Super Mario Creator Calls Galaxy Movie Backlash Strange, Stands by the Film

Here we go again—another big Mario movie, another round of critics and fans not seeing eye-to-eye. The latest Mario flick, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, is pulling in cash at a rate Bowser would admire (we're talking over $755 million worldwide), but professional reviewers? Yeah, they're not exactly hitting the flagpole in celebration.

Shigeru Miyamoto—the guy who literally created Mario over at Nintendo—recently spoke up about all the backlash. And, honestly, he finds the critics' reactions 'strange.' Which is a polite way of saying, 'Really? Are we watching the same movie?'

Critics vs. Fans (a Familiar Split)

If you've glanced at Rotten Tomatoes, you already know the numbers are all over the place:

• Critic score: 43% (a.k.a. way less than half liked it)
• Audience score: 89% Popcornmeter (Mario fans are, let's just say, MUCH happier)

So even though the movie’s raking in money and audiences are eating it up, the critics... not so much.

Miyamoto's Take: Didn't We Learn from the Last One?

In a chat with Nintendo Dream, Miyamoto was reminded that the critics' reviews for this one aren't that different from their lukewarm response to last year's Super Mario Bros. Movie. His response? Something like:

'The situations are similar, aren’t they? Actually, I thought the critics' reviews of the first film were understandable. But I thought this time it would be different... and it was even harsher than last time, which I found strange.'

Translation: Sure, the first one got panned, but Miyamoto figured maybe, just maybe, critics would find something to love in this sequel. Instead, they doubled down on the negativity.

Why Fans (and Miyamoto) Are on Board

Even though the reviews from the press are kind of a mess, Miyamoto sees what everyone else sees: audiences are very much here for this movie. He pointed out that Mario fans have been enthusiastic, and that it's made by people who genuinely care about the source material. And here's something else—he believes even people who didn't catch the first film, or barely know Mario at all, can get into this one. According to him, it's just a more approachable movie for newcomers and super-fans alike.

In short: Miyamoto's baffled by the critics, the general public is voting with their wallets (and their Popcornmeter scores), and Nintendo's probably pretty happy either way. Is the critical disconnect 'strange'? That seems fair—especially when Mario fans are clearly having the last laugh.