The latest Mario sequel dazzles with cosmic visuals and pop-culture nods but struggles to rise above fan service and formula.
By James Verniere/Boston Movie News
Are we so eager to exchange the chaos of today for the comfort of yesteryear by way of the pop culture of our childhoods?
Yes, but are we really eager to see the clumsily-titled, Easter-timed, computer-animated “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie?”
The directing trio of Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, and Pierre Leduc is back from their billion-dollar-plus grossing 2023 hit “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.” Once again, we have Chris Pratt as the red-capped, overall-clad Mario, who, like his brother Luigi (cartoon-voiced Charlie Day), is a Brooklyn plumber by trade and speaks— “Mama Mia”—in a stereotype Italian-American accent; Brie Larsen as enchantress Princess Rosalina, who is the wand-wielding mother of a brood of adopted, super-cute, star-shaped Lumas; Anya Taylor-Joy as Rosalina’s badassery warrior sister Princess Peach; and a booming Jack Black as the misunderstood villain Bowser, the tyrannical turtle-dragon King of the Koopa race, who wants to marry Princess Peach against her will and destroy the Mushroom Kingdom. This new film also features Bowser Jr. (actor/director Benny Safdie), who kidnaps Princess Rosalina and battles the Mario Bros. in an effort to free his father, who is held captive by them and has been shrunken, hmm, by a magic mushroom.
Like the previous iterations of Super Mario Bros., this latest entry, which is the first “Super Mario” sequel and a co-production of Universal, Illumination and Nintendo, is full of allusions to such pop culture milestones as “Star Wars,” “King Kong,” “Blade Runner,” “The Wizard of Oz” and “Avatar.” Mario and Luigi arrive at a desert scene to help poncho-hatted characters from Mexico’s Dia de Muertos (“The Magnificent Seven Minus Five?”). The brave brothers explore a cave from which a horrible sound emanates and discover that the source is a cuddly, comically omnivorous dinosaur Yoshi (Donald Glover), who joins Mario and Luigi on their quest. Also on the scene is a certain Han Solo-like space pilot named Fox McCloud (the inescapable Glen Powell). Screenwriter Michael Fogel (“The Super Mario Bros. Movie”) is a vast repository of pop culture at its pop-iest.
Unlike the evocative but formulaic narrative, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” T’s visuals are impressive. In addition to digital fireworks, the film boasts lush, computer-generated chiaroscuro, additional explosions, cock-eyed aerial views, precisely choreographed, roaming tracking shots without tracks, and a scene in which a castle is levitated into space. Whatever reservations I might have (I had a hard time differentiating between the Princesses), “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is eye candy of a very elevated order. In addition to a PG-version of a “Kill Bill” fight sequence, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” summons Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” with its mad colors and crazy creature multitudes. We also get several throwback shots of the original game’s barely there 2D graphics.
The film often feels like an uneven at best mix of pop-culture references, monotonous action, fan service and undernourished story. Taking a birthday party break, Mario presents his beloved Princess Peach with a pink umbrella, which she will later use as a katana-like weapon. How very Uma Thurman, “Mary Poppins” and “Barbie” of them. Next up, “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” “Mortal Kombat 2,” “Masters of the Universe” and “Toy Story 5.” A “Donkey Kong” movie is coming. Ah, yesterday.
‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’
Rating: PG for action, violence, rude humor
Cast: Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Anya Taylor-Joy, Glen Powell
Directors: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Pierre Leduc
Running Time: 1 hour, 38 minutes
Where to Watch: In theaters
Grade: C+
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