A sequel bursting with fun callbacks, easter eggs and game references that will have fans enthralled from start to finish, plus enough fun and adventure for new viewers makes Super Mario Galaxy an almost perfect popcorn-filled family outing. Gorgeous visuals and striking music covers any very minor cracks. And barring some trailer and advertising reveals I wish they’d kept for the movie itself, Galaxy was out of this world!

It’s a strange and wonderful thing seeing something that has been part of your life for over three decades imaginatively fleshed out on a giant IMAX screen. It being a video game series that’s never been known for it’s in-depth story-telling, makes it even more impressive. Having it be made by people that clearly love the material as much as you, just makes it that extra bit special. That’s how I felt about the first Super Mario Bros. movie and having watched Super Mario Galaxy over the weekend (April 2026), I can confirm that once again, it hits all the right marks.

The Plot of the Plumbing Protectors

The story is pretty out there… After saving not only the ‘real-world’ Brooklyn, but also the Mushroom Kingdom in their last adventure, Mario and Luigi have moved into the funky funghi world and are now plumbers/protectors for hire. After discovering Yoshi, and a meeting up with a still miniaturized, but now (occasionally) contrite, Koopa King, the siblings and their new sticky-tongued dino buddy head off to Peach’s non-birthday party celebration. Mario quickly learns that she’s still struggling to find her place in the world. During the festivities, a stranded Luma explains that Bowser Jr. has captured Rosalina, and asks Princess Toadstool for help. With Toad at her side, and the Mario brothers tasked with looking after her domain, Peach heads into the stars. However, taking over reigning duties from an accomplished monarch, while a maniacal magic paintbrush-wielding turtlechild (with complex turtledaddy issues) is hellbent on freeing his father and destroying the castle – turns out to be a little harder than the dynamic duo expected. And thanks to a combination of evil laser-fueled weapons and an apparent lack of any real gravity, the brothers are soon beamed up into the cosmic adventure themselves, teaming up with their favourite heroin, and a few new faces, to take on the Bowser brood and their desire to wipe out everyone else in the universe (a weirdly touching goal they’ve role-played achieving using puppets in the past). Yup… no wonder Jr’s got issues!

Mario and Luigi have moved into the funky funghi world and are now plumbers/protectors for hire.

Now sure, I’ve probably used a little poetic license and probably a bit too much alliteration to describe the plot, but considering the source material, I thought it they did a really good job with the film getting it all cohesive. Despite how great Mario games always feel to play, narratives usually range between wonderfully nonsensical to simple and straight-forward at best. Each game in the series is generally disconnected story-wise (usually explained away by not referencing previous titles, or jumping to different worlds, or even the odd elaborate dream sequence – yes I’m looking at you SMB2!), However, that’s never been the point of the games. So, the fact that Super Mario Galaxy manages to reference so many of them, while somehow still connecting everything in a structure that’s fun and makes enough sense for both longtime fans to be excited (with bits of new ‘official Mario lore’) and for kids that are perhaps watching these characters for the first time is a great achievement. Plus, it’s a fun little adventure movie in space that everyone from toddlers to grannies can enjoy. If you go in with that perspective, I think you’re going to enjoy it a lot.

Agog at the Galaxy!

Longtime fans like me, are going to love every little nod and easter egg the movie sneaks in. They are everywhere from start to finish. I can just see my YouTube timeline filling up with ‘101 Mario Game References You Missed‘-type videos. So, if that’s you – you’ll probably be very happy. However, what I suspect everyone will appreciate (no matter your feelings on Mario and the nostalgic trip the movie takes some of us on) are the visuals and the music. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are animated movies that have been released over the last few years that have a really distinct and, to be honest, genuinely special style on top of a unexpectedly moving story. They’ve won awards. You know the movies I’m talking about. Is Galaxy one those? Probably, not. However, it’s not meant to be. And, despite that caveat, it is beautiful! The visuals of characters and locations we’ve sometimes last seen in pixelated 2D-form on 8 and 16 bit consoles, are now rich and detailed and you can’t help but smile the whole way through. Throw in a soundtrack, that yes, does sample and feature some really classic Nintendo tunes, but also reimagines them and punctuates the movie adding humour and an occasional sense of impending doom to all the magic we’re seeing on screen. it’s a perfect combination. On a giant screen with a booming stereo sound – it really is a feast for the ears and eyes (after your clear the tears away due the eye-watering amount we have pay to watch movies in IMAX these days!).

Sadly, there was no ‘Jack Black as Bowser belting out ‘Peaches” moment this time around.

On the flip side, the first movie had some really standout humour coupled with some good voice acting performances. Chris Pratt did a better job than many thought he would – and it’s hard to argue against the virtually perfect voice casting of Charlie Day (Luigi), Kevin Michael Richardson (Kamek) and even Anya Taylor-Joy (Peach). This time around though, while the returning cast is still mostly wonderful and are joined by some excellent performances from Benny Safdie (Bowser Jr.), Brie Larson (Rosalina), Donald Glover (Yoshi) and others – there was no ‘Jack Black as Bowser belting out ‘Peaches” moment this time around. Maybe that means that the script is a bit weaker this time, or just that the ‘stars’ don’t get to really flex their comedy chops this time around. However, what it lacks in outright humour it more than makes up with in visual spectacle and fun – with Illumination’s character animations being some of the best we’ve ever seen come from their studio. These crazy facial animations, coupled with some really special and funny character interactions like Toad & Yoshi and Bowser & Jr. means and it’s an enjoyable ride the whole way through. In fact, my bigger gripe was that the trailers and promotional work before the release of the film revealed so many of the cool cameos and characters – including one in particular that ‘fell through and interdimensional tear in space’ and I think would’ve been an epic in-film surprise.

 

Crowd pleasing, star-faring adventure!

I loved the Super Mario Galaxy movie. And yes, I’m a big fan so, sure, take that with a pinch of salt. However, I suspect that while it may not be very high on every critics’ best-of-lists, it’s going to be a crowd pleaser. And, in this case, that is definitely not a bad thing. Galaxy is friendly, and positive and fun! It’s everything you want to feel from a Mario movie; The hero is a good guy who likes a girl he thinks is out of his league. The girl is a strong capable heroin that heads of into the unknown to save someone she barely knows. The brothers look out for each other and bring out the best in others. And the bad guy, while dealing with his own checkered past – reminds us that, the people who we choose (or are forced) to have around us, can be both a force for good or for bad within us…

The visuals of characters and locations we’ve sometimes last seen in pixelated 2D-form on 8 and 16 bit consoles, are now rich and detailed and you can’t help but smile the whole way through.

Not bad for a film made for a game character that was created 40 years ago, wore a hat and a moustache (almost solely because of pixel limitations) and ran around hopping over pipes, grabbing coins and eating strange mushrooms. Yup, now, four decades later, a whole family can head off to a movie together, grab a box of popcorn and leave the world for an adventure in the stars, save a princess and exit the theatre smiling. That’s-a pretty good deal if you ask me.

Photos: All Photos Property of Nintendo and Illumination