When Paramount dropped Sonic the Hedgehog's first trailer in April 2019, it was met with ridicule and intense criticism because of the sub-par character design and weak visual effects. Director Jeff Fowler was applauded when he took to Twitter shortly after to announce that the film's release would be delayed until early 2020. In November we were given a new look at the revised visuals and this weekend, Sonic the Hedgehog finally hits cinemas.
Sonic the Hedgehog starts off as the 2020-reimagining of the Sega video game that fans had hoped for: it begins in a bright and colourful world that promises a lot of fun. However, the film quickly pulls a bait-and-switch as Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) is transported to a small town on dreary Planet Earth named Green Hill (get it?). What follows is a mashup of E.T., Hop, and any generic buddy-cop movie as Sonic attempts to find his home.
Patrick Casey and Josh Miller's simple screenplay moves at a pleasant pace, introducing James Marsden's (Dead to Me) aspiring street cop and Jim Carrey's (How The Grinch Stole Christmas) wacky villain along the way. Yet the grounded journey that the writers decide to take these characters on is detrimental. It is hard to imagine diehard Sonic fans enjoying a film where their favourite character (known for his hyper-speed) spends most of his time on a road-trip to San Fransisco where he is *occasionally* confronted by Eggman's weaponry. Although there are a few brief action sequences throughout, the plot is too thin and small-scale to warrant a trip to the cinema. This would have been a more-than-satisfying streaming release.
While some may appreciate Sonic the Hedgehog's stripped-down story, it is almost guaranteed to underwhelm any nostalgia-seekers. When fans think of Sonic, they also think of the game's other famous hedgehogs - Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, Amy Rose etc - and, aside from a rewarding post-credit tease, these characters do not make an appearance - since Sonic's arc is about his loneliness on Earth, it could have been a better pay-off to see Sonic reunite with others like him instead of the bland and forgettable human characters. In addition, Doctor Robotnik doesn't truly transform into Eggman until the film's final scene (which is in the trailer). Hollywood needs to stop cheating by teasing cooler sequels that are not guaranteed.
That being said, Jim Carrey's Doctor Robotnik brings the energy, charisma and personality that the film desperately needs. Carrey's portrayal of Eggman is a performance. From his accent to his line delivery to his facial expressions and body language, Carrey makes some bold acting choices...and they go a long way: Eggman goofing out and dancing in his evil laboratory is the film's most entertaining scene! His weapons are pretty cool too (he has a tank that ends up transforming into a mini helicopter). The memes were not kidding when they said that Jim Carrey carries this film.
Image source: iFunny
Finally, the film's titular character: Sonic. Although Ben Schwartz does a solid job voicing the hedgehog, Jeff Fowler's film underuses him. In a film titled Sonic the Hedgehog, there is too much focus on the lives of the replaceable human characters around him and not enough time spent exploring Sonic's personality, backstory or showcasing his skills. There are glimpses scattered throughout - Sonic hilariously helps a tortoise to experience high speeds, the rushed prologue, and the 'Quicksilver'-style action scenes - but the film does not show enough of this to establish Sonic as a likeable, distinguishable cinematic figure. What makes 2020's Sonic any different from the CGI characters in Hop, Peter Rabbit, Alvin and the Chipmunks or Detective Pikachu? Moreover, while it is a major improvement, I was not full convinced by the film's revised realisation of the character. Sonic is a blatant cartoonish CGI graphic placed in every scene...and Eggman's droids look even worse.
Aside from his graceful response to the initial trailer's 'constructive' feedback, there is little else to applaud Jeff Fowler for. The film he has produced is void of fan service, memorable action and, possibly the worst of all, impressive imagery. Instead, it is hounded by a boring plot, dated pop culture memes (didn't we leave 'flossing' in 2018?) and an underused titular character. Sadly, Sonic the Hedgehog is anything but electrifying.