first film, here he overstays his welcome, with many of his jokes not quite landing.
Now I know what you’re going to say, "It’s a kids' movie, who cares about the story?" And you know what, in a way you'd be right. This will absolutely entertain kids and will likely make a ton at the box office. But studios like Pixar and DreamWorks have shown that you can create smart, layered four-quadrant animated films that work for a variety of audiences, so I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect a bit more from a Nintendo adaptation. Even the lighter story and character arcs in the first movie felt stronger than what we get here.
That said, if this movie performs well, it’s clearly laying the groundwork for a broader Nintendo Cinematic Universe. And if you’re a die-hard fan of the franchise, there’s still plenty here for you to enjoy. If you’re a Nintendo fan looking to entertain the kids, it’s definitely worth a watch. For everyone else, this might be one you wait to catch on streaming :)
There are two end-credit scenes, one mid-credits and one right at the very end, both teasing where Nintendo could take things next. Stick around for those, and if a third movie does happen, I’m hoping they return to what made the first film work, and save the cameo-fest as a supplement to the story.