by Daniel Andrade
Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
When I was growing up, I didn’t have my own video game console. I used to have to go over to friends’ or cousins’ houses and play games with them. I’ll never forget the first time I played on a Sega Genesis. There were two games that I was obsessed with: Echo the Dolphin and Sonic the Hedgehog. To this day I still haven’t beaten the original Sonic game (those water levels and that terrifying alarm sound of Sonic losing air and eventually drowning still haunt me to this day), but regardless, Sonic has remained one of my all-time favorite video games and video game characters. So when I heard that they were going to make a Sonic movie and that one of my favorite actors was going to star in it as the notorious Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey), I was absolutely thrilled and couldn’t wait to see how they would capture the charming attitude of Sonic and his blazing speed on the big screen.
And then the first teaser poster came out… Though we only got a silhouette, it was still off-putting, to say the least: Why did Sonic have such defined and toned limbs? It was enough to get many people worried about the direction they were going with this film. Those concerns were amplified tenfold when the first trailer came out, and we saw the terrifying abomination that was humanoid Sonic, including those infamous teeth. It was unsettling and caused a backlash so big, that in an unprecedented move, the studio actually listened to all the fan concerns and completely redesigned Sonic. The end result was a Sonic that looked more like the cartoony character we all grew up with, which eased the worries of enthusiastic fans and made them excited for the potential of this film all over again.
With all that in mind, I went to watch this film with the odds stacked in my favor: a more palatable character design, the comedic talents of Jim Carrey, and positive reviews and an incredible box office opening. Even though I knew this film was targeted more towards kids, I had a feeling that all of us older fans of Sonic would be satisfied as well. In the end, I can say just that: I was satisfied with the film. Would I recommend you go see it in theaters? Not necessarily.
On the positive end, there is no doubt that Sonic looks great, and the details taken to make him look more like his video game counterpart (the non-muscular limbs, the bigger eyes, the non-human teeth) were very much appreciated. I still believe that the Pokémon from Detective Pikachu were more impressive, but this character design was still fun and cute (baby Sonic, in particular, was adorable). Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation, House of Lies) does a great job of capturing the youthful spirit and rebellious attitude of Sonic, one of the more notable aspects of the character that made him cool enough to be the mascot for Sega. James Marsden (X-Men, Enchanted) has acted with CGI characters before (Hop) and does a fine job of making you believe he and Sonic are actually interacting together. Jim Carrey (The Mask, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective) fully embraces the madness of playing a villain and lets loose in his classic, over-the-top way, which did lead to some genuine laughs and smiles on my end, particularly at the end of the movie where he fully becomes the maniacal Eggman from the games. The action scenes are actually pretty impressive as well and make good use of Sonic’s superspeed to make for some exciting moments, especially if you’re a fan of the games. I have no doubt in my mind that everyone gave it their all for this movie and did the best with the script they were given.
I have seen some reviews claiming this is the funniest movie of the year, and I’m sad to say that I didn’t really laugh much at all, and honestly neither did the audience I was watching it with. There were some corny or cheesy jokes and outdated references that I could tell were meant to elicit laughter, but just fell flat, even with the kids in the theater. There is blatant product placement for Olive Garden for some reason which makes you wonder how much they paid the movie to be mentioned so prominently. The restaurant is mentioned at least three to four times, and even their slogan (“When you’re here, you’re family”) makes a jarring appearance. The only real connections we get to the game are a gorgeous scene in the opening moments, his speed, and his use of rings to warp from one world to another. I wish there were more moments like that, and more use of the games’ music as well (one of the biggest reasons why I love the games so much). And while I did say the action scenes were fun, they weren’t entirely original: Quicksilver from the X-Men movies had some similarly awesome scenes where time slowed down due to his superspeed that allowed him to manipulate the world around him.
CONCLUSION: I have to give immense credit to the studio for listening to fan concerns and even more credit to the incredible animation studio Moving Picture Company (MPC) Vancouver for completely redesigning Sonic brilliantly in such a short time frame. Seeing that adorable hedgehog having fun on screen and making full use of his speed was a delight to watch, and his chemistry with Marsden was impressive, considering they didn’t actually work together directly. Carrey was perfect for the maniacal role of Robotnik and allowed him to be the goofy comedic genius that he is. While some of the jokes fell flat and there weren’t as many references to the games as I would’ve liked, the movie was clearly set up for a sequel (for fans of the games, you absolutely have to stay for the mid-credits scene!), and I hope it does get made and gives viewers a chance to delve deeper into the awesome world of the Blue Blur. Fans of the games should definitely consider giving this movie a watch, and newcomers to the character will find some fun moments, but either way, I would say you can wait to rent it and don’t have to rush to the theaters to see it.
FINAL SCORE: 3/5
Comments