Sonic the Hedgehog
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG - Paramount Pictures
Jeff Fowler’s Sonic the Hedgehog is a fun and altogether harmless action romp that rises above standard video game movie fare by trusting its audience with one simple concept: sincerity. Based on the popular SEGA video game character, the film remains consistent with the guiding principle that sincerity and fun are never mutually exclusive, thus the experience feels balanced and universally wholesome. Though Sonic is never surprising, compelling or bold, it captures the essence of a feel-good blockbuster that is at once entertaining and heartfelt.
Ben Schwartz is reliably hilarious and perfectly cast as the titular Sonic, an alien and self-described hedgehog who is gifted with unbeatable speed and cursed with loneliness. After creating an energy surge so powerful it captures the world’s attention, Sonic is forced out of his isolation and teams up with small-town police officer Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) to evade the advanced technological forces of one Dr Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey). Much of the film’s charm and swift comedic grace comes from the undeniable talents of the three leads who commit to the goofy dialogue and find a rhythmic cadence that elevates the comedic script material well past its natural endpoint. Schwartz is quick with his timing but also finds heart and warmth in his portrayal of the character, imbuing him with an endearing playfulness that makes Sonic feel human. Carrey is an absolute delight to watch throughout, as his unpredictable and hammy portrayal of the “Eggman” allows his character — and by extension, the film as a whole — to be fun and ridiculous, as it should be.
While the performances are pitch perfect, the story is familiar, predictable and, at times, a bit lazy with its plotting and arcs. The narrative is remarkably simple and the friendship between Sonic and Tom is rushed and unearned in its development and payoff. As well, the film is shockingly light on plot, with almost nothing driving the story except the arbitrary looming threat of Dr Robotnik and the more character-driven thread of Sonic’s desire for genuine friendship. Though the third act is a visually spectacular ride through shifting locations and general video game theatrics, each action set-piece feels either derivative of other films or uninspired and unimaginative in its construction and development.
Though the characters are endearing and fun to watch during the comedic scenes, the film takes very little time to distinguish their personalities or develop motivation and a character arc for anyone other than Sonic and Tom. The film tries hard to mask its lack of personality, identity and character distinction — as well as its unfortunate burden and reality of being a video game adaptation — with over-the-top humour and pop culture references in an attempt to capture a self-awareness and satirical edge that has very little to do with the thematic material of the story.
The film does succeed in blending humour and heart but it does so by sacrificing a unique identity and compelling story of its own. Despite centering around Sonic, this film has very little to do with the title character or the world he inhabits and instead, it ends up feeling like a hopelessly generic mess of plot contrivances, lackadaisical and random pacing and surface-level heart. Sonic the Hedgehog is a genuinely enjoyable, yet painfully unremarkable adaptation of a beloved character that feels genuine in the emotions it yearns for but shows extreme ineptitude in basic storytelling conventions.
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG is released February 14th 2020
