‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ Review: Crosses the Finish Line with Speed

t has not been a smooth ride for Sonic the Hedgehog leading up to its release. Ever since the initial teaser poster was unveiled, the film garnered criticism for the look of Sonic. The first teaser trailer didn’t help either as Sonic’s design was deemed too creepy and too human-like as opposed to cute and colorful like the gaming icon. Backlash was so severe that Paramount decided to completely redo his design and push back the release date from 2019 to 2020. As bumpy as the road has been, Sonic the Hedgehog crosses the finish line with grace, delivering a fun and humor filled film that is enjoyable for the entire family.

Born on a distant planet, the anthropomorphic blue hedgehog Sonic was unique in that he could run at supersonic speeds. Raised by the owl Longclaw, he was told to hide his powers as there would always be those who would try to take them from him. Eventually her words came true and Sonic had to run away to Earth via magical teleportation rings given to him by Longclaw with the advice to stay hidden and always keep running when things get dangerous. For the past 10 years Sonic has managed to keep a low profile in the small town of Green Hills, Montana, but his solitude finally gets the better of him when his speed causes a blackout across the state. No longer hidden from the world, Sonic enlists the help of local police offer Tom (James Marsden) to help him escape and evade falling into the clutches of the evil Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey).

I’ll be honest and say that I had my doubts about Sonic the Hedgehog going into the film, after all, the film industry has not been kind to video game adaptations and the whole debacle regarding Sonic’s design did not help, either. Thankfully my doubts were put at ease rather quickly. Not only is Sonic more aesthetically pleasing to look at, but he’s also got a great sense of humor and occasionally can get pretty deep with his thoughts. Here’s this creature who has spent his whole life running away, and now he’s just lonely and wants a friend. The film is pretty simplistic and doesn’t really get too bogged down with the idea – it is a kid’s movie after all – but there are a few moments where I truly connected and felt sorry for Sonic and all he’s gone through. It adds another layer to the Blue Devil and portrays him more than just this hedgehog who can run super fast.

Going toe-to-toe with Sonic is the hilarious Dr. Robotnik, played wonderfully by Jim Carrey, who easily slips into the outrageous role rather convincingly. I was worried that he would be too over-the-top with his antics and that he would quickly wear me out, but that moment never came. Carrey’s been out of the spotlight for nearly four years, but you wouldn’t notice. Dr. Robotnik is classic Carrey, for the better.

Sonic the Hedgehog is a great family film and will definitely leave you reminiscing about playing your SEGA Genesis. It never gets overly complicated or deep and just focuses on delivering entertaining jokes and some well placed Raster eggs and references. Hands down, it’s one of the best video game adaptations Hollywood has delivered.