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.