Over the years, gaming has become a major part of society. It is the way kids spend their free time while their parents spend their money.
There are many different franchises and games to choose from. Whether you’re into sports games or platformers, there’s something for everyone. If I were given the option to go to a store and pick a game for someone trying to get into gaming, Super Mario is the first game that comes to mind.
Mario sticks out as one of the franchises that helped propel gaming into the pop culture scene. So, it only makes sense that it would be the first of its IP’s that Nintendo adapts into the big screen.
Like the first film, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” follows Mario, Luigi and Peach once again as they try to save themselves and the kingdom from evil. This time, they meet new friends along the way to help them finish the job. Rosalina & her Lumas, Yoshi and Fox McCloud are some fan favorites that are featured in the film.
The film’s score is one of the highlights of the entire movie. Brian Tyler returns as the composer of the soundtrack for the sequel. He did a fantastic job giving a kids’ movie the element of excitement similar to what the game offers in terms of musicality. The soundtrack uses original songs from the Super Mario games and rearranges them with a full orchestra.
With that said, the film still offers its fair share of licensed songs to enhance the musical experience the film offers.
Action-filled, vibrant animations are jam-packed in this film. Illumination Studios, the studio in charge of the film’s animation, did an excellent job bringing Mario and his friends to life. Many parts make it feel like it was pulled straight from the games. The colors used are more saturated in tone, which almost adds to how vibrant the animation is.
Many of the scenes look like they’re pulled straight from the games. We see Mario and others go through the galaxy gates several times — this is a direct callback to the games with the same title.
The main villain of the film, Bowser Jr., uses a special paintbrush as his weapon; the effects of some of these paintings are done extremely well.
Speaking of Bowser Jr., he is voiced by Benny Safdie. When this casting was announced, it was doubtful than adult would be able to emulate the childishness and immaturity of Bowser Jr. However, Safdie did a really good job. It feels like he tries to imitate Bowser’s voice in a more childish way, which adds to the father/son dynamic. The tone of his voice is also lowered when he is recreated into his paintbrush form.
Another worrying voice was Yoshi, who is voiced by Donald Glover. If they had chosen to give Yoshi fleshed-out dialogue, his entire identity would be shattered. Yoshi does not speak. This can be a negative in many films, but they did a good job giving us his backstory as to why he is here by giving us a small flashback.
Historically, video game adaptations have not been the greatest. They always suffer from the same issues of being too serious or getting the source material incorrect in some way.
Now, it would be a lie to say “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is excused from this. At times, it feels like it is telling several stories at once while trying to fit in as many Easter eggs as possible, but while they are enjoyable, it is a lot to notice.
While this film is a pleasure for die-hard fans, it has many issues when it comes to the story. Rosalina, for example, serves as an addition to Peach’s story instead of being a primary protagonist for the film she is supposed to feature in.
This is a similar situation for Fox McCloud, who serves as a main part of the gang even though he shows up much later in the film.
Besides these criticisms, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is still a great family-friendly movie to watch. It becomes even more enjoyable and multi-leveled if you grew up with Mario and his friends. Overall, improvements can be made, but there is hope for this movie franchise.
