The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Is Either A Triumph Or A Trainwreck, Depending On Who You Ask

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is now in cinemas, and while it's expected to be a commercial hit, it's not doing so well on the critical front currently. Early reviews for the sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie have gone live, and on GameSpot's sister site Metacritic, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie currently holds a "generally unfavorable" metascore of 37. That's even lower than 2022's Mario movie (46) and just two points better than the 1993 live-action Super Mario Bros. movie, but there's more to this story than just simple digits.

Generally, gaming websites are offering more positive reviews, ranging from a 6/10 at IGN to 8.5/10 at Game Informer. The general consensus is that The Super Mario Galaxy Movie looks great, has plenty of Easter eggs for fans, and its story isn't going to win any Academy Awards. Most importantly, it's clearly designed for its target market of kids while adults can enjoy spotting all the references to decades of Mario history.

Film industry and news sites like Variety, The Wrap, and SlashFilm have delivered scathing reviews so far, describing it as hollow and lacking in any cinematic substance. In one brutal review, The Times scored the movie a 0/10 and called it a "torturous" slog. And that's fair, because reviews are opinion pieces after all. The Super Mario Bros. Movie also had plenty of detractors when it first hit cinemas, but it does have a positive user review score of 8.1 and a global box office gross of over $1.2 billion, so those negative reviews didn't dampen the enthusiasm for it.