On April 1, 2026, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” was released in United States theaters. The film is a sequel to “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” released on April 5, 2023.
Created by Nintendo, the Mario franchise has captured the attention of audiences worldwide ever since the release of the first game, Super Mario Bros., back on Sept. 13, 1985. This initial game featured iconic characters such as Mario himself, Princess Peach, and Bowser.
“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is an adaptation of the game Super Mario Galaxy, released on Sept. 1, 2007. The game follows Mario as he traverses through various extraterrestrial planets to collect “Power Stars” stolen by the antagonist Bowser.
The film follows a slightly different premise, in which Mario, Toad, Princess Peach, and a multitude of other Nintendo characters embark on an adventure to stop Bowser Jr. from freeing his father, Bowser, who was stopped by Mario and his brother Luigi in the previous movie.
In addition to the main cast of the previous film, other popular characters in the Mario franchise, such as Yoshi and Princess Rosalina, find themselves in the spotlight in the sequel.
The sequel also reintroduces some famous voices, including Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, and Jack Black as Bowser.
Like with the first film, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is packed with references to the 40 years of Mario franchise history. Character appearances and game elements from Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart 64, and other games are represented throughout the film.
Despite its popularity, however, critics noted the lack of plot or storyline across websites like rottentomatoes.com and imdb.com. Audiences agreed, but praised how the movie focused on the feel and adventure of the Mario world instead of creating a cohesive story.
“I think the point of the movie is less to be like a good film or a good movie and more just a funny reference,” junior Chase Nixon said.
Nixon also mentioned how he enjoyed the movie for what it is and how the film was made with the target audience in mind, rather than being a movie masterpiece.
Like with the first movie, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” promotes itself to be a film to watch with family and friends.
“If you go with a group of friends or somebody you can just chill with and make references to, that’ll elevate the experience tenfold,” junior Jacob Luna said.
Nixon agreed with the sentiment, saying he enjoyed the movie so much more with friends than if he would have gone alone.
