Director: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic
Cast: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Benny Safdie, Donald Glover, Brie Larson
Screenplay: Matthew Fogel
98 mins. Rated PG for action violence and rude humor.

Three years after The Super Mario Bros Movie lit up the box office and set up about 1000 spinoff films, the sequel has finally arrived with a slight adaptation of one of the best games in the flagship series. It’s a better film than its predecessors, if only slightly, but it also reminds this viewer that these movies can be so much more than they are.

Mario (Chris Pratt, Avengers: Infinity War) and his brother Luigi (Charlie Day, The LEGO Movie) have become heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom after helping to defeat Bowser (Jack Black, A Minecraft Movie), but when the son, Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie, Oppenheimer), arrives to free his father and kidnap another princess, Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy, Dune: Part Two) need to head across the galaxy in an attempt to stop him and maybe learn a bit more about where Peach came from.

I hadn’t expected the Mario sequel to adapt Super Mario Galaxy, but I’m glad, as it’s one of the best in the game series, with a unique look and a story that takes some interesting turns, and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie does start out with a better and more interesting story, one of revenge and teamwork and found family. The story falls apart a bit as the narrative moves on, but there’s more of a visual distinction to the sequel. In fact, just about everything in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is at least a little better than the first film, which was strung together by nostalgic moments rather than a cohesive and entertaining plot. The characters have more to do, Mario and Peach even having (limited) character arcs, the story is character focused (if busy), and there are a handful of set pieces that have visual flair and excitement. It’s a better film because it less-focused on setting up other characters and films (though it still does just that a bit).

New additions Benny Safdie, Donald Glover (The Martian), and Brie Larson (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) are fine but probably not worth the larger paycheck over a traditional voice actor, but the characters are certainly welcome, Yoshi in particular making me wonder how we ever survived the first film without him. The real vocal surprises came from Glen Powell as Fox McCloud (who performs the character very differently from how I assumed, but quite pleasantly so) and especially Luis Guzman as Wart, a casino-residing villain with a Don Corleone attitude.

What’s frustrating about The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is that it’s just so comfortable being…fine. I’m inclined to enjoy myself as a lifelong fan of the characters, but the story is still rather flimsy, and we’ve seen a variation of it so many times before. Again, the story and characters are improvements on the original, but much of the film still feels so forgettable. Lots of cameos and references do not make a great film, and I know this will get pushback, primarily from people who say, “It’s just a Mario movie, it doesn’t need to win Oscars” or “It’ll still make a billion” or “The movie isn’t for critics, it’s for fans.” To that, I’ll say that just because the Mario games are light on plot doesn’t mean the films should be, and as a critic and fan, I think it’s perfectly fine to ask for MORE. It’s a fun experience, but it has no staying power. This franchise will likely be better off in spinoff form, so I’m hoping the next film will be a Luigi’s Mansion or a Super Mario Sunshine or even Donkey Kong Country.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is a step in the right direction for this popular franchise, with small improvements to the characters and story, even if it still leans on nostalgia and game references to keep itself afloat. The world of Mario Galaxy is a more fascinating one, and I wish we got to spend more time hopping from planet to planet. Two films in, though, and the filmmakers’ comfortable position concerning their IP is starting to wear thin, so here’s hoping for a more unique spinoff in the near future, as Mario has shown to be the least interesting character in his own film franchise. Still, though, there is enough here for kids and parents, provided they care about the source material.

3/5
-Kyle A. Goethe