By Russell Melby

Writer/Reporter

Illumination’s new movie “Super Mario Galaxy” premiered on April 1 and is the sequel to 2023’s “The Super Mario Movie.” Starring Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Jack Black, the movie follows Mario and his brother Luigi as they and Princess Peach try and stop Bowser’s plan to destroy the universe. The new film introduces fan-favorite characters like Rosalina (played by Brie Larson), Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie) and Yoshi (Donald Glover) from previous Nintendo games.

The film seems to be divisive among fans and critics, with a current 43% score on Rotten Tomatoes versus an audience score of 89%. So, who should one trust?

While the film isn’t anything on the level of other timeless children’s films, it serves as a scrumptious meal for Nintendo fans, offering a plethora of easter eggs and references – popular and obscure – from the video game company’s history spanning from Mario’s first appearance in the video game Donkey Kong in 1981 before he had a name, and was just called Jumpman back then.

For fear of spoiling one’s viewing experience, I will avoid specifics. But you can bet my partner and I were smiling throughout the movie. I am amongst the many fans raised by Nintendo games. Through the years, my family has had a Nintendo 64, NES, GameCube, and Wii. As such, while perhaps not necessarily artful in a cinematic sense, the references in the movie touched a special part of me that remembers clacking on controllers with my brother and my dad.

The animation is also stunning, as Illumination films tend to be. The shots are crisp and beautifully rendered. This is one of those films where every frame looks like a portrait. The animators did a hell of a job bringing these timeless video game characters to life while staying true to their designs.

While not an awe-inspiring “Prince of Egypt” or sharp-witted “Shrek,” “Super Mario Galaxy” does well for what it is; a video game movie meant for the children at heart. It is sure to be a good movie for the family but may not be for everyone.