By Johnathan Stowe
When the first trailers came out for Sonic the Hedgehog, I was very sceptical to see it based on the animation of Sonic (like many Sega fans were) but, once they made the changes and got the design right, it looked more like a movie to see. But would the plot of the movie work and draw interest? And that question has been answered after seeing Sonic the Hedgehog.
Told by his adoptive mother Longclaw (Donna Fulks) to avoid danger, Sonic moves between worlds with the rings in his collection. All this traveling comes with a heavy price, however, as Sonic has no friends and becomes lonely. Once he travels to earth, he resides in Green Hills where he runs into Sheriff Wachowski (James Marsden), an officer who is looking to leave his county in order to make a name for himself in San Francisco.
The villainous Dr.Ivo ‘Eggman’ Robotnik (Jim Carrey) is introduced as a crazy doctor who loves technology and is hired by the government to track unusual power outages created by Sonic. This is where I give Jim Carrey a big high five! He nailed the character and personality of Dr.Eggman flawlessly, especially through the comedy that the character has shown throughout the video games. Ben Schwartz, who voices Sonic, is another actor who did an amazing job. The film really gets Sonic’s personality down, as he speeds by as a cool but cocky character who doesn’t listen but who also makes lots of funny joke references.
Sheriff Wachowski is a character you warm up to as the movie goes on as well. Married and trying to do his best to make a name for himself, Wachowski becomes someone worth saving. Because of his actions, Sonic loses his rings and they’re forced to team up with together to get his them back and to stop Dr.Eggman.
The message of the film was the importance of friendship and family. Throughout the movie, Sonic dealt with loneliness and did not want to leave earth to go to a new planet. In one of the scenes, he writes on his bucket list that he just wants a best friend. However, through his relationship with Sheriff Wachowski, Sonic finds the new wave of power that he needs to defeat the villain. Just like the video games, Sonic uses the power of friendship and teamwork to stop Dr. Eggman.
Sonic the Hedgehog has excellent visuals and really great comedic moments that both kids and adults would enjoy. Because the plot and story-telling are good and don’t feel forced, you really buy into the characters. (Also, the film has a ton of Easter eggs from the video games and a post credit scene that hints at another character joining Sonic in a possible sequel.)
Overall, this was a great movie and I believe that this is the movie Sega needed in order to push Sonic back into relevance in a society dominated by so many other video games. Hopefully, we will get to see Sonic Mania back once again for a whole new generation.
Sonic the Hedgehog zoomed into theatres on Friday, February 14th, 2020.