Fans Stunned – ‘Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ Scores Lower Than the First One as Rotten Tomatoes Score is Revealed

The The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has officially landed on Rotten Tomatoes with a 44% score, and early reactions show that critics are not impressed. The score is noticeably lower than its predecessor, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and many reviewers are already calling it a disappointing sequel.

The film is based on the popular Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel, expanding the Mario universe into space. It was produced by Illumination and Nintendo, with distribution by Universal Pictures. Directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic returned, alongside writer Matthew Fogel. The voice cast also came back, including Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, and Keegan-Michael Key, with new additions like Donald Glover and Brie Larson.

The story follows Mario, Luigi, and their friends as they head into space to rescue Princess Rosalina from Bowser Jr., but critics say the big adventure doesn’t quite work.

According multiple early reviews, the main issue is that the movie tries to do too much while losing focus. Critics repeatedly say the film is bigger and flashier, but not better.

Peter Gray from The AU Review gave it a low score and said, “Falls into a classic sequel trap: bigger, busier, and far less focused.”

Doug Jamieson from The Jam Report shared a similar opinion, writing, “Bigger does not necessarily mean better… it rarely finds anything of substance once it gets there.”

Some critics pointed out that the visuals are strong, but the story is weak. Cain Noble-Davies called it “a beautiful letdown” and said the film looks amazing but relies too much on references instead of a solid script.

Others were more blunt. Avi Offer harshly wrote, “It would be more entertaining to watch your money flush down the toilet than to watch this unimaginative, vapid and soulless cash grab.”

A common complaint is that the movie feels like a checklist of ideas that didn’t make it into the first film. David Poland explained it clearly: “Too much action, not enough story or character.”

Even the more positive reviews admit the problems. Julian Roman said the movie is mostly fan service with “an admittedly flimsy plot,” while still praising the visuals and action.

Other critics described it as empty and overloaded. One review summed it up as “all side quest, no substance,” while another joked that parents might struggle to stay awake during the film.

The early reaction is clear. The movie looks great and delivers spectacle, but many critics feel it lacks heart, story, and focus. It’s a sequel that goes bigger in every way, but for many reviewers, it forgets what made the first film work.

The film premiered in Kyoto on March 28, and released in the United States on April 1. Despite the negative reviews, some still expect it to perform well at the box office thanks to the strength of the Mario brand.

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