Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)

Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)

6/10

Starring

James Marsden

Ben Schwartz (voice)

Tika Sumpter

Jim Carrey

Directed by Jeff Fowler

Sonic the Hedgehog is not a bad movie to see, but it tries so hard to pull at the heartstrings that at one point it almost got mine. Now, Jim Carrey’s general knack for overacting was a plus in this movie; his portrayal of Doctor Robotnik stands out as well-done. The design of Sonic stays true to the game’s animation, which is a hurrah for the production team for listening to criticism. That said, the movie’s plot lacked the needed excitement for a fantasy movie, and it was so easy to guess your way through.

This is not the first time I’ve seen Sonic on TV instead of in a game. I recall seeing the animation when I was much younger. Back then, he was overly confident and somewhat like a bully to the bad guys. I liked his portrayal here more than I did back then.

This is the first live-action film of this iconic gaming character created by Sega in 1991, and it is not bad.

The movie introduces us to the lead character, Sonic, who is an extraterrestrial blue hedgehog. In his world, he was born with supersonic speed and lived under the care of an owl who warned him to hide his powers. Being young, Sonic did not listen, and when he was hunted, the owl gave him a bag of rings that could open portals to new worlds and told him to hide there. He was instructed to leave the moment he was discovered.

Sonic steps through the portal and finds himself on Earth, specifically in Green Hills, Montana. He lives there for years and starts to idolize the local sheriff, Tom Wachowski (played by James Marsden). Everything was going great, and the man he idolizes didn’t know he existed, although Sonic followed him everywhere—even to his home.

One day, his loneliness got the best of him, and he ran so fast that his powers were noticed. The government then hired Doctor Robotnik to find the source. This is where their rivalry began, echoing what we see throughout the games: Robotnik trying to catch Sonic and Sonic always getting the upper hand.

I recall many thinking the redesign of Sonic would cost almost an arm and a leg, but it cost around $5 million, in addition to the already over $80 million production cost. The whole thing was worth it if you’ve seen the old trailer compared to the new one.

I see Sonic doing well at the box office, as it set the record for the biggest opening weekend. With the way it ends, there are many paths the writers can take for a sequel.

If you get the time to see this movie, just allow yourself to view it as something made for children and not for adults. The movie’s plot seems designed to please children. If you overthink it, all you’ll see are plot holes and reasons to wish never to see another Sonic movie.

Ford v Ferrari (2019)

Ford v Ferrari (2019)

  

7/10

  

Starring

Christian Bale

Matt Damon

Directed by James Mangold

Ford vs Ferrari is an outstanding movie. I don’t have to waste time talking about the acting in this movie because, with Matt Damon (as Carroll Shelby) and Christian Bale (as Ken Miles), you already know they’ll deliver top-class performances. The movie has some fantastic shots, and the whole racing and car-building process shows just how much great directing and editing went into making this movie come alive.

The director, James Mangold, is someone I know from Logan (2017), which, to me, is the best film in the X-Men series.

The movie focuses on the rivalry between Ford and Ferrari, which led to Ford participating in the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. This is a 24-hour car racing event in France, one that Ferrari seems to dominate.

The movie introduces us to Henry Ford II, who is looking for something new and exciting for the company to sink its teeth into. He’s advised to purchase Ferrari and get into motor racing, which would also boost sales. The company sends a proposal to Ferrari—a deal that would make Ford the owner of Ferrari while keeping Scuderia Ferrari intact, but Enzo Ferrari would not have the final say in anything. Ferrari walks out on the deal and insults Henry Ford II. Ford then finds out that Ferrari used this as a gimmick to hike up their price and secure a more financially lucrative deal with Fiat. Fiat also allows Scuderia Ferrari to retain ownership of Ferrari.

Now upset, Ford gives his team the mandate to build a car that will beat Ferrari’s. His team goes to Shelby Motors to meet with Carroll Shelby, who signs a deal to work for them and build the car. Shelby then hires British racer Ken Miles. Miles is married with a son, a war veteran with a hot temper, and is struggling to keep his mechanic shop running.

Together, they start working on building Ford’s car, and the movie is about how they go about doing it and the challenges they face along the way.

The movie is considered one of the best of 2019 and garnered many nominations for its storytelling. Some of the nominations include four Oscar nods, including Best Picture, and it went on to win Best Film Editing and Best Sound Editing. Christian Bale also received a nomination for his performance at the Golden Globes.

Both a critical and commercial success, this is one movie you’ll watch and enjoy every little bit of.

Birds of Prey (2020)

Birds of Prey (2020)

6/10

Starring

Margot Robbie

Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Jurnee Smollett-Bell

Rosie Perez

Directed by Cathy Yan

I enjoyed the movie. Although, the script and screenplay aren’t fantastic, as it took a while for the girl crew to find themselves and form. Then it took even longer before the movie became about Harley. Other than that, it was a fun time at the movies with this R-rated DC film. The movie is better than Suicide Squad (2016), but it’s not the best superhero movie out there or even in the DCEU.

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)—yep, that’s the name Warner Bros. is running with. The name may be long, but it serves what the movie is supposed to be about. It’s a superhero film based on the DC Comics’ team Birds of Prey. It’s the eighth film in the DC Extended Universe and a sequel/follow-up to, as well as a spin-off of, Suicide Squad (2016). It stars Margot Robbie (who was wonderful) as Harley Quinn, and she also co-produced the movie.

The movie has fantastic visuals, and Cathy Yan, the director on her second full-length movie, had control and did a fine job in the way she allowed the movie’s storyline to gently develop. She placed enough action in between so the viewer wouldn’t get bored before the story itself births its main plot.

The plot starts with Harley and the Joker breaking up. Harley is messed up about it and is struggling to cope. She then decides to make a grand gesture of a middle finger to the world and her ex, but in doing so, she forgets all the people she had wronged in the past.

When she was Joker’s girl, nobody dared to touch her—they all feared what the Joker would do. Now that she’s by herself, all hell breaks loose on the revenge front.

Soon, we get to see all the members of the proposed girl crew, each with their own origin story, either shown or told. What led to each of them meeting was a young girl the gangster Roman Sionis/Black Mask wants. Roman sends everyone after her, including Harley. Huntress is on her own vendetta mission, which happens to cross paths with Roman. Canary, at the time, worked for Roman, and Renee Montoya, the detective, was building a case against Roman. Soon, because of the girl, all their paths cross.

What led to them bonding is for you to watch and find out. If you do watch the movie, you’ll find it enjoyable.

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)

7/10

Starring the voices of

Michael J. Fox

Don Ameche

Sally Fields

Directed by Duwayne Dunham

My childhood had a series of movies that were staple meals for every month, and Homeward Bound was one of them. The story of a trio deciding to embark on a long journey home by themselves against all odds, guided only by their own senses. This trio consisted of two dogs and a cat, and the fun in the movie lies in their amazing journey, which was filled with numerous adventures, wonderful discoveries, and moments of maturity.

The movie was the directorial debut of one-time movie editor Duwayne Dunham, and credit goes to how he was able to craft this story around these animals with minimal human presence. The movie had two stories running simultaneously: one of a family trying to bond together and the other of these animals trying to get back to their owners.

The director did a magnificent job of merging the two while keeping the main focus on the animals, without falling short in creating a connection between the movie and the viewer.

The movie’s plot revolves around the determination of a Golden Retriever named Shadow. Shadow lives in a home with his owner, Peter. He shares that home with a cat named Sassy, whose owner is Peter’s younger sister, Hope. The youngest of the family, Jamie, owns the American Bulldog, Chance.

The family is going on vacation and drops the animals off at a farm. Shadow, not understanding why his owner was sad and leaving him, feels he needs to find Peter after waiting for days for his return. He runs away from the farm, accompanied by Sassy and Chance, and they begin their journey home.

The movie is very much made for children, but an adult of any age can watch and still love it—or even appreciate it more than a child might.

The movie’s plot is based on a book titled The Incredible Journey (1961) by Scottish author Sheila Burnford. The book was loosely adapted by Walt Disney into a movie in 1963, also titled The Incredible Journey, before this adaptation of Homeward Bound.

I haven’t seen the 1963 version, so I won’t be commenting on the differences between the movies. But judging by the critic and audience ratings for both on Rotten Tomatoes, I can see that both were well-received, with similar scores.

Whether the movie was a financial success for Disney, I don’t know. What I do know is that Disney tried to milk this movie by making a second part. They hired the same cast, but this journey was from San Francisco, and the adventure was more intense and dangerous—which is odd compared to what they faced in the first movie. The second part didn’t have the same connection with the audience as this one did. It was dull and very unfulfilling. I won’t be watching that movie again.

Go see this movie again—you’ll be glad you did.