0
0
Rating: 3 out of 5
One of my favorite video games as a kid was Sonic the Hedgehog. I could honestly play that game for hours on that old school Sega Genesis. The level with the water was by far the worst level to complete. Then Sega came out with Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and it was a wrap for me. Having Tails follow behind with all the other stuff involved in the game. Trying to complete the game as fast as possible without having all your rings fly everywhere when you hit something. Once again, the water level was so terrible. Hearing the music play faster and faster as I try to find that elusive air bubble.
The excitement of a live-action Sonic film was high BUT skepticism “rolled in.” Get it? Rolled in. Well, Paramount released a trailer and………… WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!! What was up with that trailer and why did Sonic look like a creature the world has never seen before. Outcries happened, and Sonic had to be redesigned to make Sonic look like Sonic. The world went back to normal. Sonic the Hedgehog is a very kid-friendly, entertaining movie based on the video games that many have played over and over again. The story is enjoyable and crazy all at the same time.
Directed by Jeff Fowler with a script written by Pat Casey and Josh Miller, Sonic the Hedgehog starts off on an island somewhere in the universe. We are introduced to kid Sonic as he runs all around the island that looks like the actual video game. Sonic is an extraterrestrial blue hedgehog who can run at supersonic speeds. He claims that he has great powers and needs to hide them but continues to run his little blue self all over the place. When Sonic arrives home, he meets his guardian, Longclaw the Owl, who encourages Sonic to hide his powers, but Sonic doesn’t listen. The two are suddenly attacked a tribe of something. Longclaw and Sonic manage to get away until Longclaw is shot by an arrow. As she sacrifices herself, she gives Sonic a bag of rings that can create portals to other planets. Fast forward ten years later, and Sonic is enjoying the secret life near the town of Green Hills, Montana. Even though he is safe, he longs for just a single friend. He “stalks” the local sheriff, Tom Wachowski (Marsden), and his veterinarian wife, Maddie, unaware the pair are planning to relocate to San Francisco. Things come ahead when Sonic plays a baseball game by himself and causes a blackout to the northeastern part of the United States. The government called upon the egotistical, mad scientist Dr. Robotnik (Carrey) to find the source and capture the cause at all costs.
So, how does Sonic the Hedgehog match up with other movies based on a video game??? It’s not the greatest, but it’s not also the worse. It’s somewhere in the middle. Maybe the lower end of the center. The story of the film is pretty simple and stays within the course of being a kid’s film. We get a very simple backstory of the main character. Then the main character meets a “sidekick,” followed by an epic journey that will have both characters grow together. Actually, there isn’t really anything special about this film. Sonic and Tom are almost identical but complete opposites of each other. I don’t know how old Sonic is in human years, but he has the mentality of a teenager. Tom, on the other hand, has this serious tone because he wants to prove that he can be a serious cop, but it’s hard when you have a blue hedgehog running around you all the time.
Where the film fails is with the comedic scenes, especially with Sonic and Tom. I would say that a kid would laugh at the jokes, but they somewhat fall flat. Actually, after a while, Sonic becomes a little annoying. One of those kids you want to say, “SHUT UP!” to. Yet, the film makes a lot of jokes/references to other films. They include the likes of Star Wars and Spiderman, but IRONICALLY, Sonic’s favorite movie is SPEED. That one will go over many kids’ heads. Some scenes that were trying too hard to be funny but you’ve seen before is the whole bar scene. As usual, the main characters go into a bar, and chaos ensues. Now Sonic must go supersonic because everyone is still as he gracefully moves around and put people and things in position. Then as he stops, everything moves at regular speed. If you ever saw X-Men: Days of Future Past with Quicksilver. That is the scene they copied.
Now the BEST part of the whole movie is Carrey. If it wasn’t for his performance, this movie would be BLAH!! Carrey seems to call upon the roles that made him famous like Ace Venture, The Mask, Riddler, and others. Maybe that is why I enjoyed this film. It reminded me of my childhood and how he acted in all those films. Sometimes going back to what made you famous is a good idea. When Carrey first came on the screen and was talking to the Army Major, that was hilarious. The whole dancing scene was also funny and so very strange. Honestly, without Carrey, this movie would be a bore.
Overall, Sonic the Hedgehog is a film that is built for kids and geared towards kids. It is an excellent film for people who grew up playing Sonic on the Sega. It is enjoyable if your expectations are low. Sonic is funny in the right way, with humor safe and enjoyable. He does go Super Sayian Sonic at the end of the film. Carrey carries this film in the best and funny way. Overall, if you want to go fast, then see this movie.
