SpaceWar 101: Final Conquest

SpaceWar 101: Final Conquest is a 2021 computer-animated science fiction action-comedy film based on the acclaimed animated television series SpaceWar 101. Directed by series co-creator Ben Dover and written by him and Ralf Hat, the regular voice cast of the series reprise their respective roles. The film carries on the series premise revolving around the seemingly endless galactic war of the Terron galaxy and follows the cadets of Xaador as they are officially drafted into the war in accordance with fulfilling their destiny. Unlike the series its based upon which utilizes a mix of CG and traditionally 2D animation, SpaceWar 101: Final Conquest has been completely animated using a stylized CGI. Originally scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on August 14, 2020, Final Conquest was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was pushed further to a May 28, 2021 release date.

Synopsis
The galaxy of Terron has been forever structured by the ongoing presence of constant warfare and hostility between the empires which reside within it. The planet of Xaador, ruled by the overlords have demanded on obligating its younger generation into continuing their tradition of conquering and causing mass havoc. Following their graduation from the military academy, the next-class of Xaador are now destined to replace their empire's predeceasing generation of soldiers and are officially drafted off into the war almost immediately. When strange codes interfere with several warship heat signatures and messes with their systems, a troop within Squadron Beta (backup soldiers), led by the incompetent Zoid (Greg Cipes), Zork (Adam DeVine), Xera (Tawny Newsome), Goron (Christopher Sabat), Merna (Niki Yang), and Unit-Beta (Tom Kenny) are sent to a mysterious isolated corner of the galaxy to investigate. Upon encountering an invisible and foreign mothership hidden inside a holographic planet, the troop conclude that the entire galaxy has already been conquered by outside forces, and has been trapped in an endless time loop which only continues to distract the galaxy's inhabitants, all awhile the conquerors are vastly removing the same resources the empires are fighting over. Determined to convince all of Terron over this shocking discovery, immediately implies defying their original mission, resulting in the troop being exiled for suspicious behavior. Sent to a remote planet of marginalized refugees, the troop find themselves surprisingly teaming up with the fearsome rivaling tyrant - Lord Darreer (Justin Theroux), who has been overthrown by his own crew for his repeating failures. They devise a plan to exit the galaxy to face against their real overlords and stop the everlasting conflict entirely.

Cast

 * Greg Cipes as Zoid
 * Adam DeVine as Zork
 * Tawny Newsome as Xera
 * Christopher Sabat as Goron
 * Niki Yang as Merna
 * Justin Theroux as Lord Darreer

Production
During a panel in Comic Con 2018, series co-creator Ben Dover announced that a film based on the series was in development. Series co-creator Ralf Hat, who had previously worked on Risky Frizz: Franchiser Rises based on Risky Frizz, remained absent for most of the production of the film, as he was mainly busy working on Marlton Movie - The Motion Picture based on Marlton.

Music
Occupying Final Conquest's soundtrack is "Surefire" by Canadian industrial rock band Econoline Crush, which was played during the film's closing credits. The film's original score was completely collaborated by series co-creator Ralf Hat (previously composing Marlton Movie - The Motion Picture) and series composer Kevin Manthei, who used synthesizers to produce several industrial and ambient tracks to accompany the film's sci-fi themes. The OST album will be released on May 26, 2021.

Theatrical and streaming
Final Conquest had since been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was pushed further to a May 28, 2021 release date.

Box office
In the United States and Canada, SpaceWar 101: Final Conquest was released alongside A Quiet Place Part II and Cruella, and is projected to gross $20-25 million from 3,500 theaters in its opening weekend, and around $30 million over the four-day Memorial Day frame. It grossed $7 million in its first day, including $1 million from Thursday night previews.

Critical reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 78%, based on 121 reviews, and an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "SpaceWar 101 makes a successful transition to the big screen with Final Conquest; a visually dazzling sci-fi romp with action and humor to spare" On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 65 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.