Sonic The Hedgehog (2020) Review

Sonic The Hedgehog (2020) Review

 As a big video game fan I have played many Sonic games, some good & some bad but when The Sonic film was announced I was interested. Now some backstory to this film, when the first trailer was released Sonic's look was heavily slated, so in an unprecedented move Paramount & Sega decided to change the look to a more faithful version to the game. This move really was a great way to get support for this film and I think this film should be supported for this decision, anyway this is my review for the film. The premise of the film sees an alien hedgehog with superspeed trying to survive with a police officer from an evil genius.

Main Character

Ben Schwartz voices Sonic in this film and I feel like he does an alright job in the voice, he is very charming and entertaining in the role. Also you grow to care about him a lot as there is some depth to his character and you do feel sympathy for him, I also liked the way he addressed pop culture as it was a constant way to get laughs. However, there was a point where I thought that he just became a bit too annoying also I don't understand the need to try and make more and characters like Deadpool, first of all Harley Quinn in Birds Of Prey & now Sonic in this film and I don't feel like every character has to narrate their own film and it does take away from the film. 

Supporting Characters

James Marsden plays the police officer that Sonic befriends in the film and I thought he did a good job in the film, he is your likeable average guy that is pretty easy to root for. The relationship between the two characters is handled well and even though it is a pretty generic journey I did get emotionally invested in there story in the film. Now we get to the thing I couldn't stand in this film and that was Jim Carrey's performance as Dr Robotnik, he was just so over the top I thought I had been transported back to the 1990s. I know this film isn't meant to be taken too seriously but he is just so off the walls that it is so hard to take his character seriously at all even when the film tries to make you feel that way. 

Story

The story is at its strength when it focuses on Marsden & Sonics relationship, it is quite heartwarming and nice to see this friendship develop throughout the film. However, one thing that should be noticed in this film is that it is really safe, it is a very predictable film that is pretty paint by numbers. Even though this is an entertaining film if you can easily predict the film all the way through then it does take away from your experience even if it is a film that is meant for families. 

Script 

Some of the humour does work in this film, as I mentioned earlier I did like the pop culture references used by Sonic, also the drama was suprisingly well handled and it made me care about the two main protagonists in the film. But I will admit sometimes, there are just a few too many references in the film and it can sometimes take away from some good character moments and good dramatic moments.

Style

The style of the film is easily the best part of this film, it is very bright and colourful and feels like it is straight from the video game. Sonic looks great in the film and I am so happy they changed the design and it is a great thing to see this version of Sonic on the big screen instead of the horrible version in the first trailer. The action scenes are exciting and entertaining with moments that feel appropriate for this film and the age group that the film is aimed at.

Overall

Overall this is an entertaining film for sure that starts to make Sonic a more mainstream character again, there was definitley some issues for the film but if you like fun action films then Sonic might be worth a watch for you.

Rating - 6/10