Movie Review: 'Sonic the Hedgehog' (2020)

Source

I saw Sonic the Hedgehog with my sister and her friends last Friday, and, similar to Detective Pikachu from last year, I think it is a well made film. Not groundbreaking by any means, but still enjoyable.

There is an interesting story surrounding this film's production, of which you should be aware. Last year, the first trailer came out and Sonic's design was...less than accurate, to say the least.

Put that thing back where it came from, or so help me. Source

People online were furious that a big budget Sonic movie would portray him this way, and they complained and memed for days on end. This got wind of the director who, realizing that the film would flop if Sonic's sucky design remained, decided to change the release date from November to February and give Sonic a much needed makeover. The result is a better-looking design for the little blue hedgehog.

Much better. Source

As for the film itself, it is basically the origin story of Sonic as well as the villain Dr. Robotnik. The first scene shows Sonic living on an island and being raised by an owl. One day a tribe of echidnas resembling Knuckles in appearance suddenly appear and try to kill Sonic. His owl guardian saves him in the nick of time by sending him to Earth via a magic ring. Sonic is given several of these rings that can transport him to other worlds should he be discovered by anyone. While on Earth in Green Hills, Montana, an obvious reference to the first level of the video game, Sonic lives in a cave and observes one couple in their home consisting of a policeman named Tom and his wife.

One night Sonic goes super speed in a baseball field and unleashes a wave of blue energy which causes the town and surrounding areas to lose power. In response, the government sends Dr. Robotnik, played by Jim Carrey, to investigate the cause of the anomaly. Sonic attempts to go to another planet using the rings, but he is soon discovered by Tom and tranquilized. After a series of unfortunate events, Sonic loses his rings that are transported to San Fransisco. Now it is up to Sonic and Tom to get the rings back so Sonic can go to a new planet whilst escaping the clutches of Dr. Robotnik.

Despite having some cliche moments, Sonic the Hedgehog 2020 manages to be a decent video game adaptation on par with Detective Pikachu, though admittedly I prefer the latter as it has a more engaging and interesting story. The jokes in this film are hilarious and unexpectedly mature at times. And Sonic actually looks like Sonic.

If you plan to see this, I urge you to stay until the mid credits scene. I won't spoil anything, but I will say that it hints at a possible sequel.

Quality Rating: 7/10
Content Rating: 7+