Review
What our film and game editors are saying about The Super Mario Bros. Movie
by Luca Fontana
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie: does it deserve all the hate?
2.4.2026
Translation: Megan Cornish
Bigger, louder, more galactic – The Super Mario Galaxy Movie tries to do everything at once. And that’s exactly where it risks failing. Because between the explosion of nostalgia and the overcrowded story, the film loses something crucial: its balance.
Don’t worry, there are no spoilers in this review. Everything mentioned here has already been revealed in trailers. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’s been in cinemas since 1 April.
Oh, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, what am I going to do with you? I can watch you from two angles. One as the fan in me, the kid who grew up with a Game Boy and can hum every melody from almost every Super Mario game. The other as the critic who wonders if it all works – as a film, not just as nostalgia bait.
Surprisingly, my two selves agreed on the first Super Mario Bros. Movie. Sure, the film was crammed. There were references everywhere and cameos galore. But somehow it managed to maintain a balance: there was enough space for the characters and even a story that – while simple – held everything together surprisingly well.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’s a different story. While the press is ripping it to shreds it, audiences are loving it – there’s rarely been such a vast chasm between criticism and enthusiasm. So, the question is: does the film deserve all the hate it’s getting?
As a critic
Put it this way: at its core, the new Super Mario instalment still tells a simple story. Princess Rosalina – the mysterious guardian of the star-like Lumas – is kidnapped by Bowser Jr., Bowser’s son, who’s desperately searching for his father. Luckily, one of Rosalina’s little star children manages to get help from Mario, Peach and their friends.
The rescue mission takes them across the galaxy, from desert planets to glitzy casinos and intergalactic battlefields. So far, so clear.
Unfortunately, that’s not the only story the film tells. There’s also Peach’s true origin. How Yoshi ends up with Mario and Luigi. And whether Bowser can actually redeem himself to be one of the good guys. On their own, they’d all be great storylines that could easily carry an entire film. Here, though, they’re randomly strung together and almost immediately dropped again, as if they were levels in a video game that were too short.
Now someone might say: «Didn’t that also apply to the first Super Mario Bros. Movie? And that still worked, didn’t it?»
Well, yes and no. The first film was much more straightforward and had one clear story with dozens of references and cameos thrown in for good measure. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie juggles far too much at once and gets in its own way. A classic case of bigger, louder and more of the same, without considering whether «more» actually means «better».
Source: Nintendo / Illumination Studios
Even when the first trailer was released, I was worried they were biting off more than they could chew: using Super Mario Galaxy – originally released for the Wii – in its entirety as the basis for the second film is like Marvel cramming the entire Multiverse saga into a single instalment after Iron Man. It sounds like an overambitious idea on paper, and the film’s no different.
The leap from the Mushroom Kingdom to the entire universe would’ve been a better fit for the third or fourth instalment, if you ask me. There would have been plenty of time for it. After all, the fact that the Super Mario Movie’s a cash cow and more films will follow is as certain as the «Let’s-a-Go» in a Mario game.
Source: Nintendo / Illumination Studios
There’s no doubt that fewer ingredients would’ve done the film good. And yet, the paradoxical feeling remains that The Super Mario Galaxy Movie should’ve been longer for its big ideas to have any impact – yet shorter, because too many sequences neither advance nor deepen the story. In the end, it’s 99 minutes that feel both half an hour too long and half an hour too short.
As a fan
But then there’s me as a fan. The one that sees all these structural problems and yet still smiles. Because, however justified the criticism feels to me, anyone who reduces The Super Mario Galaxy Movie to its narrative weaknesses is missing the point.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’s by no means a perfect film. But it’s also not a film I’d advise anyone against watching on the big screen. On the contrary. If you ask me, I wouldn’t hesitate to say: yes, go. Take your children with you, if you have any. Let yourself be swept away by the experience – ideally on an IMAX screen and in 3D. And don’t worry about the plot until you’ve left.
If at all.
Source: Nintendo / Illumination Studios
Visually, the film’s breathtaking. The animation surpasses its predecessor in almost every respect: vibrant colours meet worlds so lovingly crafted that I’d love to freeze every frame and absorb every detail. You can immediately tell that The Super Mario Galaxy Movie was animated by die-hard Nintendo fans.
It must have been.
Illumination – the animation studio behind Despicable Me and the Minions films – has even pulled a few visually interesting tricks out of its hat. For example, blending 2D and 3D animation together or playing around with different frame rates. I almost find myself thinking that I could watch the film without sound – and I’d still love it.
Source: Nintendo / Illumination Studios
But that would be a total waste. Brian Taylor’s score is once again the absolute highlight, brimming with playful melodies and affectionate references to 40 years of Nintendo history. It’s a score that embodies the franchise’s whole musical DNA – a treat for the ears and for fans everywhere.
Let’s not kid ourselves: the Super Mario Galaxy Movie knows its audience and doesn’t care about lofty dramatic ambitions. Maybe rightly so. Kids get a colourful space trip that will keep them on the edge of their seats, while adult Nintendo nerds get memberberries galore and the exhilarating feeling of being ten years old again.
So, the film’s plot might be shaky. Who cares?
In a nutshell
A galaxy too soon?
Ultimately, my two sides are still at odds. One sees a visual feast, a love letter to 40 years of Nintendo, carried by Brian Taylor’s magnificent score and unparalleled animation. The other sees a film that’s set the bar too high and then tries to cram in so many stories at once that they all fall flat.
What’s left is a film that impresses technically but loses the narrative balance that its predecessor maintained so surprisingly well. This will likely lead to an even wider gap between critics and audiences this time around than with the first instalment.
What can I say? The film’s critics have good reasons. But so do those who leave the cinema with a grin after the credits roll. My two selves, at least, are still arguing.
Header image: Nintendo / Illumination Studios
Luca Fontana
Senior Editor
Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.chI write about technology as if it were cinema, and about films as if they were real life. Between bits and blockbusters, I’m after stories that move people, not just generate clicks. And yes – sometimes I listen to film scores louder than I probably should.
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