Sonic the Hedgehog - Review

Released: ​February 14, 2020 

Ready For More! (Kinda)

The Sonic the Hedgehog movie is a weird anomaly for Hollywood. In an unprecedented move, the entire picture was altered to replace a CG character before it was released. The release date got pushed back, the internet rejoiced, and the special effects house that did all the work closed down after they completed the job. The result is a dumb kids movie that would have been entirely identical to the original disaster. The kids in my theater did have a great time, so I guess it hit its target audience. 

The most significant surprise for me was how uncartoonish it was before Jim Carrey appeared on screen. Sure, the story was being told by a talking hedgehog that can run fast, but it was the introduction of Dr. Robotnic that made the whole ordeal feel like something a kid would watch on cable television. The over the top performance fell flat more often than it worked and should have been reigned in. You can keep the crazy dancing that is shown off in the trailer, but the moment to moment interactions needed to be less unhinged. Most people like everything that Jim Carrey did, but it just didn't work for me.

Other notable things about the picture include "action scenes". It felt like there were too many of these as they were used as plot devices to speed up events or to keep the children's attention. One of these sequences is lifted from the X-Men movies, specifically the effect that is used for Quicksilver to show off how fast he is. Its use here is less inventive with little spectacle, which has it come off as an inferior copy. 

Deadpool is another property that Sonic the Hedgehog copies as it comes across as the children's version of that series. The number of jokes, the voice over, the visual gags, it's all there. In no way am I insinuating that I would have liked a rated R Sonic feature film, but this impersonation just doesn't work for me.

Everything wasn't all bad, though, as some of the jokes did land, and the VFX were pretty good. I even like that the movie alludes to potential sequels, something that should never happen unless its a sure thing. While a follow up to Sonic's first outing isn't guaranteed, I do like the idea of expanding the world to refine what is here.

Overall, if you have children, this will be a pretty good time for them. If you're an adult, there might be some fun to be had, but it's less than you would hope for. Nothing about Sonic the Hedgehog is specifically horrible, its mostly just not funny and a little boring. It's very comparable to another kid's movie that came out this year, Dolittle. If you had to choose between the two, this one is it.

3/10
The intimidation joke was when it peaked