I should probably start with some positives first right? I already praised the first Super Mario Bros. movie for its amazing animation and attention to detail. Super Mario Galaxy somehow ups all of that to such a degree where I can confidently say that this isn't just one of the best looking Illumination movies ever produced, but probably one of the best animated films I have seen in the past decade. The colors are vibrant, the environments are full of life with plenty of detail, the use of particle effects are stunning and almost every character has a strong sense of presence in this art style. Illumination's commitment to squash and stretch style animation also reaches its peak here. Not only are the character expressions full of life with superb texture work, but the action choreography is also on another level. There are more than a half a dozen action scenes or set pieces throughout the course of this film and not only are all of them very distinct from one another, but the way everybody moves and fights with each other is incredibly distinct. The camera work is even incredibly imaginative during a few set pieces in particular. I need to give credit to the production team and the director, because it is clear that there is a strong love for the Mario brand on display here.

This also extends to the musical score, which is absolutely sublime. Not only is it filled with stunning re-creations of iconic Mario themes from throughout the entire franchise, but even a lot of newer tracks implement familiar light motifs. The film even includes iconic themes from other Nintendo franchises, not just Mario. Everything is so beautifully scored to the point where I could feel my eyes light up from just a few cords being played during specific scenes. Also, if you weren't a fan of all the random licensed music that was implemented in the first movie, then you'll be happy to know that there is barely any in this film. I counted one or two instances of maybe a familiar pop theme playing but they were very short, used for specific comedy scenes and do not impact the rest of the films musical identity like the first film.

“But what about the story?”, you might be asking and all I have to say to that is…hey look it's Birdo from Mario 2! That response I just gave is pretty much the narrative formula that this film seems to almost take pride in, for better and for worse. I thought the first Mario Bros story was just okay, but at least I can confidently say that there was a story in that film with a three act structure and some kind of thematic resolution. I don't think it was handled well, but it existed. This film doesn't even have the bare minimum. There's no real structure here, there's no real overarching theme and while there are technically narrative conclusions to things that were set up, they are far from satisfying. There are questions that are brought up about Peach's past which was set up in the first movie, Bowser's fate and his relationship to his son, Mario's relationship with Peach etc. But hardly any of these things get any real solid resolution. Everything just sort of happens, everyone goes different ways for very contrived reasons, everyone mashes together at the end and then the film is over. This movie might as well be called “Super Mario Stuff Just Sort of Happens.”

Watching this movie felt like I was strapped into a Mario-themed roller coaster at Universal Studios, which I'm pretty confident is the intention, so I can't even knock the film for trying to pretend to be something that it's not. The film is practically screaming in my face throughout its entire run, “Look at that! Did you catch that? Can you believe we put this character in the movie?” Yes, the film has references galore but not all of them are bad. There are a lot of background details that I was able to catch that did put a smile on my face because of their implementation. I liked all of the more subtle stuff and honestly, I think this film showcases itself as a film adaptation of a platform game incredibly well. Remember that one sequence at the beginning of the last movie where Mario was platforming throughout a construction site and it was made to look like it was a level in the video game? There are a few moments like that throughout this film and it is genuinely some of the most creative game adaptations I think I have seen. There is definitely a lot of fun to be had here, even under the most critical lens

However, what ties a lot of these set pieces together is a flimsy story that really requires you to turn your brain off for it to not be a distraction. There is more time spent glazing Fox McCloud's inclusion in this movie then there is explaining why half the characters do what they do. Why does Princess Peach go off on a rescue mission with just Toad? I don't know. What exactly are Princess Peach and Rosalina? I don't know. How does Rosalina even know what happened in the first movie? I don't know. How is Bowser Jr. able to fund and produce an army seemingly bigger than Bowser's in the first movie? I don't know. There are a few throwaway lines that are here to maybe justify actions, but then it just opens up more questions that the film clearly is not interested in answering. It's not even like this film is promising that those questions will be answered later, it just doesn't want to answer those questions at all because it's more concerned with moving onto the next reference or setting.

While the interactions and comedic timing of almost all the characters in this film feel stronger than the first, the trade off is that scenes feel even shorter and more rushed then before. This has a negative impact on the voice performances because barely any of the characters outside of maybe Bowser and Bowser Jr. really have time to flex their performances. I am convinced that most of the actors in this movie didn't spend more than an hour in the recording booth which makes it a little hard to criticize the new voice cast compared to the first movie because a lot of them just aren't given a lot of lines to chew on. I think I like Brie Larson as Rosalina? Bowser Jr. voice took a while to get used to, but it eventually settled. I appreciated Donald Glover's commitment to playing Yoshi but is it weird that the standout performance of the movie is probably from Glen Powell as Fox, a character who I didn't know was going to be in this movie until a week before the film came out? That fact might be indicative of the film as a whole if you really sit down and think about it.

I'm very conflicted because on the one hand, I do think it is important to judge a film off of the merits of what it is trying to accomplish. If this movie wants to be a big Nintendo fan service joyride with barely any downtime, filled with fun character interactions and gorgeous set pieces, then it does accomplish that in spades. But there's a part of me that wants to still judge the film off of the basic principles of what a film still should be. I still see potential for a more coherent and emotionally enriching experience but again, that's not what the film cares about. Does that limit the scope of the films appeal? Absolutely, but will that matter in the grand scheme of things? I don't know. Nintendo is one of the most profitable franchises on the planet, so saying that this film will only really appeal to kids and die hard Nintendo fans is still saying a lot. If you're looking for just a fun, adrenaline filled ride with your friends or your kids, then I definitely think this does scratch an itch but if you weren't convinced by the first movie or if you're asking for anything more, then you're better off going down a different pipe.