Why the Critics Are Wrong About the Super Mario Galaxy Movie
From the outset, it was clear that The Super Mario Galaxy Movie was never going to be a critical darling. Coupled with the fact that video game movies, historically, usually aren’t, it’s worth remembering that the first film, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, amassed a score of just 59% on Rotten Tomatoes.
At the time, reviewers were underwhelmed. One branded the movie as doing the “bare minimum” in terms of storytelling, while another described it as “the laziest possible version of a Mario movie.” But as for viewer reception, things couldn’t be more different. Not only does it have a 95% Rotten Tomatoes audience score, but it was also the second-highest-grossing movie of 2023, surpassing £1 billion at the box office and trailing behind only Barbie.
Evidently, the film was a crowd-pleaser, so a sequel was pretty much inevitable. However, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie looks set to follow the same pattern in terms of the dichotomy between audience and critical reception. The question is, who’s wrong? The critics or the audience?
What Did Critics Say About The Super Mario Galaxy Movie?
This time around, the reviews are even worse. At the time of writing, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has a score of 42% on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviewers are, in turn, tearing the film apart.
While Robbie Collin of The Telegraph dubbed it “absolute rubbish,” Alissa Wilkinson of the New York Times said that there was a “flat, empty nothingness” to the film. Similarly, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian referred to it as a “visually dull screensaver of a movie,” while Clarisse Loughrey of The Independent said: “There’s barely a plot here. Not a single memorable character. Not even another piano ditty for Jack Black to sing. It’s a series of large, vaguely connected explosions.”
Why The Critics Are Wrong
When it comes to video game movies, it’s more complicated than a movie being either a hit or a miss. The pre-existing fandoms surrounding these films add another unique dimension to the proceedings, because the film is really for them above all else. Arguably, Illumination doesn’t care about Oscars or critical reception for this film because that’s not the studio’s objective here — its goal is, simply, to entertain. And to The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’s credit, it achieves that.
While multiple reviewers described the film as “bland,” I believe the opposite is true — it’s an exciting, fast-paced spectacle full of bright colours, explosions, and adventure that you can’t help but enjoy.
As well as being visually interesting, there are plenty of cameos and other references, both from the world of Super Mario Bros. and other Nintendo games. For fans of Nintendo, it’s essentially an hour and a half-long game of ‘spot the Easter egg,’ which, in my opinion, shows a high degree of care and precision by Illumination to its audience. It’s literally overflowing with these moments, making it far from “empty,” as one reviewer suggested.
Sure, in terms of storytelling, it isn’t perfect, but the consistent humour throughout the film is more than enough to keep you engaged. I was especially a fan of Bowser’s redemption arc, which led to several hilarious moments, along with a particularly funny scene involving a much-loved Nintendo robot. The voice acting of the cast was also top-notch, even though I can never hear Charlie Day as anyone other than Charlie from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Most of all, the film is a love letter to Nintendo fans. It’s essentially an hour and a half of hanging out with all your favourite characters across various planets, which, in my opinion, are pretty faithfully adapted from their source material. We were never going to get anything Palme d’Or-worthy from this film, but maybe that’s okay. If you went into this Ther Super Mario Galaxy Movie thinking it would be a masterpiece, that is kind of on you. Movies don’t always have to be objectively ‘good’ to be watchable. Sometimes, just enjoying the ride is enough.
