Sonic The Hedgehog: Movie Review

Sonic The Hedgehog: Movie Review

Cast: Jim Carrey, Ben Schwartz, James Marsden
Director: Jeff Fowler

After the initial outcry over Sonic The Hedgehog having human teeth, those involved in the latest family film to hit our screens must be relieved at what's been achieved.

The second look at Sonic proved to be more popular, with the Sega fave living and breathing the blue-shaped blur many nostalgia fans wanted.

So, with a flimsy plot, Sonic The Hedgehog has raced in to try and prove a box office fave and possibly relaunch a franchise - after all, console companion Tails is lurking about ready to be utilised.

In terms of plot, Sonic's simple - when small-town police officer Tom Wachowski (X-Men's Marsden) discovers the small blue hedgehog (voiced with energy by Schwartz), he's thrown into a fight with the Evil Dr Robotnik (Jim Carrey, back to his manic self).

Sonic the Hedgehog is not the disaster you would have expected.

Featuring a performance from Jim Carrey that could be characterised as vintage Ace Ventura gone mad and a bit bad, his Robotnik is the highlight of a kiddy film that feels bitsy, yet is entertaining enough to speed by as quickly (especially through some lulls later on) as Sonic powering through the glens.

Marsden is affable enough as Wachowski the small town cop who wants out but who realised that home is where his heart enough. And his partnership with Schwartz gels nicely but is never overplayed for easy laughs. Schwartz treads a fine line between irritating, cute and heartfelt, and negotiates it with veritable aplomb, proving an engaging enough road trip buddy as the film plays out. 

Though jarringly, some scenes feel shoe-horned in to expand proceedings - notably a bar detour that exists purely to fill time, and to show off some VFX work.

Sure there are elements of Spider-Man: Far From Home with a drones denouement and some of the FX feel ripped from Evan Peters' Quiksilver from the X-Men films, but thanks to some nostalgia bursts and some moments which constitute spoilers, Sonic fans will be happy enough.

Sonic the Hedgehog’s never quite strong enough to standalone as a film franchise launcher, and a Sonic vs Robotnik series would be worryingly too repetitive, but this has a bounce and flimsy flounce that’s just enough to amuse both the younger ends of the audience, and the nostalgia-dripped older end, desperate to capture that SEGA vibe from some 30 years ago.