Geekatana Review: Sonic the Hedgehog - Fun and flawed Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog is a action and adventure comedy film based on the video game by Sega. It was originally scheduled to be shown in theaters back in 2019 but with the backlash it received from critics about the main characters design pushed it back for a later release date.

I'm not a Sonic fan and I haven't played a single Sonic game as per the writing of this review but I have a basic knowledge of the character to some extent. Also possible minor spoilers.

In the film Sonic the Hedgehog teams up with local town sheriff Tom Wachoski who dreams of being a cop in the big city. The two go on a road trip to find Sonic lost rings. All the while a genius mad scientist Dr. Robotnik played by Jim Carrey hunts them down. A wild random adventures ensue as Sonic have the time of his life while Tom learns what really matters in life.

Sonic the Hedgehog is directed by Jeff Fowler (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Pat Casey and Josh Miller. It stars Ben Schwartz who voices Sonic the Hedgehog and Jim Carrey as Doctor Robotnik, as well as James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally, and Neal McDonough.

As a plot the movie is pretty straight forward and doesn't give anything that hasn't been done before by other films many times over. The classic buddy cop comedy team up that is Sonic and Tom as they go in an adventure to retrieve a magical macguffin. Its the classic good versus evil plot commonly found in video games and movies. There's no complex puzzles or what not that needs solving. The movie is bare bones minimum overall. There are plot holes and inconsistencies here and there for sure.

What the movie lack in terms of a deep story however it does make up for its excellent dialogue and acting. Ben Schwartz was the perfect choice to voice Sonic. He nails the hyper, talkative and often impulsive character of Sonic surprisingly well. Jim Carrey is a decent Dr. Robotnik due to his zany and comical acting and line delivery. A lot of the jokes landed for me surprisingly well due to both Ben and Jim Carreys way of acting.

Also I'm so glad they changed Sonics design since the look would have crippled the movies enjoyment entirely. This is definitely one time that I'm glad the movie producers actually listened to the fans for once. There's also some Easter eggs hidden in the movie for true Sonic fans. I only seen two or three of them but those that played the Sonic games will no doubt find more. The movie is definitely a simple love letter to Sonic fans

Also credits to the film for their excellent choice of music as they surprisingly fit the movie. This film borrows a lot from other franchises it feels and gives it a little Sonic touch like a certain slow mo sequence halfway to the film. You will know what I mean when you see it. Also the film could probably benefitted from being a bit longer in some aspect. A lot of the side characters feel like comic relief than actually adding to the story.

As a whole Sonic the Hedgehog doesn't add anything new to the whole comedy action adventure video game movie genre that hasn't been done before. It's very funny and entertaining movie if you don't mind the bare minimum plot. If you are a Sonic fan you will enjoy this movie in some form or another. The plot is simple that none Sonic fans can easily get into it. Sadly this simplicity is also its negative side.