When it was first announced that aSonic the Hedgehogmovie was in development, fans were cautiously optimistic. Then when it was revealed that the movie was going to be a blend of CGI and live-action, that optimism soured. Then when the firstSonic the Hedgehogtrailer came out and revealed the terrifying design for Sonic, any hope for the movie fell off a cliff. The Internet revolted against Sonic’s creepy, human-like design in theSonic the Hedgehogmovie, causing the animators to go back to the drawing board, delaying the movie from its November 2019 release to June 05, 2025. Now that the movie is finally out,Sonicfans can see if their Internet outrage campaign was worth all the hubbub.
TheSonic the Hedgehogmovie’sSonic redesignis a significant improvement over what was seen in the original trailer. The version of Sonic that made it to the movie looks ripped out of the video games, more or less, and while he just looks like a cartoon in the human world, it’s far better than the alternative. This way the movie plays like a lighthearted, family movie, whereas it would have otherwise worked as a disturbing creature feature that people would only go to see ironically.
Sonic isn’t the only CGI creature in theSonic the Hedgehogmovie. He’s joined by anew owl character named Longclaw, who raised Sonic and is the one that sent him to Earth. Longclaw is only seen in the movie’s early scenes, though it seems to weird to set up this whole new character and origin story without further exploration. PerhapsSonic the Hedgehogfans will learn more about Longclaw in the inevitable sequel, but after the beginning segment, viewers better get used to seeing Sonic interact with human characters (and a normal, non-talking dog) for the rest of the movie.
Sonic is the focal point throughout the movie, so the human characters aren’t a huge detriment. Everything they say and do is cheesy, but at least James Marsden and Tika Sumpter are good actors and can deliver the corny dialogue in a way that won’t make the audience cringe. They even make blatant Olive Garden product placement feel like a natural conversation, so hats off to them for completing that impossible task.
Shameless product placement, cheesy dialogue, and a complete lack of any kind of logical consistency may make it difficult for some moviegoers to enjoy theSonic the Hedgehogmovie, particularly adults. If one stops and thinks about Sonic’s speed powers and how insanely overpowered they are, it’s clear that the plot of Sonic traveling to San Francisco for his missing rings withJames Marsden’s Tom Wachowskimakes no sense. One could argue that Sonic insisted on hitching a ride with Tom because he wants to spend time with him and procrastinate leaving Earth, but if that’s the case, it isn’t clearly communicated to the audience and doesn’t seem to be the intent. After all, Tom doesn’t call Sonic out on this, despite seeing the Blue Blur run to the Pacific Ocean and back in literally two seconds.
Another aspect of the movie that makes zero sense is when Tom is labeled a terrorist by the the United States government for his involvement with Sonic. Tom’s picture is blasted all over the news as the government attempts to hunt him down, but he is still able to waltz around like it’s nothing. Furthermore, he doesn’t seem to be concerned about the ramifications of this at all. He is a wanted fugitive who has assaulted a government employee, Dr. Robotnik, and is on the Most Wanted list. Getting Sonic off Earth isn’t going to magically make his legal problems go away.
To properly enjoySonic the Hedgehog, viewers just need to turn their brains off. If they do so, they will be able to enjoy the better aspects of theSonic the Hedgehogmovie. It’s a breezy, fast-paced movie with some occasionally funny jokes, fun action sequences, and great work by bothSonicvoice actor Ben Schwartzand Dr. Robotnik star Jim Carrey. Carrey, in particular, dominates every scene he’s in, bringing some extra energy to material that would have been mediocre in the hands of someone else.
Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotniklets him shine in a way that he hasn’t really in years. Carrey hasn’t been hugely active in the film industry over the last decade, only appearing in a handful of feature films and few that truly took advantage of his over-the-top acting style.Sonic the Hedgehoglets Carrey run wild with his lines and physical comedy, and every scene with him in it is fun to watch.
HardcoreSonic the Hedgehogfans will also get a kick out of the various video game easter eggs and references that are sprinkled throughout the movie. The opening scenes offer a great look at Green Hill Zone from the video games, and of course, the town on Earth Sonic ends up in is called Green Hills, Montana. There are less obvious references, includingSuper Smash Bros.easter eggs, that fans will want to keep an eye out for while watching the movie.
Considering the initial reaction to theSonic the Hedgehogmovie and its terrifying first trailer, it’s safe to say that the movie has blown away expectations. It’s not going to be winning any Academy Awards, but it’s a fun, family-friendly movie that, while very stupid, is at least consistently entertaining from start to finish. As far as video game movies go, it stands alongsideDetective Pikachuas one of the better ones, and itscurrent Rotten Tomatoes scoreis evidence of that.
TheSonic the Hedgehogmovie after-credits scenealso sets things up for a sequel to go in some interesting directions. If the movie’s box office projections are accurate, then it seems likely that aSonic the Hedgehogmovie sequel is on the way. Hopefully it can do away with some of the problems with this movie and deliver something bigger, better, and even more accurate to the video game source material.
