"The Super Mario Galaxy Film": Mario's Brand Universe
The Super Mario Galaxy film takes a creative masterpiece and turns it into solid family entertainment. A shame, but there's Yoshi!
(Image: Nintendo)
Most children who see it in the cinema won't even know how incredibly good the source material was. And this film won't change that. “Super Mario Galaxy” was one of those Nintendo games in 2007 that appeared after a long time and a less brilliant predecessor to show all the crumb games who the cake is. And the cake wore a mustache.
“Super Mario Galaxy” landed like a revelation on the Wii. It was one of those Nintendo games that hide great technical effort to make something complex look simple. At a time when many 3D games still glorified their cumbersome camera control as a challenge for real gamers, Nintendo's game almost always looked at Mario from the right perspective, even though he was exploring lumpy and crooked celestial bodies. A new idea could hide on every planet. Mario Galaxy 1 stands among other jump 'n' runs like a black monolith full of stars. And Mario Galaxy 2 had Yoshi. In any case, you should play the Galaxy re-release for the Nintendo Switch. The money is well invested.
And the movie?
Whether you should watch the Super Mario Galaxy Film is, on the other hand, an open question. You can watch it. It doesn't hurt! The film is entertaining. It ignites a firework of Nintendo quotes and Easter eggs that lasts for the entire duration. Those sitting in a cinema full of fans can hear delighted murmurs several times a minute. Some inevitably shout out every reference into the cinema hall, as if they wanted to prove that they recognized the minor character from an old game first.
Der Super Mario Galaxy Film (9 Bilder)
Nintendo
)Such a film might be the right ingredient to get game-shy children excited about Nintendo. But it feels like a byproduct. It's an invitation into a brand world, advertising for video games, and a cheaper alternative to visiting a Super Nintendo World theme park. Maybe the film will be shown there in the queues soon?
Videos by heise
However, the Super Mario Galaxy film was more of an economic necessity. If there is a creative vision hidden anywhere in the fireworks, it is easily overlooked.
Mario Sees Stars
Even a synopsis is difficult to create. Rosalina is kidnapped by Bowser Jr. right at the beginning and unfortunately has to wait quite a long time for her rescue. While this is a recognizable plotline, instead of escalating tension, there are simply new scenes in which Mario or Peach experience funny and crazy adventures.
Early in the film, there is also the surprising discovery of Yoshi in a level from “Super Mario Odyssey.” After that, he is always there, but you don't really know why. In general: Why characters dislike or like each other, why they change their minds, they probably don't know themselves. Bowser provides a particularly clear example. At the beginning, he is still shrunk and imprisoned as at the end of the first film, then he stumbles between good and evil in a way that never feels particularly consistent or comprehensible. Unfortunately, the film has no time to explain such backgrounds. Firstly, that might be boring, secondly, Mario and Luigi are riding dirt bikes! They're doing totally crazy stunts!
The Galaxy Is Not Enough
Rosalina appears, as does her flying Luma daycare star observatory, and in several scenes the camera plays with the horizon on small, round worlds. Lumas even transform into star-shaped catapults to shoot people into the distance, as in the Wii classic. The references to the original are therefore numerous. Nevertheless, they get lost. Because instead of a recognizable setting, the film has more of a brand multiverse. In its playful randomness, it is more reminiscent of a “Smash Bros.” campaign. Many characters and enemies come from other games.
Empfohlener redaktioneller Inhalt
Mit Ihrer Zustimmung wird hier ein externes YouTube-Video (Google Ireland Limited) geladen.
Ich bin damit einverstanden, dass mir externe Inhalte angezeigt werden. Damit können personenbezogene Daten an Drittplattformen (Google Ireland Limited) übermittelt werden. Mehr dazu in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.
Dinosaurs or Pikmin can be dropped into the game at any time. In every camera setting, there is a hidden penguin or a propeller tub or a forgotten accessory that one might recognize from a particular game. This leads to overload, it becomes quite random, but for fans who enjoy searching, it's a pleasure like a hidden object game. You can ignore the story if you discover the funny detail in the background of the picture. Maybe that's the appropriate way to watch this movie. Who plays “Super Mario” for the story?
Banana-Strong Potential
Looking for a story and characters in the Super Mario Galaxy film is frustrating. From these perspectives, it is bad. The first Mario movie was not a masterpiece, but it worked much better than the story of a plumber who first stumbles into a wonderland, then gets to admire a Peach who is no longer much like the helplessly squeaking princess, and finally matures into a hero himself.
The second film also has a story nominally, but doesn't care about it itself. Here, it's simply about making every scene pop. Suddenly, any character can fail clumsily or become an action hero, just so the viewer gets something visually.
Despite all the surprises, this also leads to a déjà vu experience when watching, especially when you occasionally go to the cinema with children. The Super Mario Galaxy film was developed by Illumination, the makers of the Minions. And even more than Mario 1, Mario Galaxy is also a Minions film. It's less about a plot, and more about unconditional entertainment with action and humor in every single scene. Mario has now arrived at this logic. The crossover film is probably unstoppable.
(mack)
