The Super Mario Galaxy Movie: A Bigger, More Ambitious Sequel That Lacks Focus (Blu-ray)

The Film:

When "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" came out just three years ago, many fans were hoping that it would be the long-awaited triumph that would finally see everyone's favorite plumber get a proper adaptation after several decades of waiting (and obviously not counting the bizarre 1993 adaptation in which the only commonality to the games were the names). What we got was something of a mixed bag, one where the visuals were gorgeous and the voice acting was great, but where the story was pretty much the most basic one that could be devised from the material.

However, that hardly stopped it from being a massive hit that pulled in $1.3 billion, making it the highest-grossing video game adaptation of all time, so it came as no surprise that plans for a sequel were immediately put into motion. This brings us to "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie," a follow-up that has the chance to be bigger and bolder by delivering a more intriguing storyline, while still dazzling audiences with its incredible animation and amusing characters. Will this second outing be able to succeed where the original fell a little short, or will this be another case where the visuals got a little more attention than the narrative?

The film opens with Princess Rosalina (Voice of Brie Larson) getting kidnapped by Bowser Jr. (Voice of Benny Safdie), who hopes to use her power to fuel a massive cannon that he hopes to impress his father with. Meanwhile, one of the Lumas that Rosalina was caring for arrives in the Mushroom Kingdom to get assistance from her sister Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Toad (Keegan Michael-Key), who agree to help. This leaves Mario (Voice of Chris Pratt), Luigi (Voice of Charlie Day), and their new friend Yoshi (Voice of Donald Glover) to take care of things around the kingdom. However, Bowser Jr. soon launches an attack on the castle in the hope of freeing his father Bowser (Voice of Jack Black), who was shrunk by Peach and imprisoned within. After the attack leaves the castle and its inhabitants in another galaxy, Mario & co. must go on their own quest to find Peach and help her rescue her sister, a quest that will ultimately have them confronting their old enemy & his son.

As mentioned, the first film had been a semi-decent start that told a standard Mario tale (i.e. the Princess gets captured and our heroes have to rescue her), which was not all that surprising, but when it comes to a sequel, expectations were raised to wanting something a little more than just the basics. On that score, you have to admire the ambition of expanding it to the "Galaxy" games, which has us visiting several intriguing locations and meeting a multitude of characters, many of which are Easter eggs/cameos from the older games (it was particularly nice of the filmmakers to throw these in so that the older viewers would get an extra blast of nostalgia).

The designs of these various settings & their inhabitants are once again top notch, with a vocal cast that does a fine job of bringing this eccentric collection of characters to life, but, with that said, it really makes one wish that they had been able to put that much effort into the structure of the film's narrative. It is indeed bigger and more ambitious, but the way it's presented is rather fractured, which is to say that it's a little all over the place with its multiple storylines that attempt to encompass quite a lot for a 90-minute film. You have Rosalina getting kidnapped, Bowser Jr.'s plans for her, Peach & Toad trying to rescue her, Mario & his crew trying to get to Peach, Bowser's attempt at redemption from his evil ways, Bowser's relationship with his son, and more all crammed into this relatively short film, causing it to jump around quite a lot and leading to a lack of focus.

What's particularly frustrating is that the story itself is actually pretty good, and could've easily worked quite well if it had been able to find that focus, though it still would've have to deal with the constant deluge of action sequences that give the film a breakneck pace and hardly allow it to stop & catch its breath. It all really boils down to the film having a few structural problems that needed to be worked out so that the entire experience wouldn't be so jarring. Again, the story was in place, and the incredible visuals are rather lovely eye-candy, but much of the film ends up being actual candy that wants to give the audience a sugar rush as it propels forward like a rocket.

In the end, it's rather interesting to note that the first film had the focus, but a rather standard story, while the sequel had a bigger, better, more ambitious story, but lacked the focus. When it comes to the upcoming third film, which we will inevitably get given this second outing's billion-dollar gross, they need to take the best aspects of both films and combine them. That way we could finally get the dazzling, memorable, and exciting Mario adventure that the beloved character deserves. These first two admirable attempts have shown us exactly what issues need to be ironed out, now the filmmakers need to do just that so they can tap into the material's true potential and deliver a grand sequel that will blow us all away.

Video/Audio:

"The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" comes to Blu-ray in a 2.39:1, 1080p High Definition transfer of outstanding quality. The picture is beautifully sharp & clear throughout the entire 98-minute runtime, perfectly highlighting the film's gorgeous animation & designs. Likewise, the DVS Dolby Atmos audio track is marvelous, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and music in excellent quality. Overall, Universal has done a fantastic job in both areas for the film's physical debut.

Special Features:

Next Level: Making the Super Mario Galaxy Movie (15 Minutes): A featurette that has the cast & crew discussing the film.

Cast of Characters (22 Minutes): A series of featurettes that explores the various characters & the vocal cast.

Exploring the Galaxy (10 Minutes): A featurette that looks at the film's different environments.

Galactic Thematics (5 Minutes): A featurette that delves into the film's themes.

Cosmic Tunes (4 Minutes): A featurette about the film's music.

Power-Ups (2 Minutes): A featurette that takes a quick look at the power-ups seen throughout the film.

Secrets of the Galaxy (3 Minutes): The cast & crew go through some of the film's Easter eggs.

Conclusion:

"The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" attempts to deliver a bigger & bolder story that utilizes the same gorgeous animation as its predecessor, while expanding the universe with several new locations & characters. Unfortunately the narrative ends up falling a little short due to a few structural issues that have it jumping all over the place with its multiple storylines and dealing with a breakneck pace that has the film hurtling forward with a plethora of action sequences. Overall, the sequel is about on par with the first film, but with different issues (stronger narrative, but lacking focus), ultimately leaving us with the hope that the third outing will finally get the combination right.

Score: 3/5

Now available on Blu-ray.

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