Playing it again

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NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Friday, April 3rd. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Nick Eicher.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: a blockbuster sequel lands in theaters.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie was a billion-dollar-plus hit. Now comes the followup—and the question: can it live up to the first?

EICHER: Here now is WORLD Arts and Culture editor, Collin Garbarino—let’s-a-go!

MUSIC: [Mario theme music]

COLLIN GARBARINO: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie starts where most of Mario and Luigi’s video game adventures begin: With the abduction of a princess.

BOWSER JR: Princess Rosalina, you’re coming with me.

Anyone who’s played the Super Mario Galaxy video game knows Princess Rosalina lives in the comet observatory and is the caretaker of a race of starlike beings called the Lumas. After her kidnapping in the movie, one of her Lumas heads to the Mushroom Kingdom to find help.

Princess Peach, who’s a bit of a girlboss, enlists her trusty sidekick Toad and heads into deep space in search of Rosalina. Mario and Luigi get left behind to keep an eye on the Mushroom Kingdom, especially Peach’s special guest.

BOWSER: Ha ha! Hey, Luigi! What’s up, Mario?

Mario’s archenemy Bowser is being kept prisoner because of all the trouble he caused in the last movie. In this movie, he continues to see himself as a would-be rival for Peach’s affections. And he’s trying to reform.

BOWSER: Behold! I made a masterpiece for Princess Peach. What do you think?

LUIGI: Love the colors.

MARIO: It’s trash.

Reform, however, proves elusive.

BOWSER: How dare you look at my masterpiece and say that! I’ll burn the skin off your bones! Wow. [laughs] Sorry about that. That’s the old Bowser talking. Still working through my demons I suppose. [cackles]

But when Bowser’s son plans a jailbreak, Mario, Luigi, and their new pal, the dinosaur Yoshi, get sucked up into outer space where they’ll need to find Peach and help her rescue Rosalina.

BOWSER JR: I’m Bowser Jr. And I’m going to be taking my father… Now!

Most people are probably wondering how The Super Mario Galaxy Movie compares to its blockbuster predecessor. This movie has the same creative team as the 2023 film, so if you’re the kind of person who enjoyed that movie, you’re likely to enjoy this one too.

As with the previous film, Nintendo fans will appreciate the constant sly references to the video game franchise. And the musical echoes from the game that find their way into the score evoke just the right level of nostalgia. Also, folks familiar with Super Smash Bros. will be delighted to see a few surprising cameos.

But don’t expect too much.

ROSALINA: Once upon a time, there was a brave and noble princess named Peach.

LUMA: I want to hear the story about the plumbers!

ROSALINA: We did that one last night!

LUMA: Plumbers! Plumbers! Plumbers!

I was a fan of the first film, but as I said in my review back in 2023, it suffered from a paper-thin plot. It had cute characters and lots of Nintendo jokes, but not much else. 

I also said the voice acting from Chris Pratt and Charlie Day as Mario and Luigi felt flat; it still does in this movie. But now you can add Brie Larson’s performance as Rosalina to the list. 

Jack Black still makes for a nice Bowser, but he doesn’t get to deliver a showstopper song like he did in the last film.

MUSIC: [“Peaches”]

Not having Bowser offer up a new song was a huge oversight that’s going to disappoint a lot of the fan base.

MUSIC: [“Peaches”]

But other than the lack of a whimsical musical number, the films are pretty comparable. The plot of the new movie doesn’t feel that new, but the visuals are great, and it includes some action sequences that really highlight why Illumination is one of the better animation studios.

I also appreciated that this PG film doesn’t include any of the crude humor that sneaks into so many kids movies these days. Instead, the filmmakers wisely rely on nostalgia to hook teens and parents. 

I also have to admit that the relationship between Bowser and Bowser Jr., despite being villainous, was kind of touching.

BOWSER JR: From the ashes of his father’s defeat rises a new conqueror! The Bowser name shall be feared once more!

It’s nice for a Hollywood movie to remind us that fathers matter, even if they’re using the bad guys to do the reminding.

So on the whole, The Super Mario Galaxy might not be quite as fun as the first—I mean, really, the omission of a fresh Bowser song is unforgivable—but it’s still plenty fun, especially for kids and parents who enjoy rescuing a princess every now and then.

I’m Collin Garbarino.

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