Sonic the Hedgehog film overview: quick informal

When the first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog was released in 2019, fans were horrified by CGI Sonic's small eyes and human teeth – an uncanny valley horror. He had a face that made many mothers love, let alone cinema goers. That's why Paramount has postponed the release date of the film and brought in animator Tyson Hesse, Art Director of Sonic Mania Adventures, to oversee the redesign. Not only did the animators do everything they could to make Sonic more like his video game origins, they may also have saved the movie.

The new Sonic is so adorable that it almost makes up for a fairly generic plot and human cast that plays the roles of "heroic" and "evil", so direct that they could become extras in "The Good Place". To escape the bad guys after his super-fast pace, Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) leaves his planet via magical portal rings and finds himself on earth in the small town of Green Hills. We find out that his fast-talking personality is basically the result of 10 years of intense isolation, in which he has to hide from the people and have a conversation by speaking to himself. After causing a surge of energy to shut down the city's power supply, the government sends Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) for investigation. Sonic works with the kind-hearted sheriff Tom (James Marsden), and the two develop a bromance, as prescribed for men in films, through a road trip and a pub fight.

Picture: Paramount

Ultimately, Sonic is a children's film that realizes that it may be the first time children are introduced to the hedgehog. So he only minimally refers to the video game world he comes from and spends more time pointing out things that they might get. Unfortunately, the gags seem a few years late and immediately date themselves: there are several jokes about Olive Garden & # 39; unlimited pasta. Sonic doesn't just floss once, but twice. They are joking about Vin Diesel in The Fast and the Furious. (Actually, this will probably remain relevant as long as they make FF films, which is forever.)

The film shines when it remembers that it is based on a video game, and there are some really funny things – like when Sonic uses his time-stopping powers or Robotnik's elaborate montage where you wonder why more films are not bad guys with choreographed dance sequences. Carrey plays Robotnik as the cartoon villain he is, and it's a real pleasure to watch him in his element. And – spoilers ahead – the credits point to a sequel with Tails and an even more clumsy Robotnik, which is all about Eggman.

Picture: Paramount

But when the bulk of the film takes place in nondescript city-ville (in two versions: small town and large concrete buildings in the streets), it's hard not to think about the lush planet Emerald Hill Zone, for which the film may have shown for 30 years became seconds. I wish it had taken place there instead. Sonic the Hedgehog could have gone from a good movie to a great one, not by bringing Sonic into the human world, but by bringing the audience into his world. Maybe we should just be grateful that the film was even shown. Sonic's success depends on the character being likeable, and the revised Sonic is easy to love.

Old Sonic vs. New Sonic.

Picture: Paramount