The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is off to a rough start with critics.
As of March 31, it sits at 44% on Rotten Tomatoes from 59 reviews. That is below the first Super Mario Bros. Movie, which holds a 59% critics score and a 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The pattern looks familiar: critics are mixed to negative again, while the expectation is that general audiences and families could be much more forgiving once wider ticket buyers weigh in.
What the negative reviews are saying
The biggest complaint is the same one critics had with the first movie: a lot of spectacle, not much story.
Reviewers keep coming back to the idea that the movie is overloaded with Nintendo references, bright visuals, and nonstop action, but doesn’t give Mario and the rest of the cast enough emotional weight or a strong narrative spine.
What the positive reviews are saying
The positive reviews are not pretending this is some deep animated masterpiece.
The critics who like it mostly say it does what it sets out to do: deliver fast-paced fun, strong animation, fan-service, colorful worlds, and enough charm to keep kids and Nintendo fans happy. The praise is mostly about presentation, energy, and spectacle, not story.
