Why I Prefer The Super Mario Bros. Movie Over The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

I have not done a film critique on my website, but I’m doing a comparison of the two Super Mario Bros. movies, including the original and the recently released Super Mario Galaxy Movie. I won’t get into the plots of both, as I don’t want to spoil the films for those who haven’t seen them.

First of all, since December 2019, I simply have no more time to get up and go see movies in theatres, as I am a very busy video game developer working on my own franchise, the Drillimation Danmaku Universe. I also have no time to sit through 20-30 minutes worth of trailers and promotional material. The last film I had seen in theatres was Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, just a few months before the coronavirus took its grip on the world. I have still kept up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and I only watch them when they come out on Disney+.

For over three decades, Nintendo had become hesitant to license their intellectual properties for film adaptations following the critical and commercial failure of the Mario franchise’s last attempt at getting onto the big screen with the infamous live-action adaptation from 1993, which kickstarted a dark age for video game movie adaptations. The only exceptions were Pokémon and Animal Crossing. Like Mario, the first three Pokémon films didn’t sit well with critics when they first launched in the West, though they were still successful. Over time, their reputation improved, and the 1993 Mario movie eventually gained a cult following.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie from 2023 was a vast improvement over the previous film. An animated adaptation was what gamers wanted, and it was all possible because during the development of Super Nintendo World, which I went to last Christmas, Shigeru Miyamoto wanted to create a proper Mario movie where he was heavily involved. It happened to work, and the audiences, including myself, loved it, despite receiving average reviews from critics. Let me be clear: a movie or game with a mixed reception doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad. Sure, there are some serious flaws but it still passes.

But then, three years later, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie came out, and it all changed. I first heard of the announcement on social media on Mario Day 2024. We had to wait a year and a half before we could get our first glimpse of this new movie in the September 2025 Nintendo Direct. The audience and fans, including myself, were getting hyped for its release as new trailers for the movie came out over the next several months. And when it did finally release, it was disappointing for the critics, including me.

I understand Illumination’s animation style and methods of storytelling. Heck, my first Illumination movie was the original Despicable Me. I was just ten at the time of its release, and I saw that movie in theatres. I’ve also seen the sequel, but I only got to experience it at home. They aren’t awful in terms of reputation, but common criticisms of their films are over-relying on toilet humor, and while this appeals to their target audience of children, this prevents their films from achieving the emotional depth found in animated films by their competitors Pixar or DreamWorks. The plots also have predictable story beats.

A common problem in both films is that they are Easter egg-heavy. The reason the audiences loved both films were because they were simply Mario fans, and the films stayed true to the spirit of the games they were based on. They managed to incorporate everything mandatory from the games, including the gameplay, power-ups, characters, music tracks, etc. But what if you aren’t a Mario fan? When a film is packed to the brim with easter eggs, the character cameos are often relegated to one-note relief roles with little to no growth. This leads to stories that feel crowded and emotionally shallow.

On the positive side of things, I do love the unique art direction that both films took, and when you adapt a video game into an animated TV show or film, the art direction must match the one used in the game. Brian Tyler ran circles for their soundtracks – you hear music from all different stages, including the mainline series and spin-offs. An adaptation from a video game can’t be complete without incorporating familiar tunes from the source material. On top of that, many of the sound effects from the games, both old and new, are present. When a game has a unique set of sound effects, it creates its own identity.

In terms of plot, the first movie serves as an introduction to the Mario universe that shows the origin story of the Mario Brothers and how they became the heroes and defenders of the Mushroom Kingdom. The games helped popularize the concept of a damsel in distress, and it dates all the way back to the original Donkey Kong. In the original game, Princess Peach was the victim of Bowser, but in the movie, it’s gender flipped, and Luigi falls victim to this instead. The sequel reused that same plot structure, and the only difference is the character.

The vast majority of critics who viewed either one or both movies negatively weren’t even familiar with the games nor had even played them. For example, during a failed pitch meeting last November to help organize a playtest for my own game Shining Shattering Sky ~ Reverie of Breaking Unreality, I included a couple of stages with block layouts featuring designs inspired by Mario universe characters and items. One of the people I was talking to had no knowledge of the Super Mario universe (given she came from an older generation and wasn’t game-savvy), and I specifically referred her to The Super Mario Bros. Movie as a source for introduction.

The first movie helped familiarize non-fans with the franchise, even if they had never played a video game before. The second movie was not nearly as good as the first, and the reason critics viewed it as mediocre was because of one thing I have to be loud and clear about: if you are making a film or television adaptation (whether live-action or animated) of a video game, do not prioritize fan service and easter eggs over plot and character development. Shigeru Miyamoto needs to learn from this in the next Mario movie, which won’t probably release in three or four years. Both Five Nights at Freddy’s movies were huge offenders of this. Their reception suffered and both earned Golden Razzie nominations.

In short, the first Mario movie was so much better than the second. I score the first a 9 out of 10, and the second a 6 out of 10. When a sequel scores significantly lower, we call this sequelitis. I could compare this to a Disney Animated Canon direct-to-video sequel, which scored similar receptions in many. As I mentioned above, these also mediocre or awful sequels’ reputation improved over time and have become cult classics among those who grew up watching them. The same could happen for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie five to ten years from now.

I could have chances to expand The Super Mario Bros. Movie franchise with a game. One thing I really want to see is Chris Pratt try his Mario voice in a game. That dream could only become reality if current or former Nintendo executive stops by Anime Fest, no matter if it’s in my hometown of Erie, PA or its neighboring cities. I could create a danmaku RPG similar to Kingdom Hearts by having a fully-voiced story, something Mario games very rarely do. The movie’s universe would be perfect. One thing I would really want to see is a Super Mario–Touhou Project crossover game that incorporates that concept into an awesome role-playing game that could also help serve as an introduction to the latter franchise similar to The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

As a game developer, I see the films and other video game adaptations not just as entertainment, but as case studies in how to properly handle a beloved IP and not screw over the critics and fans. My hope is Nintendo learns from the sequelitis in the future, especially with the upcoming Legend of Zelda movie slated for release next year. Until the next big screen adventure, I’ll be channeling these lessons into my own work on the Drillimation Danmaku Universe, and if I adapt one of my own games for the big or small screen, I must ensure that story and gameplay always walk hand-in-hand. And now, I leave you with this meme I created involving my hypothetical idea.