A strange thing happened when I sat down to write this review. Although I had enjoyed Sonic the Hedgehog, when I looked back, it felt like a McDonald’s Happy Meal. It’s pretty good for what it is: a children’s movie with a generic plot and an okay cast with Jim Carrey doing a best hits rendition of his zaniest roles from the 90s. However, it’s hard to recall anything in particular that stood out in the film, much like it’s hard to pinpoint what exactly you like about a McDonald’s cheeseburger (other than the cheese, that is).
The film got a lot of bad publicity last year when its uncanny valley rendition of Sonic drew harsh criticism from just about everyone. In response, the release date was pushed back six months and the character was redesigned to look closer to its video game roots. While the new design certainly looks much easier on the eyes, the film still has plenty of problems to tackle on its own.
Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) had to run away from his home at an early age when he’s pursued for his power. He takes refuge on Earth for the next ten years, staying in a small town called Green Hills in Montana. Sonic does his best to entertain himself, until his actions cause a blackout and gets the government’s attention. The government, in turn, sends in the deliciously hammy Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey). Sonic finds an unlikely ally in local cop Tom (James Marsden) and the two set off on a road trip to San Francisco.
The best thing that can be said about this film is that it breezes through its ninety minutes runtime.
The plot falters during the road trip section a bit, especially when the two of them make a stop at a bar when Dr. Robotnik’s drones are already searching for them. But it works best when Sonic is showing off his powers, whether it’s playing a baseball game by himself or rearranging the world around him in slow motion, in similar fashion to how Quicksilver was portrayed in the X-Men films. Marsden, for his part, has good chemistry with Schwartz, and he forms the emotional core of the film.
The film’s environments are bland for the most part, alternating between small town and large city. It would have been more interesting to see the lush landscape that Sonic hails from, or the mushroom planet he wants to escape to. As it stands, it falls to Carrey and Schwartz to carry the film.
Carrey feels like a mix of Ace Ventura and the Mask, and his physicality brings the cartoonish character to life.
Maybe it’s wrong subjecting a movie like Sonic the Hedgehog to the kind of analysis you would make on a more mature (and ambitious) story. It’s fun, and it could very well become a fond memory for the kids growing up watching it. The ‘power of friendship’ may feel bland and overdone to us, but to kids that may be as new as hover cars. Still, it’s not like a kid-friendly movie can’t also be a good movie in its own right. Let’s hope that, if this film inspires a sequel, it will take those risks to become a better narrative instead of settling into a holding pattern of sanitized jokes and blatant product placements. That’s unlikely to happen, but one can hope.
