Choosing spectacle over an elaborate story — there is just enough of it here to make the movie stick — The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (a mouthful of a title, for sure) is a good day at the movies.

No, scratch that. It’s a great day at the movies!

Overflowing with manic energy that rivals the power burst Mario gets from a Question Mark Block (if you’ve played the game, you will know what I am talking about), the story is perfunctory.

In the far-off reaches of space, Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson) lives on a Comet Observatory as the caretaker-cum-mother figure of the Lumas, cuddly star-shaped creatures. All is hunky-dory in their world until she is attacked by Bowser Jr (Benny Safdie).

Manic energy, cosmic battles and a star-studded cast make The Super Mario Galaxy Movie a joyride worth every coin

The pint-sized, boarding school runaway has a simple agenda: he wants to kidnap the princess, save his father, Bowser (Jack Black), from Mario’s prison, and then use his artificially created world to blast planets whose inhabitants made fun of the father and son.

As one can guess from the title, things get cosmic fast.

First, Mario and Luigi (Chris Pratt, Charlie Day) recruit the green dinosaur, Yoshi (Donald Glover), to their ranks after finding him in ancient ruins in the desert. They are then tasked with taking care of Princess Peach’s (Anya Taylor-Joy) kingdom when she decides to go save the Lumas.

The cogs running this animated film’s machine are excessively lubricated. A number of zany action set-pieces hit the audience one after another, leading to a late — but very welcome — reveal of a popular Nintendo character voiced by Glenn Powell. The characters find their separate adventures, rendezvous and then team up for another action sequence.

The action sequences underscore why artificial intelligence (AI) will never be able to replace the efforts of real artists. There are just too many layers of animation, minor body and facial nuances and visual effects driving the kinetic action and complicated camerawork. It’s something that may take AI years to perfect — and even if it does, there is no guarantee that it will be able to believably mimic the artistry of human beings.

Technically, this Illumination production reminds one of the quality Pixar used to have. One can credit the success to returning directors Michael Jelenic and Aaron Horvath (makers of Teen Titans Go!), and screenwriter Matthew Fogel. There is much to appreciate, and because of that, viewer interest hardly wanes.

Now, one can argue that one’s interest may partially be there because of nostalgia and partially due to the light-hearted nature of the film, and they would not be wrong. But that’s not really a negative point in my opinion. For the most part, we get just the right blend of emotions that move the characters to do what they must in this 90-minute movie. One cannot ask for more.

Released by Universal Pictures internationally and HKC in Pakistan, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is rated U and more than justifies the price of popcorn in cinemas these days.

The writer is Icon’s primary film reviewer

Published in Dawn, ICON, April 12th, 2026