The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Review

An electronic poster inside a theater.

Setting and Stats

Watched a 10 AM showing of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026. There were only a few other people inside the movie. I went with two other adults. We were in a standard theater. One in the party slept through the movie and the other had an exciting time.

The United States release date was April 1, 2026. It earned almost $131 million on its North American opening weekend. As of April 12, 2026 it grossed over $256.6 million in North America and over $463 million worldwide.[i] Its budget was about $110 million.[ii] The runtime is 98 minutes. It has a PG rating for mild violence and rude humor.

[i] International Movie Database, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026) — IMDb, last accessed 4/12/26.

[ii] The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Collection | Budget | OTT » Tenvow, Last accessed 4/12/26.

Poster at theater entrance.

The Movie

There are nice visuals and lots of action. Familiarity with the genre makes the movie more enjoyable. The story is more difficult to follow than The Super Mario Bros. Movie and has fewer soundtracks. Super Mario Galaxy has more action. There is the save the princess mission. This time it’s Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson). The movie begins with Princess Rosalina telling her hundreds of children, Luminas, a bedtime story. Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie) and his Koopas come and the fight is on. Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) and the Mario brothers (Chris Pratt, Mario and Charlie Day, Luigi) are on the quest. Princess Peach has Toad (Keegan-Michael Key)[i] with her. Mario and Luigi have Yoshi (Donald Glover)[ii] with them. The Brothers make their appearance in a Baha, Mexico like setting. The Brothers and Princess Peach go to many different worlds; Princess Peach is separated from the Mario brothers for much of the movie. The worlds include a Bee Kingdom led by the Honey Queen (Issa Rae), and a Casino Kingdom. Mario is trying to start a romance with Princess Peach but his shyness and circumstances make it difficult for him. One of the sound tracks is “That’s Amore” performed by Charlie Day.

Bowser (Jack Black) is a relatively complicated character. There are flashbacks that give some origin stories. Bowser tells Bowser Jr. a bedtime story telling about his successful supervillain plot. Sometimes older Mario Bros. game elements appear. Fox McCloud (Glen Powell) of the Star Fox series is in the movie. Is it one of the nostalgia elements, a hint of a Star Fox movie, or both? One scene has an ancient animal skeleton that’s a bridge over a gorge. Red Sonja (1985) has this element. The movie’s big lesson is the importance of family.

[i] Toad, is a toadstool with arms, feet, and can talk. Toad is “mushroom retainer helper.”

[ii] Yoshi is a “friendly green dinosaur.” Yoshi can swallow his enemies and the come out alive inside decorated eggs Yoshi lays.

An area for picture taking inside the cinema.