Sonic Runs to The Big Screen (Sonic Movie Review)

Sonic's new movie just came out, but did it help or hurt the blue hero?

Summary

I came in with low expectations, but left pleased. The Sonic movie may not dive into the established lore or introduce "less known" characters to a bigger audience. But it keeps the same positive spirit, snazzy attitude, and themes of friendship the series has ran on (pun intended) since the series' birth.

Story/Dialogue

• Beginning
• The beginning establishes an origin for the Sonic, and why he ended up on earth. It also expanded on the ring concept. 
• While it was sort of "slow" starting out, I thought it was good to build-up sympathy and appreciation for the character. 
• It was also interesting to see this "lonely" side of Sonic, since we're so used to seeing him surrounded by friends. 
• Middle
• Middle takes some time to focus on Sonic bonding with Tom. I'm glad the whole movie wasn't just a "road trip!" That was kinda' the vibe I got from the trailer, and while the scenes were cute, it would have been hard to take serious had that been the whole movie. 
• The pace increases as the journey continues. The tension with their situation along side the argument between Sonic and Tom keeps the balance of action and interaction well. 
• As more people become aware of Sonic, though, it gets kind of hard to accept their reactions as genuine.
• End
• As expected, the end epic showdown filled with speed and action debuts. It's pretty cool visually, but doesn't do much for the characters until Sonic shows up back in Green Hills. 
• Now the main theme becomes clear as the characters stand up for each other. It's a sweet moment.  
• I find the ending a little convenient. Sure, Sonic just happened to hang out in a small town. Sure, in the age of cell phones and all that, no one in the town or city exposed the fight. And the government would rather cover it all up than investigate further...right. 
• But theme of friends and family--showing what Sonic as well as Tom has gained from this adventure--it makes for a good ending.   
• Dialogue
• The words are all mostly humorous.
• Sonic has good, quick comments and lines. 
• It was also intresing to hear Sonic mention real-world elements (as before that was avoided since he wasn't on the same planet/dimension and any would therefore break the forth wall).

Characters/Cast

• Sonic
• Ben Schwartz does a good Sonic voice. He's pretty energetic, and can switch back from the smug side of Sonic to the lonely version in a flash. I don't think he's the best, but he's pretty good. 
• Sonic is animated to be expressive and gives his game counter-part a run for his money. 
• They changed some thinks about the character, mainly...well his personality is the same, which is key in keeping the character a success. But his Owl-raised background was a little weird.  
• Tom Wachowski
• James Marsden deserves a lot of credit, since his co-star was a CGI creature. He's good at reacting and does well in the situation. 
• Considering the already-large cast of Sonic characters, I thought introducing a new one would be a mistake (especially in this case, because of the similarities to Sonic X). However, the character did well as a "buddy" while also filling in the unique/supportive role (like the games' Tails, Tikal, Chip, Sharah, etc). 
• Dr. Ivo Robonik/"Eggman"
• Jim Carrey brings a lot of energy to the role, but he's still very thin compared to the round villain I'm used to. He had done well with Count Olaf and even the Riddler, but visually, he's just not the Robotnik from the games. Carrey could make a pretty good Robbie Rotten, though. 
• They did manage to write the character as both a threat and comedic--something others have had trouble doing. 
• The character felt more like Tom's enemy than Sonic's, and he could have used some more catchphrases (something on the lines of "Stubborn little pincushion")? 
• I liked that they threw in the nickname in a different way (since, you know, Jim Carry isn't exactly egg-shaped). Also, the "coffee" part was hilarious. 
• Dr. Maddie Wachoski (Tika Sumpter)
• To be honest, I didn't feel like her character did much. She was kind of unnessicary until the end. She added to the family concept. 
• Agent Stone (Lee Majoub)
• Likewise, this characters doesn't do much, either, but is a nice reference to Robotnik's past minions/underlings. 
• Other characters
• The owl character was kind of weird. I'm guessing the writers had to work around the "Sonic game characters cannot have new family members that aren't already established within the games (like Cream/Vanilla)" mandate the comics have. But the choice still seems weird (this ain't the Guardians of Ga Hoole). 
• I also find it interesting they had the same voice actor from the games (Colleen O'Shaunessey; Tails since Sonic Boom) voicing her character. I wonder if she would be replaced if they made a sequel or not. 
• Most other characters did their jobs as support or side-conflict. Not a lot to them, but they were alright. The old man who drew Sanic was funny.

Visuals/Effects

• This movie is a cute movie, and it wouldn't have been possible with the old designs. The movie's story is not bad, but it would have been impossible to see why with the disgustingly scary version. 
• The CGI was textured realistic but created more cartoonish, and that's fine. It's a talking blue hedgehog, why should it be?
•  Lots of action and CG. It looks fine, but I doubt it will age well. Better than Garfield, Scooby Doo, TMNT, and most other weird CGI/live-action hybrids so far. 
• There are a few scenes that make it obvious the character wasn't actually there. I'm not sure if this was a background problem, or because the old design was different.  

Music

• I'm glad they threw in Green Hill's music in there, because it was nice to have something from the games somewhere. I wish there had been a Crush 40 song someplace in the background as an easteregg, but for now I'll settle with Green Hill I guess. 
• The theme, "Speed Me Up," is alright. It matches the modern tone the series has shifted to, but some 2000's rock may have represented Sonic as a whole more than rap. I like the chorus--it's very catchy, and I suppose the rap is in-line with the "Speed" idea (and I don't think it mentioned being tougher than leather, sorry Knuckles). 
• It's pretty good, I guess, but I'd prefer "the pressures of this world, they can take their toll/and it's tough to get away when they take their hold/the only way to break free is to break the mold" (portion of rap from "His World") over "these dudes actin' like we ain't who they wanna be/got me tickled, tryna' act so selfishly/pocket full of green stacked up like a pot of peas/big boy dawg, walkin' 'round with a lot of fleas" (portion of rap from "Speed Me Up"...and there's more where that came from). 

Final Thoughts

• When I first heard there were plans for a live-action/CGI Sonic movie (back when Sony was supposed to make it) I was TERRIFIED. 
• I knew if they messed it up, it would hurt Sonic's rep far more than a game ever could have. And I was sure they were going to. And they did with that first trailer. But they corrected their error--spent time and money to correct it--and I'm glad they did.
• Also, I did not find it overly juvenile, as I feared, either.  
• At the end of the day, the Sonic movie doesn't change much. I'm not sure what tie-in plans Sega has, but I can now say the Sonic the Hedgehog movie didn't hurt the character; it helped.  
• Not everyone will agree. I caught some of the references, but the movie is targeted for a much broader audience. Many of the games major characters, locations, themes, and items are absent. 
• At it's bare bones, it's an origin movie, and for those who grew up with any version of Sonic, it won't be the origin their familiar with. 
• However, despite it's differences, the spirit and attitude behind the series is alive and vibrant. 
• In short, it takes some of Sonic's best qualities and exposes it to a new crowd.   

Final Ranking (S is the best, E is the lowest): B (high average)

It's not my new favorite movie, but it's far from "awful." It's a good family movie, and would probably do best, ironically, with people who are less familiar with the character.