Everyone, we did it. We waited for the Sonic the Hedgehog movie. Somehow, we pushed through, and now… It is upon us. (Well, it’s upon us tomorrow. Feb 14th. Valentines Day. )
Starring James Marsden as Human Protagonist who keeps Sonic grounded and Ben Schwartz as the Blue Speed Demon himself, Sonic the Hedgehog’s plot seems pretty straight-forward.
Here’s the official run-down from Wikipedia, the most trusted source of information on the internet:
Sonic, a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog from an alternate dimension, comes to Earth to escape malevolent forces that seek to harness his power of super-speed. After accidentally causing a massive power outage while hiding out in the town of Green Hills, Montana, Sonic is targeted by the government who then hire the tyrannical roboticist Dr. Robotnik to hunt him down. Meanwhile, Green Hills sheriff Tom Wachowski meets Sonic and decides to help him evade capture, collect his rings, and stop Robotnik from using Sonic’s powers for world domination.
Some Legend who writes for Wikipedia
Also, it should be noted that JIM FREAKING CARREY is playing Doctor Robotnik, or Doctor Eggman to those of culture reading. I am not going to pretend I understand why Sonic was the movie to bring Carrey back to feature film acting after a four-year hiatus, but I am not complaining. From the trailer below, you can see that Carrey is most likely going to be the stand-out star of the film. Business as usual, then.
What Do Critics Think?
Sonic the Hedgehog has received, as one might expect, mixed reviews. Here’s a bit of a rundown…
Rotten Tomatoes. You say Tomato, I say Tomato. You say “Fittingly fleet and frequently fun”, and I say “sounds good to me”. It’s sitting at 70% on their Tomatometer, but I would expect that to change.
The Guardian. This one… Not so positive. They praise Jim Carrey’s performance as Robotnik but use this to highlight the “charmless hero” of Schwartz’ Sonic. There is also a paragraph discussing the confusion at calling Sonic a hedgehog, but I would elect to ignore that bit. It got two stars, so a measly 40%.
IGN’s video review matches Rotten Tomatoes’ judgment with a 7, so 70%. They comment on Schwartz’ ability to capture the spirit of Sonic but find his bantering somewhat tiresome at parts. Again, the basic plotline of the movie is criticized, but… It’s a Sonic movie. You sort of have to expect that, right?
Games Radar’s review is… interesting. They believe that the film exceeds the “abyssal low expectations” it started with, which is a little harsh. It draws inevitable comparisons with Detective Pikachu, believing that Sonic is aimed purely at younger viewers, while Detective Pikachu “had one eye on the middle-aged”. It ends with a slightly-positive comment on possible sequels and gives it 3 stars, so 60%.
Nerdist plays it safe with a 2.5 out of 5 review, so 50%. They praise Carrey’s Robotnik as saving the feature and comment on the horrendous obviousness of the film’s overhaul, both with Sonic’s CGI and re-editing. Marsden also receives praise for the way he plays off of Schwartz’ Sonic.
Sonic The Hedgehog comes out tomorrow, Feb 14th. Don’t forget, 2020 is the year of the Sonic. Here’s January’s rundown on Sonic 20, from Sega, and expect to see February’s installment pop up here in about a week!
Also… Just because I love you all… This is what we could have gotten. Never forget that.
