The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is a gamers-first sequel

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (PG)

98 minutes, opens on April 1
★★★☆☆

The story: After the events of The Super Mario Bros Movie (2023), the hero plumber brothers Mario (voiced by Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) have settled in the Mushroom Kingdom with Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy). An urgent message sends the trio on a journey across galaxies, joined by a new companion: the dinosaur Yoshi (Donald Glover). Their mission is to rescue the magical being Rosalina (Brie Larson) from the evil Bowser Jr (Benny Safdie), a Koopa turtle raising an army to save his father, Bowser (Jack Black) – the central villain left miniaturised and imprisoned in the previous movie. Rosalina and her family of Luma star creatures hold the key to Peach’s true identity.

After the first movie made more than US$1.3 billion (S$1.7 billion) at the global box office – the highest for a video-game adaptation, so take that, Minecraft – a sequel was guaranteed.

Viewers of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie will fall roughly into three groups: players and fans of the Super Mario game, non-players who have watched the first movie, and the curious wanting to dip a toe into the franchise.

The context to know is that this movie prioritises fans of the game. Viewers are plunged into a universe where the gameplay comes first, and characters are second. There will be chases and battles filled with moves and power-ups backed by musical snippets that will leave players roaring with recognition.

The uninitiated will be left wondering why a character will withhold his most powerful weapon until all seems lost, when he should have whipped it out at the start. The plot is simply following the gameplay.

Returning directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic have cranked up the adorability factor, helped by the Lumas, the toddlers in star form ruled over by Rosalina. Voiced by what sounds like actual toddlers, the giggly Lumas steal every scene they are in.

Illumination, the American animation studio behind the Despicable Me and Minions film franchise (2010 to 2022), has designed a world colourful enough to entrance children – the film’s primary target – and created, thankfully, without the desperate, hyper-caffeinated antics of other kid-friendly projects.

Neither does that screenplay include the deliberately cringe-worthy silliness some producers pump into video-game movies aimed at teens and adults, such as A Minecraft Movie (2025).

Every character lives in the Mario universe fully and sincerely. There is no wiseacre looking around and going, “Gee, we aren’t in Kansas any more”. Neither is there a naive character to whom others can deliver an exposition dump.

It helps that the character motives are simple: Mario and Luigi just want to help; Peach is confused about her origins, and Bowser and Bowser Jr want to marry Peach and rule the universe respectively.

The story adopts a smart show-don’t-tell approach that lets viewers know they are in good hands.

This is a straightforward story about family and friendship, told well and without irony, backed by plenty of eye candy.

The gamer shoutouts are in full effect, but do not detract from the narrative flow in a way that feels fatal.

Hot take: This colourful, sincere space adventure puts gamers first, but does not leave everyone else behind.