Super Smash Bros. (2018 film)

Super Smash Bros. is an American animated superhero adventure film directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. It is produced by Nintendo Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios. It stars the voices of Gabriel Combs, Lennon Richardson, Charles Martinet, Ben Schwartz, Idris Elba, Will Arnett, and J.K. Simmons.

The film was released theatrically in the United States on May 18, 2018. It received generally positive reviews for its plot, casting, humor, performances, animation, and heart. The film has three sequels.

Plot
In the Subspace, Master Hand (Will Arnett) orders Ganondorf (Idris Elba) and Bowser (J.K. Simmons) to rid the world of heroes. He discovers that in the future a team known as the Smash Bros will destroy their spaceship and save the world from the Subspace. Ganondorf promises that the world will be rid of heroes by the time Phase Two of the evil plan begins.

Mr. Game & Watch (Gabriel Combs) is attacked by Primids, evil henchmen. Donkey Kong (Lennon Richardson) saves his life and the two quickly become friends. As they bond, they realize that the Subspace that consumed their homes is getting bigger and stronger, and decide to form a team to put a stop to it.

The two travel to the Skyspace, one of the very few lands not consumed by the Subspace, and meet a plumber named Mario (Charles Martinet) as the three are attacked by Rocket Primids, Primids with Rocket Launchers. The three defeat the Primids as Mario happily joins the team, which they cannot come up with a name. They discover that the Subspace destroyed the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario‘s home.

As they search for a fourth and final team member, they discover Kirby, who denies the request of joining the team. Kirby is eventually captured by Primids, leaving the team to realize that as the Subspace grows, the evil grows smarter. Donkey Kong discovers that the villains are headed for the Jungle, Donkey Kong’s home. The team prepares to travel.

Along the Way, they meet Sonic the Hedgehog (Ben Schwartz), an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog with super speed. Sonic gleefully joins the team, but Mario dislikes him. The team discovers the Subspace Spaceship, a spaceship controlled by Bowser. The team sneaks onto the side of the Spaceship and sneak in. As they sneak in, they are attacked by many evils, but defeat them easily. As they encounter Bowser, Ganondorf arrives and kicks the three into the ocean. As they are about to land, a spaceship controlled by Mario and owned by the dead Captain Falcon arrives and they fly after the Subspace Spaceship.

As the group flies after them, an army of Primids arrive on numerous spaceships, but the Smash Bros descend into their own spaceships as well. As the group shoot at each other, the Primids get on top of the spaceships and destroy them from the outside. Donkey Kong defeats them and the group destroys the Subspace Shaceship, as the Subspace grows larger and absorbs the villains and heroes. The Subspace then absorbs the entire world due to gaining power, as the Earth becomes the Subspace.

The group then finds themselves inside the Subsoace, as it is a giant bubble that destroys everything after 24 hours. Mario discovers that Master Hand is controlling the Subspace. Ganondorf and Bowser tell Master Hand about their success, and he sends them to make sure that the heroes are all dead by the time the Subspace expands upon the universe. Before they can, Ganondorf kills Bowser, gaining his statue power and becoming even stronger.

Along the Way, Mr. Game & Watch and Donkey Kong get into a fight, splitting up, leaving the mission to Mario and Sonic.

Cast

 * Gabriel Combs as Mr. Game & Watch, a paper look-a-like creature who is Donkey Kong’s best friend and a future Smash Bro.
 * Lennon Richardson as Donkey Kong, a gorilla who is Mr. Game & Watch’s best friend and a future Smash Bro.
 * Charles Martinet as Mario, a hero from the Mushroom Kingdom, Sonic’s best friend, and a future Smash Bro.
 * Ben Schwartz as Sonic, a hedgehog with super speed, Mario’s best friend, and a future Smash Bro.
 * Idris Elba as Ganondorf, an evil being who plots to destroy the entire universe and kill the Smash Bros.
 * Will Arnett as Master Hand, Ganondorf’s master who is an enemy of the Smash Bros and the controller of the Subspace.
 * J.K. Simmons as Bowser, Mario’s arch enemy who wants to marry Princess Peach and a friend/enemy of Ganondorf.

Reception
The film received generally positive reviews for its plot, casting, humor, performances, animation, and heart. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received an 81% score, based on 777 reviews, with an average rating of 8.00 out of 10. The website’s critical consensus reads, “An action-packed animated adventure, Super Smash Bros. is promised to please fans of the source material, while gaining non-fans attention.” On an A+ to F Scale, the film received a “B+”.

Release
The film was released theatrically in the United States on May 18, 2018. It was also released digitally on July 27, 2018, and on Blu-Ray and DVD on August 13, 2018.

Sequels
Three sequels, titled Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, were released on May 16, 2019, May 15, 2020, and May 14, 2021.