Movie Review: "Sonic the Hedgehog"

“Sonic the Hedgehog”

Running time: 99 mins

Release date: February 14, 2020

Directed by: Jeff Fowler

Starring: James Marsden

Jim Carrey

Tika Sumpter

Ben Schwartz

Video game movies have been consistently bad. I cannot think of even one which I would feel comfortable calling pretty good. When the first trailer for a Sonic movie dropped early last year, it was roundly mocked by just about everyone who saw it. It not only looked like it was going to continue this trend for video game movies, but it also looked like it was going to be a complete disaster. The main issue had to do with the freakish character design for Sonic. He seemed to have human teeth, and his eyes were just wrong. The negative response to that trailer was so strong the filmmakers decided to push the release date back from early fall 2019 to winter 2020 so the animators could have time to redesign the character.

Side-by-side comparison with old design on the left and new design on the right.

Despite this, expectations surrounding the film were extremely low. Some even said the horrid character design should have stayed the same so there would at least be something enjoyable, if only from a “so bad it’s good” perspective.

Now that it is out, I was surprised “Sonic the Hedgehog ” was not the incompetent, ultra-lazy disaster I was expecting. To be clear, I did not like the movie, but it could have been much worse.

As for the things I enjoyed, I think the film does a good job honoring its source material. I am not a huge fan of the games, but I am familiar enough with the series to tell a real effort was made to earn the respect and appreciation of fans. I also felt like the cast does a fine job. James Marsden is tasked with convincing the audience this fantastical blue hedgehog is a real part of the film’s world. It cannot be easy to play off of a character that is not really there, but Marsden is able to pull it off. Jim Carrey plays the evil genius character with the physically comedic cartoonish energy which shot him to super-stardom in the 90s. While I, personally, prefer his more dramatic performances, in movies like “The Truman Show” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” I did enjoy seeing him go so over-the-top and having fun while doing it. I also thought most of the action was entertaining.

Unfortunately, a formulaic script and two-dimensional characters kept me from actually getting invested in what was happening. There are even several shameless product placements for Zillow and Olive Garden which would have succeeded at pulling me out of the movie anyway. Since I already was not invested, moments where characters randomly mention how great the Olive Garden app is or how awesome their never-ending pasta bowl is made me laugh harder than any of the jokes. At the end of the day, though, this is a movie aimed at children and families. I believe “Sonic the Hedgehog” will entertain and satisfy that audience, even if there is little going on under the surface.

The consensus seems to be “Sonic the Hedgehog” is one of the best, if not the best, video game movies yet made. Even so, I would not recommend it.