Sparky Reviews The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
- Sparky
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Video Game Films Have Become A Lot Better
For almost forty years, film makers have attempted to make films based on video games. Ever since the late 80s, film makers have continually made films based on video games. At first glance, this sounds like a good idea. Since the video game industry has become its own industry of various stories and amazing potential for film adaptations.
Now, most of the time, video game adaptations are done in live action format. Which has gone…as best as you can assume which means, bad. For many years, video game films have gotten the reputation of being awful. As the transition from game to large screen is incredibly difficult. Some of these examples include The Super Mario Brothers, Uncharted, and Silent Hill: Revelation.
Now, there’s an ongoing debate on whether film canon classifies as game canon. Some films try to make their own story while throwing in cameo after cameo from the other games like Uncharted. Then, there’s some films that try to do a one for one recreation of the games. There’s a huge problem that translates badly with video game films is that many video games take a long time to get through.
They’re done in a way to ensure that the games are worth the full price that players must pay. Which correlates to anywhere to ten to sometimes hundreds of hours. Obviously, this is incredibly difficult to do in one film. Now, some video game adaptations are turned into television series like The Last of Us. Honestly, that’s how I think longer story driven video games should be developed. However, this is not the case most of the time.
With that said, the last few years have been a huge year for video game films. This is mainly due to the creators of these films having passion for these projects instead of just making money. Plus, technology has come a long way to ensure that the characters look amazing. Films like Sonic the Hedgehog, World of Warcraft, and more specifically, The Super Mario Brothers have changed the scenery.
In 2023, Illumination with the help of Nintendo, came out with a groundbreaking new film called The Super Mario Bros Movie. Based on the Super Mario franchise, The Super Mario Bros Movie follows a guy named Mario and his brother Luigi as they get separated from each other and must stop an evil koopa named Bowser.
The thing that made this film so popular is that it brings the charm and characteristics from the games. Anyone can see this film and go, oh hey! I know those characters!! However, the way that The Super Mario Bros Movie is made is so welcoming for everyone. Without any surprise, The Super Mario Bros Movie made a ton of money. So much so that Illumination and Nintendo made another film. This next one being titled, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
Released on April 1, 2026, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is taken from the video game, Super Mario Galaxy. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie follows a Luma who gets sent to find Princess Peach after Bowser Jr. kidnaps Princess Rosalina. How does this film do as oppose to its previous film? Does it stand out and make this film an enjoyable experience? Let’s find out together. In this episode of Sparky Reviews, we’re going to be thoroughly analyzing The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
The Super Mario Galaxy Follows Canon While Creating Its Own
One of the things about this film that makes it so fun is that this film follows the formula of the games while creating its own canon. Like I discussed previously, The Super Mario Bros films have made it apparent that game canon doesn’t necessarily mean game canon. As a result, audiences are aware of the characters, but their story might be different. In order to create character development and to structure the films to fit a structured story formula. This formula is much more apparent in the first film, The Super Mario Bros Movie.
Not to say that The Super Mario Galaxy Movie doesn’t have formula. The difference is that the first film is an establishment film while The Super Mario Galaxy Movie isn’t. It’s under the pretense that the audience has seen the first film, so it doesn’t have to explain itself again. So, it is apparent that viewers who want to watch The Super Mario Galaxy watch The Super Mario Bros Movie first.
So, what is the story of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie? Well, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie follows Princess Peach as she, Toad, Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, and newcomer Fox McCloud go out to stop Bowser and his son from using Rosalina to destroy the galaxy. So, from this description alone, it looks like the game but not at the same time. In fact, some people have complained that the film is nothing like the game.
While there are some parts that I feel should have been fleshed out more in the film from the game where it’s based on, I feel that The Super Mario Galaxy Movie establishes that once again the film canon is different than game canon.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie doesn’t need to establish. This film builds on the characters and focuses on character development. Moreover, Princess Peach gets a lot of character development in this film that she didn’t receive in the last film. As such, it doesn’t surprise me how they made the story. As revealing everything from Rosalina’s character would end her character arc. With this story’s decision, it leaves more open opportunities for other films to be made with Rosalina’s character. Since let’s be real for a second, Illumination and Nintendo will be making more films as long as the creators are willing to make more films. While The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has its perks, the lack of Galaxy content does hurt it.
The Only Problem With The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is the Lack of Galaxy Content
While I did love the use of characters and the story, the lack of content from the original source is very apparent. I feel that Rosalina should have been more of a prominent member of the film. Especially since this is her game where she’s introduced and it’s her game.
However, like I said, I feel that eventually the story of the films will be established with Princess Rosalina. I feel that I have to share this bit of information due to the fact that anyone who has played Super Mario Galaxy will see this lack of Rosalina and be disappointed.
Additionally, I felt that the film was putting in too many cameos and focusing on other characters. Which if done correctly can be a fun little easter eggs. However, this film does it in a way that takes away from Rosalina’s story. Clearly there’s more going on here than what is being shown. Either Illumination and Nintendo are creating their own universe or creating a series of films that will be coming out. Regardless, I feel that there was missed opportunity for the lack of content from Super Mario Galaxy. This is the only major flaw that I have with this film.
Overall, Despite Its Flaws, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is an Incredibly Fun Rollercoaster of Fun
Honestly, despite its flaws, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is a fun time. It’s filled with tons of references, cameos, character development, and fun times. If you are a fan of Rosalina and/or a fan of Super Mario Galaxy, there might be some disappointment. However, I would give this film a watch to make your own critical decision. I will give this film an 8.5 out of 10.
There’s a lot of fun characteristics of this film, but it gets minus points for removing elements from the game and removing Rosalina’s character development. However, I will not mark it down so much since I have a feeling this franchise is doing something that will slowly develop characters as the films progress.
Thank you for reading this review. What did you think of the film? Did you enjoy it? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.
If you’d like to learn more about The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, check out their official website.
Additionally, if you’d like to check out the video game, Super Mario Galaxy, it’s available on the Nintendo Switch. Feel free to check it out to see if it’s a game you’d like to purchase.
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