When the first Super Mario Bros. Movie came out (and I’m talking about the animated one – not the so-bad-it’s-good live-action version), I didn’t even need a second watch to enjoy it. I loved it on my very first viewing!
Hell, even with critics completely savaging it, I still thought it was great. That said, I definitely didn’t have those same feelings with the sequel, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. In fact, I downright hated it.
Now that it’s finally come home, I rented it and watched it again, and…well, I have some thoughts. Do you want to hear them? Okay, then, well, let’s-a-go!
It Actually Wasn’t As Bad As I Remember It Being
A huge complaint I had with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie upon my first viewing was that it just moved way too fast. Now, I’m usually a huge supporter of brisk pacing and short run-times (one of my favorite movies of all time is Marty, after all, which is a breezy 93 minutes). However, upon my first viewing of Galaxy, it felt like it was just all action and no character development.
Upon a rewatch, I actually didn’t mind that this time. Sure, Yoshi has no character growth whatsoever, and Mario seems to get lost in his own movie, but after seeing it a second time, that didn’t seem like such a big deal. I kind of just turned off my brain for a little over an hour and a half, and the visuals did a lot of the heavy lifting, as it really is a colorful and expressive film.
I also did a lot more easter egg hunting this time, which I know was a complaint with the first movie, but I think this sequel went WAY further (Like, I actually saw Little Mac from Punch-Out!! this time around) with the fan service. So, as a fast-paced, easter egg-heavy movie, I think this movie succeeds on a second watch. Even so…
This Movie Still Has A Lot Of Problems
Okay, so knowing in advance that this movie is more about Princess Peach and her relationship with Rosalina than it is about Mario, I followed that narrative more closely this time around on my second viewing, and…that storyline STILL needed some work.
The two characters who mainly get story arcs of Princess Peach and Bowser Jr. still don’t feel that interesting or well thought out to me. It might be because I just don’t like Bowser Jr. as a character in general, but he arguably has the biggest story arc in the entire film, and I just don’t care for it.
Granted, much like the Mario video games, the story is secondary. For a movie, even one as uninterested in telling an engaging story as this one is, the characters’ journeys just don’t do anything for me, which is a huge bummer.
Even Though It Likely Won’t Be The Last Mario Movie, I’d Be Okay If It Was
So, given the box office success of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, I think we can all agree that we’re getting a sequel, right? I mean, the end of the film already teased who we’re getting for the inevitable third film.
However, I’d be perfectly fine if this was the last Mario movie. Would it be cool to get a Star Fox flick? Absolutely! Do I want a Donkey Kong movie? No, not really. But, even so, I would definitely take that over another Mario/Illumination joint.
Sure, I’m interested in seeing what a live-action Zelda movie will be like, but I’m kind of done with these Mario films, and I definitely won’t see a third one in theaters. Thankfully, these Mario movies come home pretty quickly, so I guess I’ll just wait to see it from the comfort of my couch.
