Well, this is just about exactly as I had expected. Sonic the Hedgehog is one of this year's most widely anticipated releases and the newest live-action treatment of a beloved character. While I never thought a realistic version of this character could ever work, I was partially right, but Ben Schwartz and Jim Carrey have proven that I was also partially wrong. This film is very strange to me because while I grew up playing Sega games and adoring this character, I never really felt like I was watching a story about Sonic. Perhaps because it was set in the real world or perhaps because the script was quite awful, but there was so much potential to be had for this film that I feel like it completely missed. I enjoyed this movie more than any reasonable person probably would and while this film has plenty of problems (ones that a 3-month release delay because of fan backlash couldn't necessarily fix), there is still so much fun to be had with Sonic the Hedgehog and its new franchise.
After being forced to leave his alien home, a little blue hedgehog named Sonic (Ben Schwartz) retreats to Earth and spends his entire life growing up and adopting our customs. When Sonic causes a massive power outage throughout his town of Green Hills, the government hires nefarious Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) to track him down while he's on the run with his new friend and local cop Tom (James Marsden). One of the biggest tropes of kids' films nowadays is taking an already-established character and introducing them to the real world. While it works for certain characters and franchises, I do not think this is one. This film opens up with Sonic on his home-world, a beautiful and expansive digital version of the classic Level 1 we all grew up playing. The entire world was gorgeous and I desperately wish that this film could have spent its entirety exploring it instead of forcing Sonic to adjust to human life. I feel like it would have been much more interesting for Robotnik to invade Sonic's homeworld instead of the other way around. This entire plotline made the main character not really feel that much like Sonic and instead, I feel as if I spent 90 minutes watching Paramount develop their own, strange, alien hedgehog. There is something about stripping the environment out of this character that pretty much rids him of his most famously notable characteristics.
Patrick Casey and Josh Miller's script was also quite lacking, as the writing was chock full of horrible clichés and cheap humor that easily could have been much stronger. There was nothing special about the story in this film at all and while I was not expecting it to be anything game-changing, it's a bit disappointing to see the misuse of potential. The visual effects backlash when the first trailer for this film came out did not help, either, and while I am glad they made Sonic's design much cleaner and less terrifying, it did not do much to save the movie. There are also so many product placements and obvious ad reads throughout this film that became very distracting and I feel as if all of this corporate promotion was to pay off the extra three months of work that these animators had to do. As for Jeff Fowler's direction, it was incredibly solid for it being his first feature outing and while none of the storytelling throughout this film was extraordinary, he proves to be a decently competent director.
I'm teetering on the edge of fandom and I do not want to be mixed in with the slew of die-hard fans but no matter how badly any studio could treat this character, I will still adore him. Which is why there is still so much enjoyment to get out of this. For one, audiences are finally seeing the return of Jim Carrey to the big screen, which is something to celebrate in itself, but they are also seeing an incredibly wholesome and fun family movie. It might not speak anything too profound or present anything new at all in terms of the script, but sometimes there does not need to be anything more than that. While much of this humor missed its mark (for me at least, as it is very much aimed toward the younger audience), some running gags and one-liners hit really hard. I love how this film attempts to explain some of the most glaring Sonic references like chili dogs and the nickname "Eggman." While there were so many other, better ways that this story could have gone, it was nice to see the writers at least try to incorporate what makes Sonic so lovable.
Ben Schwartz as this titular protagonist did a stupendous job of voicing him and I very often forgot that it was him. The trademark spunkiness and charisma that Sonic is known for is personified by Schwartz beautifully and I do not think these casting directors could have found anyone better or more passionate about video games and 90s culture. The cast throughout Sonic the Hedgehog is absolutely perfect and along with Schwartz's fantastic portrayal of Sonic, Carrey definitely shines and this film was a perfect vehicle for him to exhibit his trademark goofiness. Slapstick and lighthearted characters have always been Carrey's forte and the way that he incorporates both of these into Robotnik is great. It is quite easy to tell that he is working well within the script, but he still makes this iconic villain work.
Sonic the Hedgehog is very solid for a kids' film but not as much when it comes to reaching any wider and honestly, it's unnecessary to ask for more. I really enjoyed myself watching this film and while I do not plan on revisiting it anytime soon, seeing this character on the big screen and done right was really nice. I sure would have liked to have seen an entire film set in the world of those first five minutes, but hey, a studio has to capitalize on the real world somehow.
My Rating: ★★★
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