| February 19, 2020 | Juan Ibarra | multimedia editor |
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Video game movies have been extremely hit or miss for years. Many films have been released to a mediocre debut.
“Sonic the Hedgehog” does a lot of things right with the source material while telling a basic story that has been seen many times before. The charm of Sonic and Dr. Robotnik saves this movie from being unforgettable, but the film itself leaves a lot to be desired.
The film follows a teenage Sonic, voiced by Ben Schwartz, as he lives in hiding in a small town called Green Hills. After he accidentally causes a power surge, the government sends scientist Dr. Robotnik, played by Jim Carrey, to investigate, which leads to Sonic leaving town with newly acquainted friend Tom Wachowski, portrayed by James Marsden.
The heart of this movie is the titular character, as Schwartz’s performance keeps the film’s innocent. Sonic is played with a childlike wonder, and it’s hard to hate the character. Although the character can be a little too annoying at times, he’s balanced out well with Wachowski, whom Marsden plays his role as the straight-forward man to Sonic’s more comic personality.
Carrey’s performance as Dr. Robotnik looks like the most fun Carrey’s had on-screen in years. The classic, zany personality and expressive features Carrey brings to life feel right at home in this movie and add to the lighthearted nature of this film. The duality between him and Sonic is fun to watch, and the few times they’re on-screen together are delightful to see.
While the characters bring most of the enjoyment to the table, the story’s basic premise makes the movie feel like it’s just rehashing a plot that audiences have seen many times before. Two characters are on the run from an organization, and along the way, they become friends and discover something about the importance of love and friendship. This story has been seen hundreds of times, so that leaves the characters to do a lot of the heavy lifting.
On top of the lackluster premise, a heavy amount of product placement is a huge distraction and, at one point, feels like a scene was cut straight from an ad for Zillow.
“I’m looking for cheap apartments on Zillow,” a character says while the camera maintains focus entirely on a laptop screen of the Zillow homepage.
There are also a few heavy-handed Olive references that are laughable and almost feel like they were inserted as a joke when in reality, the real joke is the amount of product placement seen throughout the film.
Sonic the Hedgehog is a movie with fun characters and jokes, while also having a plot that is made for children to easily connect with. Adults will have a harder time enjoying the movie, but the comedy and heart of the movie will keep them interested.
