The Sonic the Hedgehog movie has become quite the success at the box office outperforming Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey. It’s the second highest-grossing film of 2020 so far behind Bad Boys For Life and even dethroned Detective Pikachu as the best performing videogame movie on its opening weekend.
Like all films based on videogames, however, a mixed reception between fans and critics is to be expected. Yet despite this, there is already a strong possibility that fans will get the sequel that was alluded to in the post-credit scenes and Dr. Robotnik star Jim Carrey has already expressed an interest in returning to the character. With that in mind let’s take a look at what loved and didn’t about the film.
10 Loved: Sonic’s Redesign
The producers of the Sonic the Hedgehog movie clearly cared about what fans thought after his initial reveal in the first trailer. They went back to the drawing board to redesign character and make him more in line with his original 16-Bit design.
Sonic the Hedgehog has been an iconic figure in gaming for nearly thirty years and making sure the character looks the way he’s supposed to be is clearly important to fans. The redesigned Sonic not only captures all of the character's traits but it almost makes fans forget about the horrifying design they nearly went with.
9 Didn’t: Jim Carrey
This is one that will be subjective and dependant on whether or not one is a fan of Jim Carrey or not. There’s no doubt that bringing in Jim Carrey will tick all the right boxes for those that remember that he was at the peak of his fame during the time that Sonic came out with hits like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.
However, even for those that grew up during the height of Carrey’s career, his wacky style of physical comedy doesn’t resonate with everyone and his Dr. Robotnik will be another one of his love it or hate performances. He’s an acquired taste and may prove to be a hard sell for a younger audience.
8 Loved: A Nostalgic Thrill For The Fans
Make no mistake, the Sonic the Hedgehog movie has been created for the fans. This is especially so for older fans that have grown up with the little blue blur. It's a movie that understands its fan base and pays homage to both the videogames and the cartoon series many have of the younger generation tuned in to watch on the TV.
The nostalgia trip doesn't end with its love letter to the Sonic universe, but the film borrows heavily from classics like E.T. and Flight of the Navigator. The Sonic movie wants to feel like a film from the 80s and 90s with a modern coat of paint and it certainly hits all the right notes.
7 Didn’t: Non-Fans May Not Get It
The Sonic the Hedgehog movie is pretty formulaic in terms of its plot, it borrows heavily from other sources and doesn’t quite have the emotional weight of its inspirations. However, its simplistic premise works perfectly as an homage to Sega’s most famous character mostly because a little cartoon hedgehog doesn't need a complex narrative to work.
Unfortunately for movie watchers that aren’t fans, many of the references and allusions to the games for fans will be lost on non-fans. Many critics of the films will feel like they have seen it all before and won’t understand or care about the fanservice.
6 Loved: Tons Of Easter Eggs
As stated above, the Sonic the Hedgehog movie was made for fans young and old. The film is packed with pure fan service not just for the character himself but there are tons of references to Sega’s legacy too.
Those paying attention will notice references to the Sega Saturn, Sonic’s favorite food, and there’s even a mushroom reference alluding to a certain Nintendo rivalry. Easter eggs like these are what made the Detective Pikachu film such good fun to watch for fans and it works perfectly for Sonic too.
5 Didn’t: Heavy Product Placement
Product placement in movies is certainly not a new thing and most movie watchers accept it without any issue if it feels natural. Watching a character open their fridge to reveal lots of branded beers and soft drinks isn’t that ridiculous because that’s what the average fridge looks like for many people.
However, the Sonic movie may have some of the most obnoxious product placement since Michael Bay’s Transformers movies. The American restaurant chain Olive Garden gets mentioned way too much and there was even early mention for the realty website Zillow. It’s likely that the redesigned Sonic was costly and the movie needed all the advertising sponsorship it could get, but one can't help but wish it was a little less obvious.
4 Loved: The Kids Will Love It
As much as the Sonic the Hedgehog movie is for the big kids that grew up in the early to mid-nineties playing Sonic and other Sega games the film has its sights set on the younger generation too. Many of the younger viewers will have been introduced to the little blue hedgehog through their nostalgic parents and the cartoon series.
The film is very tuned into what modern kids are into these days and one only has to watch it in the cinema and see their laughter from beginning to end to know that it absolutely nails what it set out to do.
3 Didn’t: The Lack Of Sonic Characters
It’s understandable that being a Sonic the Hedgehog movie that the narrative needed to focus on its main star by creating a character with a backstory for fans to engage with. However, in a movie where the least interesting characters are the human ones it could have done with a few more from the Sonic universe.
Even if the film’s writers waited until the final act like the way the Shazam movie did to introduce the new superheroes in preparation for the sequel would have worked. Many younger viewers will have felt quite a bit of disappointment that certain characters like Knuckles didn’t show up at all.
2 Loved: It’s Very Self-Aware
Younger audiences these days seem to have a different taste to those that grew up in the 80s and 90s watching Saturday afternoon cartoons. Ask a child these days whether they prefer the DC’s Young Justice or the self-aware parody Teen Titans Go and they will likely pick the latter.
The Sonic the Hedgehog movie taps into that same kind of fourth-wall-breaking self-awareness that fans enjoy in Teen Titans Go. There are references to the Sanic meme, flossing – the famous dance from Fortnite – and The Flash.Â
1 Didn’t: The Human Characters
The Sonic the Hedgehog film tries to be a buddy road movie where the little blue guy bonds with James Marsden’s Sheriff and his wife played by Tika Sumpter. However, there’s no escaping the feeling that the human characters are too flat and one-dimensional.
Granted the actors don’t really have a lot to work with and do their very best working with a CGI lead character. It should be noted that Marsden does work well with Sonic’s voice actor Ben Schwartz, but without the hedgehog younger audiences and even some adults will find their attention waning.