As a child of the late 80s whose favourite hobbies were gaming, watching movies and watching TV, I consumed a lot of all three during my formative years. Unsurprisingly, these loves combined and led to me checking out both the late 80s’ Super Mario Bros. cartoon, as well as the 1993 major motion picture that Nintendo likely wishes we’d forget about. In fact, they’d probably prefer to go back and delete it from existence. Us older gamers remember it though, and know that 2023’s animated film was not the first movie starring the plumbing siblings.
I missed the 2023 movie in theatres, but watched it at home and enjoyed it. Then, when I heard that a sequel was coming out, and found out that it would be based on one of my all-time favourite games, I got excited. However, I never did get to the theatre to see The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. I’ve rectified this, though, by watching the film on 4K Blu-ray, thanks to a review copy we were sent.
When this movie first came out, I was saddened to read negative things about it. The reviews weren’t great, by any means, and some said that it was awful. That diminished my enthusiasm greatly, but I still wanted to see it. This is important to mention, because I went into this first viewing with lower expectations than I otherwise would have. Perhaps that led me to enjoying it more than (at least some) others?
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie begins as Rosalina (the space-based princess featured in the masterpiece of a Wii game) settles in to read a bedtime story to her ‘children;’ those being the star-like Lumas. It’s during this nightly routine that she hears a loud bang, and heads outside to see what caused it. At that time, she’s accosted by a large robot, which is piloted by Bowser Jr. whom I always remember from his boss battle(s) in Super Mario World. Rosalina is eventually kidnapped by Bowser’s pint-sized pride and joy, and taken to his planet, where her power is required.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario and Luigi are racing their bikes across a desert expanse. They soon come across an arid town, where a strange noise is coming from a nearby cave. After dealing with it and meeting a new friend, they return home and discover that a Luma has crash landed in the nearby forest. This leads to Peach and Toad being asked to help save Rosalina, leaving the two brothers to look after the Kingdom in their absence.
Eventually, though, the brothers join their allies in their quest, and do so with a couple of surprising guests in tow.
Unfortunately, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie doesn’t follow the same plot line as the game it’s named after. However, there are some similarities. While the story is pretty familiar, in terms of format and predictability, it still provides a fun romp through an iconic world and the galaxy that was introduced to it almost twenty years ago.
Man, I’m old.
While I enjoyed this movie, it isn’t without faults, some of which I agree with certain film critics on. The plot is too simplistic, and it doesn’t take enough advantage of the wealth of creativity that the Super Mario Galaxy series offered. There’s a lack of originality, with the movie being about Bowser Jr. trying to impress his shrunken and imprisoned dad, whom he aims to rescue and take to space, and Mario and friends trying to help Princess Peach again. The characters don’t have a lot of depth, and the same is true of the plot as a whole. Still, it’s a relatively fun and enjoyable movie, and not a bad one. It’s inoffensive, but it could have been a lot better.
Instead of creating a film with more depth and memorability, the folks at Illumination, as well as writer Matthew Fogel and co-directors, Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, made one that prioritizes style over substance. It’s a series of visually impressive and action-packed scenes, full of fan service and Easter eggs. The result is something that is fun to watch, but not as good or memorable as it could have been. The lack of creativity, originality and depth keeps it from being great or memorable.
Visually, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is a treat. It looks amazing, with tons of colour, great animation and many different Easter eggs that are sure to please fans. There’s a lot going on on-screen, and it’s also very vivid and visceral.
Most of the voice acting is quite good as well, thanks to a star filled cast including actors and actresses like Jack Black, Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Anya Taylor Joy, Donald Glover and Brie Larson. They do a good job of bringing these characters to life. Their work is helped, too, by some good music and effects, including some very familiar (and iconic) tunes.
The movie is more visually impressive than it is deep or memorable, but it’s enjoyable enough.
This 4K Blu-ray release comes with three ways to watch the movie, including the 4K disc, a regular Blu-ray disc and a code to unlock the movie digitally. I’d forgotten that they included the second disc in these packages, and it’s nice to have it if I ever want to watch the movie upstairs. I use my PS3 as a Blu-ray player.
As expected, the movie is presented in widescreen, with a 4K transfer and Dolby Vision/HDR video features. There is also Dolby Atmos audio, as well as close to an hour’s worth of special features. Unfortunately, the bonus content is pretty surface level, and gets repetitive. The same line is uttered a few times. Plus, it looked like they had the first movie’s poster at the end of some of the vignettes.
The bonus content includes:
- NEXT LEVEL: MAKING THE SUPER MARIO GALAXY MOVIE – Go behind the scenes of this epic journey across the cosmos as the visionary creators at Nintendo, the acclaimed filmmakers and artists of Illumination, and the extraordinary cast who redefined these iconic characters reveal the artistry behind every meticulously crafted moment.
- CAST OF CHARACTERS – Explore how this impeccable cast masterfully embodied the iconic MARIO BROS. characters, honoring their legacy while captivating audiences across generations worldwide.
Mario & Luigi
Peach & Rosalina
Bowser & Bowser Jr.
Toad & Yoshi - EXPLORING THE GALAXY – Guided by the filmmakers and cast, audiences embark on a journey through the film’s most iconic settings, revealing the thoughtful layers of nostalgia embedded in each one.
- GALACTIC THEMATICS – The emotional core of any SUPER MARIO BROS. film lies in its relationships. This piece delves into the bonds between characters, examining the alliances that are tested, the connections that are broken, and those that endure and evolve forever.
- COSMIC TUNES – Some sounds are unmistakably SUPER MARIO BROS. Composer Brian Tyler invites audiences inside his creative process, reimagining the franchise’s iconic game music as a powerful cinematic score that drives the action and elevates this epic adventure.
- POWER-UPS – There is no greater tool in the galaxy than a perfectly timed power-up. Take a closer look at the many power-ups featured in the film, explore how the filmmakers selected which to include, and hear from the cast as they share their personal favorites.
- SECRETS OF THE GALAXY – Brimming with cleverly hidden Easter eggs, the film invites fans to return again and again to catch them all. In this feature, the filmmakers and cast offer insider guidance on where to look, what to watch for, and the surprises waiting to be discovered.
- Optional English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles for the main feature
Maybe special features aren’t cared about much in today’s streaming focused world, but this was a disappointing offering. In comparison to many of the DVDs I used to collect, it’s limited and kind of forgettable.
Unsurprisingly, the movie looks fantastic. It really ‘pops off the screen,’ with stunning visuals and a wealth of colour in almost every section of each frame. There’s a lot going on in most scenes, and the attention to detail is impressive. This is really accentuated by the 4K Blu-ray transfer. I have no complaints.
The audio is also quite boisterous, but I feel that the mixing could have been better. Granted, I didn’t see this movie in theatres.
I watched this late at night, after gaming all evening and past midnight. Due to this, I tried not to have it super loud, as I don’t live alone. What bothered me was that, like a lot of other movies, the dialogue was kind of low and the music and sound effects were noticeably louder. I turned it down during action-packed scenes, then needed to turn it back up to hear the dialogue properly.
At the end of the day, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is not as good as the game it’s named after, and isn’t as good as it could have been. A lack of depth, a basic plot and characters who are underused keep it from being as good as the previous movie. However, despite its faults, I did enjoy it a decent amount. There were times where my mind wandered, though.
Its home video (well, 4K Blu-ray) release is stunning, and it does the movie justice in technical ways. Those who enjoyed it in theatres will be happy with the result, outside of dialogue that could have been mixed at a louder volume. Those who care about bonus features will be disappointed, however.
Movie score: 60/100
Video score: 97/100
Audio score: 72/100
Special features score: 35/100
This review is based on a copy of the movie that we were provided.