'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie' Does Not Understand Its Audience
- Raza Mirza
- 1 hour ago
- 4 min read
The sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie released last week, an adaptation of one of the most beloved 3D platformers of the last decade that sits near and dear to fans' hearts. Do I think this movie reaches the high expectations set for itself with this ambitious goal? Honestly, probably not.
As someone who only played the Galaxy games in the last few years, far past their cultural sell-by date, I definitely do not have as deep of a love for them as the Mario fans who were there since day one. However, it is clear that this movie is not interested in being a faithful recapturing of that experience. The plot, characters, and themes are significantly altered and, though they try to include iconography and familiar faces from Galaxy, it is quickly evident that this is simply forced fan service for the sake of getting you to cheer. If you are going into this movie as a fan of the original Mario Galaxy games then consider yourself warned.
So if this movie is not for the fans of Galaxy, then who is it for? Maybe it’s for the kids this time. This is not to criticise animation or movies that appeal to younger age groups. Some of the most insightful art I have ever experienced I watched when I was 7. However, this movie is definitely paced and written with younger children in mind. It forgoes having a plot so that it can instead move characters around as fast as possible to throw in more characters and references. Many iconic Mario characters are introduced and given a few lines before being shoved out the movie for yet another cameo. It is a constant stream of stimuli and entertainment which, though it did keep me from being bored, also caused me to write off a lot of the movie’s genuine attempts at themes and interpersonal character dynamics, as it simply forgot about them halfway through so they could show you Ukiki the monkey. The first part of the movie does genuinely try to set up interesting arcs, but they are simply discarded by the halfway point. As for this movie being for kids, the references would likely fall short on a younger fan due to them being for games that are 30+ years old, but I do think it can stand up to this criticism with the newer references to games like Super Mario Odyssey and Mario Maker.
As for the positives, this sequel carries over a lot of the good from the last movie. Great animation, surprisingly strong choreography, excellent attention to detail and beautiful sound design. It’s no secret that the music and sounds in these movies are pulled from all over the Mario franchise, adding a subtle yet immensely satisfying touch to every little noise. Everything from Yoshi’s hatching noise from New Super Mario Bros to Rosalina’s story from the original Super Mario Galaxy. What the movie lacks in Galaxy representation it tries to make up for with a slew of references and aspects from across the series, including some from games you would not expect. A lot of this did work on me as it appealed to my inner Nintendo fanboy, but I can understand why other die-hard fans may find this obnoxious or disingenuous. The more critical people, who are not fans of the franchise, may simply find this egregious.
In terms of the cast, the returning actors deliver as much as they did the first time around. Chris Pratt as Mario is distracting and flat but easy enough to look past, Charlie Day as Luigi gets much more to do and is charming enough, Anya Taylor Joy as Peach is no massive standout but she plays the character well enough, and of course Jack Black as Bowser steals the show again. Overall, I did not have an issue with the acting in the first place, except maybe with Chris Pratt. As for the new cast, Benny Safdie's performance as Bowser Jr certainly grew on me as, though he does not sound like the traditional Bowser Jr, he carries a lot of the same characterisation and does a good job. Brie Larson as Rosalina is a casting choice that simply makes me smile. Not only was her performance good and she felt like she fit Rosalina properly, but knowing about her history with Nintendo as a massive fan herself, I am glad that someone who truly loves the character is portraying them. All the same can be said for Donald Glover as Yoshi. It’s difficult to recognise the Childish Gambino as Yoshi but I think his performance is delightful and adorable.
Overall, this is a movie that certainly seems to struggle to find the correct audience. It tries to be a reference filled roller coaster whilst clumsily trying to develop its characters, only to drop all narrative drive and forget about the people excited for their favourite game to be adapted for the silver screen. In spite of this, I cannot deny how much fun I had and the nostalgia I felt watching this movie. Not all art needs to mean something to be considered good, sometimes a movie where your favourite characters do silly things and stomp on turtles is good enough.
(Please do not make a Super Smash Bros. movie though Nintendo, I promise it will not be good.)
Edited by Joanne Baranga, Gaming Editor
