The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is the highly anticipated follow-up to the wildly successful Super Mario Bros. movie from three years ago. In keeping with the time-honored tradition, this story again begins with a princess being kidnapped. This time, however, it isn’t Anna Taylor-Joy’s Princess Peach but Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson) who gets targeted. Dressed in light blue in contrast to Peach’s light pink, Rosalina adopts Lumas—little star-shaped characters that are as cute as can be—and cares for them at the Cosmic Observatory, where her abduction takes place.
Of course, our pair of Italian plumbing siblings must go save her. Chris Pratt reprises his galaxy-saving prowess as Mario, while Charlie Day backs him up as the younger but taller Luigi.
Joining them in this adventure is Keegan-Michael Key, returning as the loyal Toad, and newcomer Donald Glover as the adorable fan-favorite dinosaur, Yoshi.
The sequel matches the original in high adventure and colorful wackiness. The visuals are supplied by Illumination, the Universal Studios-owned animation house known for the Despicable Me and Minions movies. They do wonderful work here, providing the world in the film with lush, vibrant colors.
The plot, as you can tell, is relatively thin, and that is perfectly all right. A princess needs rescue, and our favorite plumbers save the day. We know that, and we’re comfortable with it. The real fun comes from seeing how the adventure plays out. And this particular adventure has a whole lot of surprises.
Obviously, the film is chock-full of references and call-backs to Mario games of the past, and there are some pretty deep cuts that only gamers above a certain age will probably know and recognize. On the whole, however, the film is easily accessible and enjoyable, regardless of age or gaming proficiency
This time, though, Nintendo is pulling out all the stops as far as easter eggs, as they’re putting in call-backs to other classic Nintendo franchises as well. It makes one wonder if they’re testing the waters for even more films based on their IP. The biggest treat for fans is possibly the inclusion of a certain lupine space-pilot. Glenn Powell enters the fray as Star Fox, and fans of the classic Nintendo Franchise will surely be over the moon.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie may not make the “best of” lists for many critics, but it is certainly on track to make a super impression on the rest of the world’s viewers. So grab your overalls, some popcorn, and head to the theater. Let’s A-Go!