RECENT WATCHES: Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)

Anybody who has known me for a long time knows that, among my many other pop culture obsessions, a big one is Sega's “Sonic the Hedgehog” franchise. Yes, I am one of those accursed and infamous “Sonic” fans that haunt the internet. It seems ridiculous that a premise as dumb as a blue hedgehog that runs fast and fights robots could launch a passion that has been burning for almost thirty years now. Yet that's the truth. That simple original video game has, to date, led to six animated series, three separate comic book universes that span well over five hundred issues, and a bunch of other games of wildly varying degrees of quality. My love for “Sonic” is such that I launched an entire other blog to discuss it.

As you'd imagine, I had a lot of expectations riding on the cinematic adaptation of “Sonic the Hedgehog.” Video game movies are notoriously bad, a sentiment I can attest to after spending a whole month watching them last May. The “Sonic” movie was certainly shaping up to be another such fiasco, after the disastrous first trailer came out, revealing a incredibly disturbing design for everyone's favorite blue hedgehog. In an unprecedented move, Paramount Studios responded to the overwhelmingly negative buzz by delaying the movie and completely redesigning the titular character to be less terrifying. The faithful new design of Sonic was extremely well received by fans, turning the impression of the movie completely around and resulting in surprisingly strong box office. But the question remains to be asked: Is the “Sonic” movie actually any good?

From a plot perspective, the “Sonic” movie barely resembles any previous incarnation of the character's story. Born with super speed and electric powers, Sonic the Hedgehog had to flee his home world as a child after being pursued by other forces, via portal-generating magic rings. He's spent his whole life living on Earth, hanging out in the woods around the small town of Green Hills, Montana. He's developed an admiration for the town's sheriff, Tom Wachowski. Tom and his wife are about to move to San Francisco. Sonic feels so lonely that he accidentally generates an electric pulse, attracting the attention of the government. They send mad scientist and drone specialist Dr. Ivo Robotnik to track down the responsible party. After Sonic's magic rings accidentally get transported to San Francisco, Sonic and Tom have to go on a road trip together. Robotnik, growing increasingly unhinged, pursues them.

Speaking as a man who has spent far too much of his life thinking about Sonic the Hedgehog, what was my initial reaction to the cinematic adaptation? “That was cute.” Indeed, “Sonic the Hedgehog,” both the character and the film, is reasonably adorable. I'm not just talking about how he looks. This version of Sonic is very different from previous incarnations. He's essentially a great big kid. His super-speed is paired with the kind of energy only a small child riding a serious sugar high can compare to. He loves life, sometimes to the point of obliviousness when he's annoying people, and wants to experiences as much of it as possible. What keeps this boundless enthusiasm from being excessively irritating is the melancholy quality it's paired with. This Sonic is also really lonely, which adds a new dimension to Sega's super-fast mascot. We are used to seeing Sonic run fast, fight bad guys, and deliver one-liners. Seeing him regard his own emptiness is something new and I applaud that.

It is true that loving a small town, staying put in one location for a long time, having few friends, and traveling via sports utility vehicle is pretty antithetical to Sonic as we know him. A big factor pasting over these differences is Ben Schwartz' vocal performance. Schwartz makes this Sonic way more likable than he probably would've been otherwise. Schwartz' energetic delivery makes even the dumber lines – random references to Vin Diesel or ride-sharing – reasonably amusing. He gets a lot of credit for the movie's various laughs, his delivery turning wooden lines into solid chucklers. Schwartz is clearly having a blast in the part and that sheer joy goes a long way.

I'll admit, just seeing Sonic on a real movie screen – hearing the words “Robotnik” and “Power Rings” spoken by actual actors – was a truly gratifying feelings. But I'm not blind to the facts about Paramount's “Sonic the Hedgehog.” This is very much a typical kid's movie. It even starts with a “You're probably wondering how I got here” moment, a cliché so hoary I thought it was totally discredited. There's a deeply out-of-place fart joke. There's also some truly baffling product placement from Zillow, Olive Garden, and Lenscrafter. Most of the scenes focusing on Tom Wachowski, especially those concerning his job, could not be more perfunctory. James Marsden, almost reprising his role from “Hop,” gives a competent but totally passionless performance. The road trip plot structure, as others have pointed out, recalls several other films about CGI animals hanging out with normal people. This is, in many ways, exactly the kind of middle-brow studio product I was totally ready to consume when the “Sonic” movie was first announced.

However, “Sonic the Hedgehog” also has plenty of elements in its favor. Famously skinny Jim Carrey playing the typically egg-shaped Dr. Robotnik wasn't exactly spot-on casting. Carrey, as you'd expect, brings a typical level of rubber-faced manic energy to the part. That, however, has value too. Watching Carrey mug it up is fun. Such as an impromptu dance number in his laboratory or the various over-sized reactions the film's outrageous scenarios provide him with. Yet the movie doesn't stray as far from canon Robotnik as I expected. This Ivo still prides himself on his intelligence and sees the rest of the world as inferior to him. Sonic and Tom challenging his superiority infuriates him. (The movie even adds to his line of groveling sidekicks, this one played by the amusingly deadpan Lee Majdoub.) The movie adds backstory about being an orphan and being bullied in high school, which works pretty well. Carrey's Robotnik is different but, ya know, I do like it.

From early on, I declared that an ideal “Sonic” would probably have to be animated. It seems to me that the film's producers kind of agree. Director Jeff Fowler's only previous credit is an animated short film called “Gopher Broke.” One of the film's best moment is entirely animated. That would be a lengthy prologue, set on Sonic's home world. Here, we meet Baby Sonic – a clear attempt to cash in the sudden fad of baby characters – and his guardian, a giant owl named Longclaw. (Apparently inspired by a minor character from the obscure British “Sonic” kid's books.) The sequence lovingly recreates the checkered landscapes and giant loops of the original Genesis game. In a move that truly delighted me, there's even an appearance from a clan of tribal echidnas. If the entire movie had been like this, I'm certain I would have loved it even more. For the record, Fowler's direction adds some flair to the action sequences but is generally pretty flat.

The unexpected appearance of the Knuckles Clan is not the only shout-out to the deeper “Sonic” lore contained within the film. In fact, the movie includes a number of references I was happy to catch. Sonic says he's gotta go fast, refers to himself as the Blue Blur and his archenemy as Eggman, and declares something no good. He strikes poses right out of the “Sonic Adventure” disc art. Sanic is glimpsed. The famous rings sound effect chimes. Sonic eats a chili dog. The word “Badnik” appears on-screen. A familiar melody is heard in the score. Sonic wins the day by launching himself repeatedly at Robotnik's hovercraft, which vaguely resembles the Egg-Mobile. Some of these possible homages are so deep, they might very well be coincidental. Yes, Movie Sonic has a race car bed. Is this an intentional nod to the Archie comics series? If so, did someone involved in this film read my tongue-in-cheek essay about said vehicle-shaped sleeping surface? That's a possibility I can't even begin to entertain, least I die of absolute joy.

It is clear to me that 2020's “Sonic the Hedgehog” was made by fans of the franchise. Yet the film has an uncertain relationship with one element of the series, that even Sega itself tends to forget about. Sonic the Hedgehog, as we all know, is a socialist hero and an icon of environmental activism. As you probably guessed, this goofy kid's movie doesn't really address either issue. (I'm not the only person to notice this.) If you squint, you can kind of see it. Yes, Movie Sonic is on the run from the government. Robotnik's drones were apparent active in the Middle East, which raises a number of hilariously dark implications. Yet the movie's co-lead is also a cop operating out of a speed trap, so I don't think I can credit the film for a proper anti-authoritarian subtext. Maybe in the sequel.

Yes, a sequel. In this age of franchise over-saturation, every studio flick wants to spawn a series and most of them are hopelessly overeager in that regard. As I expected from the first trailer, “Sonic” basically acts as the origin story for the version of Sonic and Robotnik we are most familiar with. The latter, especially, undergoes a drastic transformation before the end. Without getting too spoiler-y, another beloved “Sonic” cast member appears in a mid-credits teaser. I have lots of thoughts about a potential sequel but I'll just say this: I hope a follow-up – which seems totally plausible, considering the movie's surprise box office success – shows us more of Sonic's world and less of Earth. If a sequel follows that lead, I'm absolutely certain it'll be superior to this first film.

Which, I want to reiterate, I enjoyed immensely. I've now seen it twice and I had a great time on both viewings. Is this the “Sonic” movie I would have written? Absolutely not. Does it have the potential to launch a “Sonic” film franchise I could love? Yeah, I think it might. Would I like the movie as much as I do if it was about some other nostalgic property? Probably not! I'm totally happy to admit that pandering to middle-age nerds by filling a typical studio product with occasional call-backs to obscure bullshit appeased me. By showing a clear love of its source material and being fairly fleet-feeted and entertaining, “Sonic” manages to be one of the better video game movies. It might still rank as mediocre by most barometers, which mainstream critics have more-than-recognized, but I would be lying if I said this film filled me with anything but absolute joy. [7/10]