“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” (2026) is the sequel to “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” (2023) and the first sequel of any film adaptation of Nintendo’s video game series, “Mario.” Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) are plumbers in the Mushroom Kingdom clearing pipes so people can travel between worlds, but they are about to find out about galaxies when Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie) decides to free his father, Bowser (Jack Black). Bowser is stuck in between becoming a new person and reverting to his old ways once annoyed. Will the brothers and Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) be able to stop them before it is too late? Do I think that “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is a genuinely engrossing sci-fi action-adventure film because I saw it on the big screen or recently saw a lot of crap movies?
For people who are hoping to see Brooklyn, Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen) or pipes with water flowing through them, you will be sorely disappointed. For everyone else, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is far better than the first film. Everyone gets substantially more storylines, fewer needle drops and more action and humor. Mario no longer hogs the spotlight, and Luigi gets more screentime. Added to the mix is Yoshi (Donald Grover), a neon green dinosaur who ends up rooming with them and fits in perfectly, which Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) finds abrupt and annoying, which may explain why Toad spends more time with Princess Peach. Luigi and Yoshi mostly rib Mario for his crush on Princess Peach, but it does not become a fully fleshed out story. It probably will be revisited in the next sequel. The chemistry is really solid among these three, and their riff on the “Jurassic Park” franchise was delightful though an explanation would be nice regarding how a realistic T-Rex just lives in the Honeyhive Kingdom.
Princess Peach has more important concerns than romance. As predicted, Princess Peach gets to multitask, explore her origins and save her kingdom. She is more of a badass while still wearing pink, and this time, she has an additional tool in her arsenal: a parasol from a clearly love-struck Mario. If “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” feels a little off, it seems a tad too contrived that she separates from everyone to accomplish a mission, but the result works so let’s sign a waiver. The separation does save us from a romance storyline. They briefly touch each other’s gloved hands.
Revamping Bowser was the best idea ever. In the first movie, he was basic, but this time around, his unpredictable moods created genuine tension and added humor. It looks like he gave up the piano and picked up or resumed a new hobby, painting. His storyline is original because instead of the judgmental father forcing his son to follow his example, it is his son who reminds him of the past, and they have a good relationship with each other. It is just a problem for everyone else because they encourage each other to be their worst selves though Bowser curbs Jr’s homicidal impulses. It is a kids’ movie. Who is the baby mama? Having a kid makes the wedding in the first movie far more unintentionally scandalous and horrifying considering how he treats Princess Peach. Did he kill her? Believe it or not, the whole dynamic is adorable, and many moviegoers may walk away from the theater with fond memories of these villains.
One person who will not look at them so kindly is Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson) and her babies, the Lumas, who look like stars and based on appearances, may be related to Lumalee (Juliet Jelenic), who makes a brief, delightful cameo late in “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.” She lives in a Comet Observatory, but for people unfamiliar with the games such as myself and unwilling to do research, it looks like a space station that resembles a porcelain tea set stacked together so they can be brought to the sink. Rosalina makes Princess Peach seem like a damsel in distress. She is a complete badass with a big heart and completely feminine. Unfortunately, others covet her power.
The concept of galaxies gets introduced with Rosalina, and the aesthetics of her attackers is a mix of “War of the Worlds” tripod legged machine that talks, a fleet of floating ships that would fit into the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise if they were navigating the water instead of the stars, and an old school saucer spaceship that beams up and abducts people and things without the green little men. The mix of sci-fi and fantasy work surprisingly well together. The fantasy elements are visually depicted as Edenic, verdant lands. The sci-fi elements feel industrialized, raw and rough. No Roddenberry, futuristic, smooth and sleek technology here. It represents the brutishness of the Browser clan. Also, Browser Jr. uses a paintbrush like a weapon. When wielded, its power moves over bodies like Venom. “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is intriguing because it shows that everyone is innately creative and imaginative, but the way that it presents in the world reflects their creator’s personality. The dialogue and storyline never explicitly references this significance, but it is a consistent visual theme.
Often when genres mix, something falls off, and it is like painting. Mix too many colors, and it becomes muddy brown. Here everything stays vibrant and colorful. On occasion, events happen so quickly that it may be hard to figure out where the characters are, but it kind of does not matter. “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” loves dipping in and out of genres with ease as much as it enjoys flipping through different styles of animation similar to “Smurfs” (2025), which it does more than the first movie. (Side note: I’m the only one who loved “Smurfs” so that may not bode well for this sequel. People like mindless when it comes to video game adaptations.) If you can see it on IMAX, do! The action scenes are pretty solid. As always, the Dark Lands has horror elements with animated bones playing a huge role in the denouement, and Bowser still seems very metal. There are two post credits scenes, and the last one gives clues on what the next movie will be. With the appearance of another major player in the Nintendo catalogue, the audience went wild but temper your excitement because this beloved character does not get as much screen time as Donkey Kong did in the first, and DK has yet to get a standalone franchise without the twins.
As someone who finds pure adventure and many video game movies boring, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is a pure popcorn movie that adults will want to see even if they do not have kids to entertain. While it is not as emotionally rich as “Goat” (2026), some people find not crying during animated movies a highly recommended feature. No need to bring Kleenex for this one.
