The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026)
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Review: A Billion-Dollar Spectacle That Critics Love to Hate
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is the ultimate critic-proof blockbuster. Illumination and Nintendo’s sequel to 2023’s record-shattering Super Mario Bros. Movie arrived to a chorus of critical disdainâand promptly grossed over $1 billion anyway. Directed once again by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, with Matthew Fogel returning as screenwriter, the film sends Mario, Luigi, and their friends hurtling into outer space to rescue Rosalina from Bowser Jr. It is vibrant, frenetic, visually spectacular, andâaccording to most reviewersâutterly hollow. Yet for families and Nintendo devotees, that hardly seems to matter.
The numbers capture a film that has become a lightning rod for the debate over modern franchise cinema. On Rotten Tomatoes, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie holds just 42% from 224 critics, with a consensus reading: “Packed with colorful world-building that’s as frenetic as it is weightless, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie‘s visuals are often out of this world but the threadbare story ultimately loses its Milky Way.” Metacritic scored it 37 out of 100 based on 45 criticsâ”generally unfavorable.” CinemaScore audiences, meanwhile, handed it an Aâ, and PostTrak reported 79% positive responses with 62% saying they would “definitely recommend” it. On a $110 million budget, it grossed $1.013 billion worldwide, becoming the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2026 and the second-highest-grossing video game film of all time, behind only its predecessor.
The critical backlash was ferocious. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave it one out of five, calling it a “bland screensaver of a movie that’s actually worse than AI” and “an inert and uninteresting follow-up.” Kevin Maher of The Times went further, awarding it zero stars, labelling it “the end of cinema,” and writing that it “provoked periods of actual physical discomfort. I had to stab myself repeatedly in the hand with a pen to distract from the howling distress.” Owen Gleiberman of Variety, who had praised the first film, called this one a “frenetic and disappointing sequel,” adding that “it almost seems like these talented artists have been body-snatched.” Alissa Wilkinson of The New York Times wrote that “there’s a flat empty nothingness to The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, even more than its flat empty predecessor,” though she did offer mild praise for the animators’ imaginative, planet-hopping world-building.
Not everyone was dismissive. Glenn Garner of Deadline Hollywood gave it a positive review, writing that it is “a fun sequel full of nostalgic references, all-star voices and epic animation, grounded by the father-son story of redemption for Bowser and a sisterly origin story for Princess Peach.” Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter noted that it “hits the sweet spot in terms of what its target audience wants,” praising the “outstanding star-studded vocal performances and eye-popping animation” while conceding that adult non-fans might find little beyond superficial charms. Clint Gage of IGN called it “a dazzling, reference-stuffed sequel whose wall-to-wall Easter eggs, epic action set pieces, and affectionate design work keep fans grinning.” Whether you find it exhilarating or exhausting likely depends on your tolerance for pure, unapologetic spectacleâbut the box office suggests audiences have made their choice.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Cast: A Star-Studded Voice Ensemble Expands the Galaxy
The film reunites the franchise’s core voice cast while welcoming an impressive roster of new additions, including Oscar nominees and major stars:
Chris Pratt returns as Mario, the Italian-American plumber from Brooklyn, while Anya Taylor-Joy reprises her role as Princess Peachânow revealed to be Rosalina’s long-lost younger sister. Charlie Day is back as the timid Luigi, and Jack Black returns as Bowser, whose arc this time centres on mending his relationship with his son. Keegan-Michael Key voices Toad once more. Deadline singled out the voice work of Donald Glover and Glen Powell for particular praise, noting that their performances shine in an “out-of-this-world sequel.”
Benny Safdie joins the cast as Bowser Jr., the film’s primary antagonist, who kidnaps Rosalina to fuel a universe-destroying cannon in his father’s honour. Brie Larson voices Rosalina, the adoptive mother of the Lumas and Peach’s long-lost older sisterâa casting choice that adds genuine emotional weight to the film’s climax. Donald Glover voices Yoshi in all dubbed versions worldwide, a decision Shigeru Miyamoto personally explained. Glen Powell portrays Fox McCloud, the Star Fox mercenary pilot, in a crossover that delighted Nintendo fans; Powell reportedly cold-called the studio to pitch himself for the role. Luis GuzmĂĄn voices Wart, the toad crime boss, and Issa Rae plays the Honey Queen. Kevin Michael Richardson returns as Kamek, while Eric Bauza, Juliet Jelenic (daughter of co-director Michael Jelenic), Roxana Ortega, and Ed Skudder round out the supporting voice cast.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Plot: A Cosmic Rescue Mission Across the Stars
Rosalina, the adoptive mother of the Lumas who reside in the Comet Observatory, is abducted by Bowser Jr., who intends to steal her powers to fuel a universe-destroying cannon in honour of his father, Bowserâstill defeated by Mario and Luigi and shrunken by Princess Peach. Meanwhile, Mario and Luigi are dispatched to investigate a disturbance in Tostarena Town, where they discover and befriend the dinosaur Yoshi, who had hatched in Brooklyn and been pursued back to his home world after accidentally breaking a dinosaur skeleton in a museum. A Luma crash-lands in the Mushroom Kingdom, pleading with Peach and Toad to help find Rosalina. With Peach and Toad absent, Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi protect the Mushroom Kingdom and attempt to rehabilitate Bowser.
Bowser Jr. lifts Peach’s castle into space in an attempt to free his father, but the battle with the brothers and Yoshi causes his spaceship to drop and destroy the castle by crash-landing into the Honeyhive Galaxy. Bowser goads Mario into attacking him, thereby unshrinking him, then offers to take their place for damaging the fields in exchange for the brothers and Yoshi being transported to the Gateway Galaxy. Bowser is later rescued by his son, whom he had sent to boarding school years earlier. In the Gateway Galaxy, Toad’s backpack is stolen by the monkey thief Ukiki, who takes it to a hidden casino. Peach attacks Wart, the casino’s owner, to force him to reveal Rosalina’s locationâthe Space Junk Galaxyâbut he alerts the Bowsers about Peach.
Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi reunite with Peach and Toad, who have hired Star Fox pilot Fox McCloud to transport the group. Fox’s Arwing crash-lands into Fossil Falls after an attack from Bowser and his son, who transform Mario and Luigi into babies with a Super Scope. At first, Bowser “feels” bad over double-crossing the brothers, but ultimately returns to his villainous ways to mend his relationship with his son. Yoshi finds the Super Scope, rescues the brothers from a Tyrannosaurus, and restores them to their proper ages. Luigi alerts the Lumas, who pick them up in the Comet Observatory. There, Peach learns that she possesses the same powers as Rosalina, her long-lost older sister. When they touch hands, they can summon the power of the cosmos. She and Rosalina were made from stardust, and Rosalina sent an infant Peach to the Mushroom Kingdom to protect her from evil forces.
Fox, Toad, and the Lumas pilot the Comet Observatory to send the other four to the newly-made Planet Bowser. Mario and Peach confront a vengeful Bowser on a bridge as he openly reveals his grudge over his humiliating defeat; Mario collapses the bridge, dropping Bowser into the lava moat below, where he survives as a skeletal form. Luigi and Yoshi assist Mario in defeating the Bowsers with power-ups, and when one of Bowser Jr.’s creations turns against him, Mario destroys it to save Bowser Jr.’s life. Peach revives a dying Rosalina, and they use their power to terraform Planet Bowser into a new world. Returning to the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi help the sisters, Toads, and Lumas rebuild Peach’s castle, and Peach kisses Mario, much to his delight. Fox sends the Bowsers to prison before heading home to his own world. Back at the Gateway Galaxy, Princess Daisy stops Ukiki from committing another robbery.
“The galaxy is theirs to save.”
