Chris Pierdomenico
Video games and movies have not always been the best bedfellows. It doesn’t help that this trend began with Super Mario Bros. The Movie, which famously flopped with both critics and the box office in 1993. But is that changing? Detective Pikachu was a surprise hit in 2019, with its melding of CGI creatures and live-action actors. Would Sonic The Hedgehog continue the momentum set up Detective Pikachu, or was the video game movie genre going to devolve into something worse than those eight foot goombas in trenchcoats from Super Mario Bros.?
The answer is neither. I enjoyed Sonic The Hedgehog. But I didn’t love it.
The Story of a Hedgehog
Beginning with a “how did I get here?” voiceover during the climax of the movie (arguably one of my least favorite film tropes), the titular hero of Sonic the Hedgehog describes his previous life on another planet (for all you fellow diehard Sonic fans: it’s basically Green Hill Zone, on what is clearly South Island, on planet Morbius…still with me?). As a child, Sonic possesses the Quicksilver-esque super power of sonic speed, a talent that he is relentlessly pursued for. After escaping what looks like to be a tribe of Echidnas (it would be really cool to tie Knuckles into the sequel), Sonic escapes to Earth through one of many iconic golden rings given to him by Longclaw, his owl guardian.
Once on Earth, Sonic spends ten years in small town Montana, studying humans from the shadows, in particular Tom and Maddie Wachowski (James Marsden and Tika Sumpter, respectively). When Sonic’s speed inadvertently causes a blackout and draws the attention of the federal government, diabolical genius Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) is hired to track down Sonic and manipulate/harness his powers. This results in a cross country road trip that turns into a funny, but kid-friendly, buddy movie between Sonic and Tom, with some clever action thrown in.
What this movie gets right
This movie was clearly made for the fans: younger fans, yes…but fans nonetheless. There are countless references to the games, including the rings, the name of the town, chili dogs, the Green Hill Zone music, etc. Sonic is voiced by Parks and Recreation‘s Ben Schwartz, and he does an admirable job of capturing the essence of Sonic that we’ve all known for nearly 30 years: hyperactive, fun, but with a heart of gold.
But the real scene stealer is Jim Carrey’s Dr. Robotnik/Eggman. At first seen as a bizarre, out of left-field choice, there really is no one better to portray the mad scientist that we love to hate. Carrey effortlessly fuses Robotnik’s over-the-top genius and arrogance, and this results in some of the funniest scenes in the movie.
What this movie needed
I played all the Sonic games from the 90s until the mid-2000s. I watched the two main 90s cartoon series (Sonic Underground didn’t do a lot for me). And I was an avid collector of the Archie Comics, which was an extension of the Sonic SatAM cartoon combined with the games. So while the portrayals of Sonic and Dr. Robotnik in this film were excellent, I don’t feel that the filmmakers captured the essence of their relationship.
The core conflict in every Sonic game, show, and comic is dependent on one very simple concept: Sonic is the roadrunner and Robotnik is Wiley E. Coyote. Robotnik tries out some crazy, farfetched plan involving his machines, and Sonic devastatingly humiliates him, delighting the audience.
That doesn’t really happen in this movie. Robotnik is humiliated, but it’s mostly done at the hands of Tom. Oddly enough, Robotnik and Sonic don’t have much screen time together until the climax, and the insults and one-liners don’t really feel earned because this bitter rivalry has not been established. What doesn’t help is that Sonic doesn’t feel like the main character and is at times overshadowed by Tom. Tom has the more complex arc in this film, relegating Sonic to more of a sidekick role. This is an unusual choice. Typically, Sonic properties that have focused too much on human characters have not done as well.
Overall
There is a lot to like about this movie. The film is respectful to fans and offers a great comedy adventure for all ages, but it does feel targeted more to the younger audience (far more than Detective Pikachu). With the inclusion of Jim Carrey, I was hoping to get some more laughs from the film, but the kids around me were clearly delighted.
Still, for the first Sonic movie, this was done well. I’ll be first in line if there is a Sonic 2 (and judging from the post-credits scene, there probably will be). Despite my criticism, the fact that filmmakers listened to the fans and did their best to honor the character of Sonic is very commendable. If we want better movies from Hollywood, we need to reward good behavior, and I am happy to do so here.
Chris Pierdomenico is a filmmaker, a teacher of television, video production & journalism as well as the founder of DorkDaily.com.
