We all saw it; Sonic the Hedgehog’s new look blew up the internet in the worst way. It was one of the most hated images and looked to be one of the most disappointing movies for all Sonic the Hedgehog fans. People shouted, wrote letters, complained, and even offered solutions to fix their favorite Sega Game character. As it turns out, the creators of the new Sonic movie actually listened and reworked the little blue hedgehog. I have to say, he is now so much better.
Of course, the rework means nothing if the story is terribly written and the characters are not believable. I got a chance to review Sonic the Hedgehog and thought I would share my thoughts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW
Everyone will understand Sonic’s loneliness in the beginning of the movie as he practices social distancing to avoid capture. With only himself as his friend, his life becomes a sad story of one hedgehog against the universe. The feels hit the viewers after a lone baseball game when Sonic realizes he may be alone forever.
Perhaps it’s because of the social distancing we have all had to undergo, but I was really able to connect with Sonic in this scene. His anger and hurt reverberate our current situation.. While we are not blue hedgehogs with super powers, we are all feeling the loneliness of separation.
However, the sadness is short lived. Once Sonic knocks out the power to the entire Northwest and loses his important portal rings, Sonic and the Donut Lord embark on an epic adventure. While being chased by a maniacally mad, mechanically driven doctor named Robotnik (Jim Carrey), Sonic and Tom attempt to find said rings and get Sonic to his new home of fungi.
It is really nice to see Jim Carrey take on the character of Robotnik with such enthusiasm. This character allows the old Jim Carrey to shine. His liveliness and absolute absurdity brings Robotnik to life as an almost evil Pet Detective. With Jim Carrey, Robotnik steals the show while he succumbs to his crazy mind. I can’t think of anyone else who could have done a better job. Welcome back Jim Carrey!
Like Jim Carry, James Marsden also brings his masterful skills to the screen as he portrays the Donut Lord, better known as Tom Wachowski. Even though Marsden’s co-actor is a little blue game-inspired character, never to be seen in real life, James interacts with Sonic beautifully. I would swear he was staring at and talking with the real hedgehog himself. Of course, for James, what he interacted with was often a tennis ball and/or a doll. I guess we could say James gets paid to play with dolls.
Cool fact: The tennis ball was used to plot the position of Sonic’s eyes so that James knew where to look while filming. . Great Job James!
Call me crazy, call me a fan, or call me both, whatever the case, the Sonic the Hedgehog movie resonated on all notes. From the start of the show I couldn’t pull myself away. There was never a boring moment. The story rocked and brought back fond memories of my days on the SEGA. The Characters are also done with superb talent. One brings back the Jim Carrey I love, the other highlights the skills James Marsden has when it comes to interacting with invisible characters. I truly hope we will get to see a Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
