‘Sonic’ Speeds Into Theaters
It seemed as if expectations were universally low for “Sonic the Hedgehog.” Its first promotional trailer boasted a Sonic design so horrendous that it become infamous across the internet in days. However, Paramount Pictures did something rather surprising in today’s film industry: they listened to the fans, redesigned Sonic and re-animated all of the scenes he was in, costing the company a reported $5 million. Not only did this move pay off (“Sonic” has been number one in the box office for 2 weeks), but it also reflects the overall care Paramount put in to the movie that Sonic fans will appreciate.
“Sonic” is chock-full of references to the franchise, and is very faithful to the characters; Ben Schwartz did a great job as the voice of Sonic, capturing both his charisma and his endearing, carefree personality.
Jim Carrey also had a fantastic take on series antagonist Dr. Robotnik, and was appropriately insane throughout the movie. The final main character, sheriff Tom Wachowski, was well-acted by James Marsden, and his relationship with Sonic was enjoyable to watch.
The action scenes were interesting to watch throughout the movie. Sonic’s “speed” would be shown as him stopping time for everyone else, then moving at normal speed around them. It would also be utilized in other creative ways, which included him playing entire games of ping pong or baseball by himself.
The movie isn’t flawless, however. For better or worse, it’s clear that outside of Sonic fans, the target audience is young children. The plot is very simple: Sonic is on the run, gets discovered and needs help to escape. It also contains massive plot-holes, but that’s more of a nitpick since the movie doesn’t really take itself seriously throughout.
Additionally, some of the moments that are aimed towards children can be eye-roll-inducing for adults. It’s painful to admit this, but Sonic flosses not once, but twice throughout the movie. There is also some lowbrow humor that only younger children would find funny. Fortunately, these moments are sparse, and they don’t kill the experience for the mature audiences.
I enjoyed the movie, but, as already stated, it is made for fans of Sonic and young children. The movie likely won’t have the same appeal to those who don’t fall under those two demographics.
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Sonic became a series
The film reviewed here turned into a franchise. Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the third film in the series, came out in 2024, again directed by Jeff Fowler, with Jim Carrey and Ben Schwartz back and Keanu Reeves joining as Shadow the Hedgehog.
Sources: Wikipedia, “Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (film)”.