Patrick Bray

Super Mario Galaxy is my favorite, and in my opinion the greatest video game ever made!! I genuinely think from a gameplay perspective, story perspective, atmosphere, level design, music, etc, it is as close to perfect as games can get. So I was HYPED for this film. And…okay from an objective standpoint it’s probably not a 5 star movie from like a writing perspective. But I don’t really give a flying fuck. Mario transcends ratings, this movie made me so happy, I felt like a kid watching this film. Mario is my favorite fictional character of all time. And this film as well as its predecessor get a 5 star rating from me out of principle!! Outside of my bias, the film is genuinely gorgeous visually, but it’s even more beautiful audibly. The music in this film is one of the best soundtracks in any movie ever, and I genuinely mean this. The way tracks from the series are woven into the fast paced action, and is layered with symbolism and references. It’s next level, and the remixes are all incredible, same with all the new music. When the music from the final level of Mario Galaxy 1 started playing, I was on the edge of my seat. Just casually one of the most intense and cinematic orchestral songs in any piece of media. Mario never misses with music and this movie is no different. I mean did you really expect the Super Mario Galaxy movie to have bad music? The characters are so fun!! I just love seeing Mario and Luigi and Yoshi interact. It’s so charming. Bowser is great as usual, and Peach has a lot of great moments both with Mario, and by herself. They put Fox Mccloud in the movie, first off, that’s awesome, and second, I love him, he’s really cool. And I like the mutual respect he had with Mario, that was cool to see. The voice acting across the board was great. Chris Pratt is better in this movie than he was in the last one, and I actually liked him in the last one. I’m glad they let his character have banter with Charlie Days Luigi, they were both awesome! The Honey Queen section was a lot funnier than I was expecting it to be, and I like how they characterized her a lot. Now something both movies, but especially this one gets really right are the action sequences. There’s a ton of them, and they are all incredible! This is some of the most unique choreography I’ve seen in a long time. And the way all the characters move in a way that feels so in character for each of them, is awesome. And I love how the film incorporates platforming into the action, and it’s not just fighting. It can seemlessly weave between fighting, to platforming, to both at the same time. The scene with Bowser Jr trying to beat Mario and Peach by throwing a bunch of obstacles at them, and it switching perspectives from 3D with Mario and Peach, to Bowser Jr watching 2D sprites of Mario and Peach was so cool!! Now we did lose out on a lot of the melancholy and profound loneliness that the game had, but they upped the whimsy to an 11, so it has its own feeling to it, that I found very enjoyable. Even if I do prefer the game a significant amount. I genuinely hope these movies allow for Mario and the gang to actually talk more in the games, because I love their personalities, and I want Nintendo to just have more of that characterization. In conclusion; is this the greatest movie of 2026, or one of my new favorite movies of all time? Probably not, but I love it to bits, and it’s getting 5 Stars from me. Mario is the GOAT!!

This is a placeholder for the broadway musical, since apparently Letterboxd only has the "In Concert" versions, and also a bunch of film adaptations that aren't the 2012 one that I've never heard of before. Interesting. Anyway, this is the best stage musical of all time. A few things come a little close, but every time I listen to the soundtrack of this show, or see videos of a broadway performance of it, I'm just reminded of how perfect it is. Valjean and Javert are some of the best characters ever put to stage. Shoutout to Javert for representing us Baritones! I can't wait until I'm 30 so I can properly sing his songs. The music is incredible, and the singing is legendary, but the acting is really good too, there a lot of emotional moments in this show. So as good as the music is, and it's truly amazing, it's as good as everyone says it is. But I have to praise the writing of the book/story of the show itself. It's a fascinating story about redemption and love, and I will never forget it. A perfect adaptation of one of if not the greatest novels ever written. Also stop arguing about who the best Valjean is. They all kill it, and hot take, if Hugh Jackman didn't starve and dehydrate himself, cry while singing, or sing live on set, he would have been great too.