Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) | Film Review

I don’t know about you, but I spent a pretty fair bulk of my adolescence navigating a weirdly blue hedgehog throughout various landscapes as he collected as many rings as possible, while simultaneously thwarting the sadistic efforts of the maniacal inventor Dr. Robotnik along the way. Avid video gamers or not, millions of eventual fans found something strangely addictive and OCDish about collecting as many rings as you could and somehow make it to the end of each level without losing them all at the slightest hiccup. Decades later, this youthful obsession has come rolling back into our lives, as Sonic the Hedgehog is now a full-length feature film.

Blending live-action with newly designed CGI, this Sonic begins in his home world. As it is explained, his ability to erupt into super-speed (think The Flash if he were an aqua-colored spiny mammal) is a special power that will attract nefarious parties for as long as he is exposed. Forced to flee his home, Sonic uses his special rings – which essentially function as portals here – to find a new home of anonymity on Earth.

As he grows up, Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) is forced to live in the shadows, watching humans like Sheriff Tom Wachowski and his wife Maddie (James Marsden and Tika Sumpter) go about their days from afar. After a deep exploration of his stalkerish tendencies, Sonic experiences a bout of loneliness which triggers a rage EMP that wipes out all power in the vicinity. This riles up the government, and the military calls in the assistance of a megalomaniac genius by the name of Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey) to hunt down this alleged terrorist. Once Tom realizes Robotnik’s intentions are shady at best, he agrees to help Sonic retrieve the rings that are key to his freedom, and possibly make a friend along the way.

Directed by Jeff Fowler, Sonic the Hedgehog is not aspiring for high art: this is a children’s movie, through-and-through. Goofy humor, cheesy dialogue, ludicrous plot developments, that’s part of the creed. Is that a good thing? Well, yes, mostly. Is it a great movie? No. But does it have to be? Let’s be perfectly honest, Sonic is a movie based on a video game about an odd creature avoiding a looney villain in a hovercraft by running ridiculously fast at all times while he hunts magical rings. It’s nonsense. What matters here is if it happens to be entertaining enough to please parents and their kids for 90+ minutes. The answer to that is yes, it absolutely does.

James Marsden proves an affable enough straight man, and honestly deserves more starring turns as he has the looks and chops for full-time leading man status. As the voice of Sonic, Ben Schwartz energizes the proceedings with wide-eyed innocence and humor, even injecting the character with a comfortable dose of heart as Sonic struggles with his alienated life on the lam. The notorious redesign of Sonic works gloriously (especially in comparison to the terrifying design of the original trailer), and he now evokes an exact replica of my childhood memories. If I had any issue with the CGI, it would focus more on the live actors obviously looking at the wrong tennis balls in numerous scenes, with their eye-line failing to match up to our beloved hedgehog.

Lest we forget, Jim Carrey has returned to the rubber-faced comedy he built a career on. As Dr. Robotnik, Carrey delivers a greatest hits package of every ridiculous character he has ever embodied, as if this could be his final run in this arena and he’s leaving nothing on the table. It mostly works, though there are definite stretches where even Carrey feels a bit long-in-the-tooth for these antics. But judging by the raucous laughter of children surrounding me, that’s just me being an old fuddy-duddy.

Sonic will be short-lived in the memory banks of many, as it is a very easy breezy comedy built for the hit-it-and-quit-it crowds of today. That said, there is enough comedy, CGI razzle-dazzle, and heart to recommend for a family in need of a light matinee. Most importantly, by the end it has found enough of its groove to do the legacy of Sonic the Hedgehog justice.