“Sonic The Hedgehog” Review: Great redesign but not anything special

While the initial Sonic Trailer set back the release of the movie for another year, its release made everyone run to the nearest theater.

By Beverly Regino, Creative Director

After the disaster of a trailer for the “Sonic The Hedgehog” last April, the movie trailer was the laughing-stock of the internet and was criticized for the horrific “CGI-gone-wrong” they gave the beloved talking blue hedgehog. 

After listening to their audiences’ pleas, Paramount released “Sonic The Hedgehog” with a new, improved and accepted look to Sonic on Valentine’s Day and grossed $70 million in the box office in just four days. 

Directed and produced by Jeff Fowler, the movie features Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz). After escaping from planet to planet in an attempt to outrun his enemies, Sonic stays on Earth, meeting Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) and his loving wife, Maddie Wachowski (Tika Sumpter) as his “friends,” yet, they’ve never seen him. In an accident at a baseball park, Sonic accidentally reveals his powers to the authorities on Earth who call on Dr. Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik (Jim Carrey) to track and capture Sonic. With the help of Tim, Sonic escapes from Robotnik, hoping to escape to another planet. 

When the initial trailer was released to audiences, it seemed to be just another useless cash grab for Hollywood movie makers. However, new insight was made on the movie when the movie was delayed another year for a major change to Sonic’s design. Instead of making it look “realistic,” the director returned to Sonic’s original design while looking realistic enough that the CGI doesn’t stand out. 

Along with the great re-designed CGI, the movie is adorned with amazing chemistry between the hero and the villain: Sonic and Robotnik. Without their chemistry, this movie would be nothing to go off of. 

It´s Robotnik’s chaotic ridiculousness and Sonic´s immature ridiculousness that make their back and forth relationship hilarious. The sarcasm between them gives the movie life; Sonic being a hedgehog from another planet, he is portrayed as more human than Robotnik.

Jim Carrey playing as Dr. Robotnik is the best thing about this movie. His amazing portrayal of Robotnik just gives off the vibe that Jim Carrey is having so much fun with the role he’s given. Every scene with him is always exciting and left most people in the theater laughing at his jokes.

However, while Sonic and Robotnik were memorable, Tim and Maddie were very forgettable. While they helped the plot move along, they weren’t anything special and were a generic nuclear family for Sonic at the end of the movie. 

While this movie certainly surprised the audience, the “Sonic the Hedgehog” movie isn’t anything special. The jokes are hit or miss and the story isn’t anything Oscar-worthy but it’s still a fun watch. The pacing was great and the audience wasn’t bored in any parts of the movie.

It is a major upgrade from the initial trailers and is great for anyone looking for anything to watch or as background noise.

“Sonic the Hedgehog,” features Ben Schwartz as Sonic, Jim Carrey as Dr. Ivo Robotnik, James Marsden as Tom Wachowski and Tika Sumpter as Maddie Wachowski.