Scores aren’t in quite yet, but early impressions are looking uncertain from critics.

The Super Mario Galaxy movie rockets itself into theatres tomorrow, April 1, 2026, and while this will be the first time that the general public are able to watch the movie, some press and creators have a sneak peek earlier in the week.

While full reviews are yet to go live at the time of writing, review embargo rules have allowed those who’ve already seen the Mario Movie sequel to tease their early thoughts. Although there seems to be a lot to love about the new adventure from Illumination, it appears the studio hasn’t completely learned from its mistakes the first time around.

Having a scan of the early impressions, critics generally seem to be impressed with the amount of fan-service it manages to cram into its 100-minute runtime. It’s not just the likes of Yoshi and Fox McCloud that make appearances – it sounds like there are plenty of hidden surprises in store, too.

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“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is a gloriously fun sequel filled with nostalgia galore! It’s a beautifully colorful kinetic film that lit me up. There are moments in this film that reminded me what it was like playing my SNES, that alone made this experience priceless.,” writes Junior Felix on X.

Meanwhile, Tom Chatalbash says: “THE SUPER MARIO GALAXY MOVIE is surprisingly A LOT better than its predecessor, introducing exciting and revered characters with flair while delivering colorful, vibrant, and far more visually striking visuals and action set pieces that give this sequel a distinct, lively personality.”

However, the movie hasn’t escaped criticism. For all it does to cram characters from Nintendo’s expansive archive into its plot, that can apparently leave the story feeling a little disjointed and uneven.

The HoloFiles writes: “Unfortunately, it’s marred by unfocused plotting, disjointed pacing, and a lack of heart.”

Meanwhile, VGC’s Andy Robinson describes the movie as: “A 100 minute sugar rush, with fan service galore, that starts at 90mph and barely stops for breath. Largely the same issues with the first movie remain, but fans will be delighted.”

The full review embargo for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is expected to lift later today, so keep an eye out for full write-ups imminently. That’s also likely when the RottenTomatoes score will be revealed.

The original Super Mario Movie achieved a RottenTomatoes score of 59% among critics, but a much stronger 95% fan score. It went on to become the first video game movie to gross $1bn globally.

Will you be seeing The Super Mario Galaxy movie when it releases in theatres tomorrow?

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