Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog

Starring Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Jim Carrey, Tika Sumpter

Directed by Jeff Fowler

The "movie-based-on-video-game" subgenre has a negative track record to say the least - it's almost impossible to make a video game movie good, due to the different natures of the two entities.  Movies like "Super Mario Bros.," "Street Fighter," and "Doom" have proven the case that video game movies don't really do well, so in 2018 when it was announced there would be a video game movie based on Sega's flagship character Sonic the Hedgehog, it was of course met with skepticism - especially when it was revealed Jim Carrey would be playing the villainous Dr. Robotnik, as he didn't really convey the robust nature of the villain.

Then the first trailer came out in 2019, and everyone hated it: Sonic's appearance was labeled the stuff of nightmares, a terribly-rendered CGI mess that tried to be more realistic but turned out to be terrifying, especially his human teeth.  Most directors would ignore the overwhelming ire and release the film anyway, but first-time director Jeff Fowler didn't get the memo to be a jerk to people, and decided to redo the animation to give Sonic a more traditional look, at a huge cost ($5 million dollars) and moving the final product from 2019 to Valentine's Day 2020.  The result is a Sonic that's true to the original design, and Fowler and his team were rewarded with the distinction of giving "Sonic the Hedgehog" the biggest opening weekend by a video-game based film in America - and rightfully so.  This is what happens when directors and producers listen to its audience, and while the film itself isn't perfect, it's highly enjoyable and filled to the brim with classic Easter eggs and even some heartfelt emotions.

On his home planet, Sonic (Ben Schwartz) has been given the special power of supersonic speed, which results in him being hunted for his power.  Using a bag of rings, Sonic is able to teleport to different worlds by thinking about them, evading his captors throughout the years until he settles on Earth.  He's enjoying his time on the planet and really likes watching married couple Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter) interact in their small-town city of Green Hills, Montana - but he's haunted by the fact that no one can come into contact with him, and that he's perpetually alone.  This causes him to emit an electromagnetic pulse that knocks out the power, leading the government to bring in scientist Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) to find the source of the pulse.  Meanwhile, Sonic tries to leave Earth but is stopped by Tom, who then decides to help Sonic gather the rings so he can flee Robotnik, who wants to dissect him to gain his power for his robots to take over the world.

Suffice it to say I wasn't too excited to see this movie, and figured it'd be as bad as other video-game based films, and maybe it's due to this already low expectation that I found myself actually really enjoying myself throughout the film.  Is it predictable?  Yes.  Does it have the same tired cliches of other buddy-comedy road-trip government-hunted films?  Of course.  Are there several scenes where Sonic uses his supersonic speed shot in a way that pretty much totally mimics the antics of Quicksilver in "X-Men: Days of Future Past" and "X-Men: Apocalypse?"  You better believe it!  So why did I enjoy this film?  It's truly an anomaly, as I can't exactly put a finger on what made it so pleasant.

The actors all excel at their jobs, which is definitely a strength of the film.  James Marsden (who's no stranger to buddy comedy films with a CGI character - remember "Hop?") seems to have fun playing a small-town cop whose only goal is to help Sonic escape the evil Robotnik - despite just meeting him that day.  Likewise Tika Sumpter plays Tom's wife with an almost 1960s wife feel, a woman who's independent but also highly approving and loving of her husband so much so that she's willing to follow his dreams no questions asked (something I remarked during the film that it's something most women won't do in reality).  Ben Schartz (of "Parks and Rec" fame) gives Sonic a unique, fun, quippy voice that matches his ever-moving body, and of course Jim Carrey is in his wheelhouse as Dr. Robotnik, as he pretty much owns the screen in his delicious deceitfulness and enigmatic energy that's purely Carrey (so much so that Fowler often just told him the scene and let him do all his own lines and body movements).

The story is rather cookie-cutter and simple, following the typical tropes and mannerisms of the like.  We see the buddy comedy of Tom and Sonic as they traverse the country from Montana to San Francisco and experience their road trip experiences, including a humorous scene at a biker bar, along with a highway chase by Robotnik and his never-ending supply of robots.  There's the natural final confrontation where we expect everything to work out for the good (since this is a PG family friendly film, it's no spoiler to say that Sonic doesn't actually die...although that would've been interesting).  There's the traditional monologue about the importance of friendship.  It's all very open and easy to understand, since this is essentially a kid's movie after all.

The film also touches on important messages about friendship and loneliness that've been done better in other films, but here there's an odd sense of emotion to it.  Sonic seems to enjoy life, but often reminds himself that he's destined to be alone, which is what sets off the events into motion in the first place, but you can't help but feel bad for him.  Then when he finds a person to call a friend, seeing their relationship grow organically is pure magic, leading to the final confrontation with Robotnik where Sonic vows to protect his new friends (and includes the most true-to-game final battle I've seen in a video-game movie).  

So since the story is so easy and spoon-fed, I still ask the question why did I enjoy it so much?  I still can't pinpoint it, but somehow I was actually moved by the friendship between Tom and Sonic in ways I didn't think I would - I almost teared up a couple times in the film, and I really wasn't expecting that.  Maybe it's the nostalgic memories of playing Sonic when I was a kid, or maybe I was just so engrossed in the characters that I found myself not-so-secretly rooting for them.  Who knows?  It's a strange thing.

Taking the advice of the general public into consideration, "Sonic the Hedgehog" managed to turn from what would've been an epic fail and became an epic success in the world of video-game based films, providing a fun, family-friendly adventure with an important message to tell through the eyes of a classic video game hedgehog.

The Score:  B+