'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie' review: Nintendo doubles down genericness, but in space

MANILA, Philippines — When a movie grosses a billion dollars, the temptation to make a sequel is too hard to resist.

Such is the case for "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie," the follow-up to 2023's "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," which was that year's second-highest grossing film at the box office.

Chris Pratt and Charlie Day are back voicing the titular brothers Mario and Luigi, now the revered heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom led by Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy).

Elsewhere in the universe, Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson) has been captured by Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie) as part of his plan to rescue and please his namesake father (Jack Black).

And so the brothers, accompanied by Yoshi (Donald Glover), find themselves flying through the stars to help Peach and Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) rescue Rosalina, meeting some familiar faces — at least for Nintendo fans — along the way.

It's quite bemusing how the first film managed to earn so much money despite being creatively lacking and is simply generic plot-wise, but then again hits the target where young audiences are concerned.

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One can expect much more of the same from "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie," which barely copies the popular video game it takes its name from (and would have been a much better film had it even tried).

The returning cast maintain their mettle though Black and Key, the adept comedians they are, should have been given more to work with. The same can be said for Larson and Glover, both voicing characters so beloved by Nintendo players.

A newcomer that did stand out was Glenn Powell as Fox McCloud from the "Star Fox" games, which signal more crossovers in movies to come (that much can be guaranteed).

Illumination's animation is much brighter and more colorful this time around because the film jumps through different planets, but visual appeal can only do so much in lackluster story.

The simplicity, pacing, and 98-minute runtime are clear indications the movie is meant for younger viewers, which will do the job keeping them occupied as if they were playing any of the Super Mario games.

One can only hope that future movies, be it another sequel or a crossover (how much more Nintendo easter eggs must be cracked before a Sega tie-up with Sonic the Hedgehog?), will cash in on actual creativity with surely another billion dollars to be raked.

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