THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Video game adaptations are the most difficult movies to make because you want to respect the source material but you still want to make something fresh. In 2020, one payed off in bringing both and that was Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog.
PLOT
The film begins with the titular character with super speed who has been on planet Earth for a decade, due to avoiding the danger in his own planet. He was given a bag of rings by his mentor Longclaw (Donna Jay Fukes), where they allow him to teleport. One night in Green Hills, Montana, he runs so fast at a baseball field that he accidentally causes an electromagnetic pulse that knocks out power across the Pacific Northwest. Roboticist Ivo Robotnik is enlisted by the U.S. Department of Defense to investigate the source of the outage. Sonic leaves the woods and hides in the shed of Tom Wachowski, a local sheriff he admires. He attempts to use a ring to go to a mushroom planet where he’ll be safe but when Tom finds him, he accidentally shoots him with a tranquilizer, causing him to drop the bag of rings through a portal to San Francisco. He agrees to help him get there before his house is invaded by Robotnik. When they flee from him, Tom is labeled as a domestic terrorist. He sends a drone to go after them and Sonic defeats it, but he is injured when the machine explodes. When arriving to San Francisco, the duo catches up with Tom’s wife Maddie, who revives Sonic with smelling salts. They all go to the rooftop of Transamerica Pyramid, where the bag fell from the portal. Robotnik caught up to them with the use of one of Sonic’s quills to enhance his technology. Sonic sends the couple back to Green Hills so he can square off with him. They chase across the world, which leads back to Green Hills where the couple are. Robotnik is able to incapacitate Sonic, but Tom is able to intervene long enough for him to get back up. When he does, he destroys his hovercraft and then sends him to the mushroom planet. While the government wipe out erase evidence of the events and Robotnik’s existence, Tom and Maddie choose to stay in Green Hills with Sonic, despite the offer of joining the San Francisco Police Department. The film ends with two post credit scenes: Robotnik planning to find a way to escape the mushroom planet and a yellow two tailed fox named Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) arrives on Earth, hoping to look for Sonic.
THOUGHTS
I didn’t play all of the video games of this franchise, so I can admit that I wasn’t a crazy fan before or after this film’s release. But because of being self aware of the character’s popularity, there will still big expectations on it being generally good. Thankfully, this was a very entertaining movie for families to watch together in 2020. This one works unlike other video game adaptations because it feels like time was taken to truly appreciate the lore of the infamous franchise and retool it with a story that actually works in such standards. Like many 21st century blockbusters, the visuals are stunning. The movie’s design on the titular lead had a massive improvement compared to its original marketing. This movie had clever Easter eggs like many franchise films would. So I could not stop pausing the movie when spotting ‘Sanic’, a picture that is a parodies the iconic hedgehog, which kept me laughing longer than I thought. The slow motion scenes are an obvious reference to the Quicksilver scenes from the X-Men movies or The Flash from DCEU, but that’s okay because it works as we’re supposed to see his perspective when Sonic is using his speed. I like how things were kept simple in this movie as the focus is just Sonic and no other characters, at least until the sequel. While I enjoyed this movie, there were moments that I couldn’t understand story wise. First off, seeing Maddie’s sister Rachel (Natasha Rothwell) have a strong dislike for Tom made no sense to me because it’s not explained. It is funny that she gets tied up to not rat on our protagonists, but they know they can’t go back after doing that. The real flaw to the scene is how did they get the dog back after that? If Sonic went to get the dog, I’d like to know that. And Sonic was protected by Longclaw until her presumed demise. If she wanted to ensure he wasn’t seen, why hasn’t she ever thought of changing the island’s structure in order to keep Sonic safe and not known to others who want his powers. Before she closed the portal for Sonic to Earth, I was completely confused on how she tells him not to run because he’ll be found but also says to not stop running. That is a combination of mixed messages I do not want to think about. Sonic’s quill is the film’s macguffin huff in because Tom finds it and Robotnik is able to use it which brings me to another question: If he can shed, why does he only shed one quill? I know he’s no ordinary creature but that should be explained on why he sheds differently. It’s also funny how he watches Speed outside the Wachowskis’ house but he sounds too loud when expressing excitement. So how does either Wachowski or the dog not hear him? If he’s this loud after every movie night, he should’ve been spotted by them a long time ago. Also why is the baseball field have its lights left on and equipment not put away? I know this builds up Sonic’s moment of being upset of his loneliness but even for a small town as presented, I don’t think that would happen. And I know Robotnik is a genius, but how the hell did he know that Tom was going to San Francisco? If it was from his shirt or anyone from the bar, we should know that. And lastly, I know you want to raise the stakes if the Wachowskis are in danger but Sonic should’ve scaled the building and taken the bag of rings before Robotnik showed up. Other than that, this movie still remains fun to see. The movie’s theme is clearly of acceptance as Sonic wants to have friends and as we watch along, we are glad that he does. When he sprints at a baseball field, we understand the anger he felt of being alone. So seeing him get to live with the Wachowskis by the end, it is all the more satisfying. From the voice alone, Ben Schwartz brings the right amount of enthusiasm that the titular lead is all about, which make us love the character even more. I won’t debate on whether or not he’s better than Jaleel White, who played the character through many animated projects in the 1990s. But what I can say is that he does hold his own here. It was heartwarming to see Maddie’s niece Jojo (Melody Niemann) give him the iconic red shoes, due to implying it’s the first time he’s ever been given a gift. It really ties the room together on the message of acceptance. James Marsden and Tika Sumpter are great together as the loving Tom & Maddie Wachowski, a loving couple who are in for the wildest ride of their lives. Sumpter made Maddie likable because she remains as supportive as she can, despite struggling to understand everything that’s happening. Marsden makes Tom likable because he is a guy who has as big of a heart as Sonic, but realizes to appreciate the home he made rather than pursue something he doesn’t need, which is the whole point of turning down the promotion. Sonic not only opened that perspective for him, but boosted his bravery because his care for him made him stand up Robotnik, which only proves how much of an impact he had towards him. Last but not least, Jim Carrey is the highlight of the movie as Robotnik, due to bringing his known charismatic energy for a despicable villain. He is evil and he knows it, which makes him entertaining to behold. Seeing him dance to ‘Where Evil Grows’ by The Poppy Family, you know the actor is having a ball. I think it’s funny that Sonic calls him ‘Eggman’ because his robots looks like eggs. Seeing how he shaves his head in the mid credits is a clever buildup of him creating his Eggman persona. Since he still had Sonic’s quill, you already know the sequel led to an exciting turn of events. To wrap up, Director Jeff Fowler provides an entertaining family film that fans of the video games will likely enjoy. If you weren't aware of Sonic the Hedgehog until now, this will be a great introduction for you.
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