We’re about three weeks out from The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’s theatrical debut, and while the animated sequel has raked in millions of dollars at the box office, the film’s critical response has been far less positive. Anyone who saw the original movie in 2023 and could glean from the trailers that Galaxy was going to repeat the same “references over substance” approach could have seen this coming, but you know who didn’t? The film’s co-producer, Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto.
In an interview with Famitsu (translation via VGC), Miyamoto was asked about his feelings on the Galaxy movie’s reviews, especially overseas where the film currently holds a 43-percent approval rating on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes based on 206 reviews, which is significantly lower than the first film’s (already not great) 59-percent rating. He told the outlet that he was actually surprised by the harsh reception, as he expected the Galaxy reviews to be better than those for the first film, saying he understood some of the criticism directed at the original; at the time, he even said that negative reviews helped create the buzz that pushed the film over $1 billion at the box office.
“It’s true: the situation is indeed very similar,” Miyamoto said. “Actually, regarding the previous film, I felt that the critics’ opinions did hold some validity. However, I thought things would be different this time around—only to find that the criticism is even harsher than it was before.
“It really is quite baffling: here we are—having crossed over from a different field—working hard with the specific aim of helping to revitalize the film industry, yet the very people who ought to be championing that cause seem to be the ones taking a passive stance.”
Well, Miyamoto, the critics who could champion the film would probably do so if it felt like more than a barrage of references to Mario history with little plot or substance. People love to throw out the “it’s just for kids” defense, but there are plenty of animated movies aimed at all audiences that manage to not talk down to the younger audience with meaningless key jingling. It’s not only possible, it’s being done all the time. If the Mario movies were better films than screensavers, maybe they’d review better! Critics are not obligated to clap for bad filmmaking just because you tried.
Despite this, the audience reaction is much more positive, with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie holding an 89-percent approval rating from the public on Rotten Tomatoes. Kids do seem to be coming away from the film pleased to see all their faves on the big screen and that’s dope, but it would be even cooler if the movies were good enough that they might watch and enjoy them when they’re older, too.
