The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

Yeah, while I did like the movie, I have to agree the story and writing was not on par with the first movie. Fox McCloud was good, but he did not have much scenes, and he and Mario just got along immediately, causing the two to lack the development the first movie did with Mario and Donkey Kong, as well as my belief that Wart and his henchmen, Birdo and Mouser, could have used more screentime, even if it means teaming with the Bowesrs near the end. Although there were good plots, like Bowser pretending to be nice to Mario, Luig, and Yoshi, only to turn evil again later on, and Yoshi and Toad not getting along.

I don't think he was pretending...?

She didn't say the thing.

Definitely a lot of chars from Smash Brothers. Fox, ROB, Mr. Game and Watch, Pikmin. I forget if Daisy is in it. They fit the story, but also felt like they're setting up for a multiverse thing (or at least, a Smash movie).

Bowser wasn't pretending to be nice. We clearly see him agonizing for a bit, but being w/ Jr and the Koopas cheering him on changes his mind again. Gotta keep him mostly evil until they have to team up against a bigger threat later on.

It's nice that Peach and Rosalina are sisters here, but they both get awesome cosmos powers? Eeeh.... I hope Daisy is at least a little unhinged in the next one. I'm not holding my breath for Bowsette to show up, but maybe at least as a joke or painting like Beef Bowser in this movie? Beefser? I dunno. I'm tired.

Or for a big tennis game.

Only when they're together, it seems.

And I will laugh my butt off if Daisy is a third sister.

I get that there were obviously gonna be a LOT of references and easter eggs in this movie just like there were the first, and that this movie was never gonna be Shakespearean in its writing (and I didn't want it to be). It's that this movie's story just felt weaker than that of the first movie, which was already a pretty simple story in its own right.

A lot of the things that happen in this movie either feel like they happen just for the sake of it, or feel like they were meant to set up things that never got properly paid off or followed through. Like, when Bowser first hears about his son trying to free him, he immediately becomes regretful of how bad he was as a father and wishes to make things right with his son. But when he and Junior first reunite, Junior is so happy to see his father and everything we get about Junior's childhood from that point on just acts like Bowser was always a good dad to him, making Bowser's earlier regrets about having been a bad father a complete non-sequitur that conflicts with everything we see of Junior and Bowser's relationship in the rest of the movie.

It also felt to me like Rosalina was barely in the movie, or barely had any dialogue whenever she was onscreen. She feels so underutilized as a character. The movie also reiterates her being a mother figure to all the Lumas like in the game, but where the game explains that, the movie just expects its audience to already know about her motherly guardianship of the Lumas without explaining it at all. The movie even emphasizes that she is the Lumas' "Mom", but anyone who never played the games wouldn't know why that is from just watching this movie alone.

She also never really gets to have a moment with Peach at the end. Once she's rescued, she's immediately introduced to everyone by Peach and the Lumas all swarm them, saying they want to visit the Mushroom Kingdom. The movie then cuts right to the scene where the castle is missing and Mario decides they should build a new one. One montage later and the new castle is built, cue end credits! Rosalina is just along for the ride during all this, as if being kidnapped, nearly having her entire lifeforce drained from her, and finding her long lost younger sister after all these years... was all just no big deal. She never gets to have a real moment with her sister where the two catch up or even have any kind of conversation at all. Not even so much as an "I've missed you so much!"/"I've missed you too!" Something as small but meaningful as that would have been a significant addition of humanity to this movie.

Yoshi also really doesn't have much reason to be here. He's here because a previous movie's end credits scene promised he would be, but the movie doesn't really give him much to do here to justify his presence. He's basically like the Guardians 3 Adam Warlock of this movie (but much more lovable and likable).

The movie is still gorgeous in how it looks, but it can't get by on pretty looks and nerdy nods alone. It's a junkfood movie that tastes delicious, but still a junkfood movie.